Our amazing “endemics” private bird watching tour consists of 5 full days of incredible birding in the Dominican Republic, one of the premier birding destinations in the Caribbean, and home to the highest endemic species count of the region. On this unforgettable bird watching tour, you will visit all of the top birding sites in the country and have the opportunity to see or photograph all of the 34 of the 35 endemic species found on the island of Hispaniola, and visit a variety of ecosystems, all of which are highly recommended in the “Caribbean Birding Trail” website. This tour is a condensed version of our 7 day package and is ideal for birders that have a little bit less time or a smaller budget, but still want a good chance to see all or most of our endemic species in a 5 day format.
The first morning we begin by birding the National Botanical Gardens in Santo Domingo for a few hours before embarking on a beautiful scenic drive west to the majestic Bahoruco Mountains and Sierra de Bahoruco National Park, where, for the next 4 days, we will be staying at a couple of small comfortable hotels in the area and spending the mornings, afternoons and nights exploring fantastic birding sites such as Zapoten Cloud Forest, Rabo de Gato Nature Trail, Lake Enriquillo National Park, Loma Charco Azul Biological Preserve, and Cachote Cloud Forest. In the area you will explore a wide variety of ecosystems, including dry forest, cloud forest, rain forest, and pine forest. These all being part of the amazing ecology found in the Dominican Republic, one of the most bio-diverse islands in the world. After spending a few very productive and diverse days in the southwest, we return to Santo Domingo for one final night.
The last morning, we embark on a beautiful scenic drive northeast through the Oriental Mountains on our way to Los Haitises National Park, a majestic broad leaf forest dotted with huge limestone cliffs, large caves and spectacular fauna and flora unique to the area. Once at the park we spend our last morning together birding in this magical forest and searching for one of the rarest hawks in the world, and our main target for the day, the critically endangered and endemic Ridgway’s Hawk. We follow that up with a delicious Dominican style lunch at the nearby village of Sabana de la Mar, before heading back to Santo Domingo for a relaxing night in the beautiful and historical colonial zone of the city which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and considered the first city in the New World. Once back in the city and before dropping you off at your comfortable hotel in the heart of the Colonial Zone, we visit a great Hispaniolan Parakeet roost nearby which will most likely produce the best parakeet views of the tour.
Package: “5 Day Endemics Birding Package” (Southwestern and Northeastern Regions of the Dominican Republic)
Duration of tour: 5 full days, 4 nights
Visiting: National Botanical Gardens in Santo Domingo (Jardín Botánico Nacional Dr. Rafael María Moscoso) – Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo (Hispaniolan Parakeet Site) – Rabo de Gato Nature Trail (Puerto Escondido) – Zapoten Cloudforest (Northern Slope of Sierra de Bahoruco National Park) – Loma Charco Azul (La Placa, Sierra de Bahoruco National Park) – Cachote Cloud Forest (Padre Miguel Domingo Fuerte Natural Monument on the Eastern Slope of the Sierra de Bahoruco Mountains) – Los Haitises National Park (Ridgway’s Hawk site near the town of Sabana de la Mar) – Lake Enriquillo National Park (Hispaniolan Palm Crow site)
Itinerary: Day 1: Morning pick up and birding at the National Botanical Gardens of Santo Domingo, we begin making our way west to Sierra de Bahoruco with a stop on route for lunch. Once we arrive, you have dinner and stay the night at a comfortable sea-side hotel just outside the town of Barahona. Day 2: Early morning 1 hour 4 x 4 drive up to Cachote Cloud Forest for birding, then come back down to Barahona for lunch, and continue making our way to the area of Puerto Escondido for afternoon birding at the Rabo de Gato Trail, then check into a nearby basic, but comfortable, accommodations in the town Duverge for the night. Day 3: Very early pre-dawn start and 2 hour 4 x 4 drive up a very bad road up to Zapoten cloud and pine forest with night birding on route, followed by early morning to early afternoon high elevation birding with a packed lunch, then we drive back down to the accommodations in Duverge for free time to rest at the hotel, followed by late afternoon and night birding in the area of Puerto Escondido, afterwards we spend the night in Duverge again. Day 4: Early AM birding at Loma Charco Azul nature trail in Puerto Escondido, followed by a visit to the shores of Lake Enriquillo National Park to look for Hispaniolan Palm Crow before having lunch on the road and going on the 4 hour drive back to Santo Domingo. Day 5: Early morning pick up and make our way on a scenic drive northeast to Los Haitises National Park to begin birding and looking for Ridgeways Hawk and other species nearby, after which we have lunch in the village of Sabana de la Mar before the drive back to Santo Domingo in the afternoon where, upon arrival, we visit a great Hispaniolan Parakeet roost in the Colonial Zone of the city before dropping you off in Santo Domingo.
*Order of days in itinerary may change if logistically necessary
***Optional additional nights available with lodging at the nearby beautiful Paraiso Caño Hondo Eco Lodge, named one of Forbe’s Magazine “Top 10 World’s Best Destinations for a Green Vacation”. Drop off included free of charge after birding at Los Haitises on day 5. Feel free to contact us for more details.
Package Includes: Fully bilingual, certified ecological and bird watching guides*, All meals (except dinners on day 4 and day 5), Comfortable transportation, 2 person shared rooms (separate beds optional) except if a single person tour, lodging for 2 nights at basic (but comfortable) accommodations in Duverge near Puerto Escondido, 1 night at a comfortable sea-side hotel outside Barahona, and 1 night at a comfortable and modern hotel in the Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo, Snacks, Drinking Water
Pricing:
1 person private tour: USD $3,900
2 person private tour: USD $2,350 per person
3 person private tour: USD $2,000 per person
4 to 5 person private tour: USD $1,800 per person
6 to 8 person (max) private tour: USD $1,600 per person
**Single supplement for lodging: USD $200 per person, when available
For larger group pricing, please contact us. The bigger the group, the more economical our per person rates.
Please feel free to review our cancellation and company policies here
*Our guides are fully trained as bird watching guides by The Nature Conservancy and the Hispaniola Ornithological Society, and in first aid response by the Red Cross
Transportation: Packages include comfortable, private transportation to and from Santo Domingo, but other arrangements can be made. Transportation to airports is available for a small additional fee. See our vehicles
Reservations: Click here for instructions on how to book this tour.
Images from previous tours and the sites we will be visiting:
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