Bahía de las Aguilas (literally "Eagles’ Bay"), is an long beach along the southwestern coast of the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

in the province of Pedernales near the southernmost part of the border with Haiti. The bay is part of the

Jaragua National Park Jaragua National Park ( es, Parque Nacional Jaragua) is a national park of the Dominican Republic. Jaragua National Park is located in the Pedernales Province in the extreme southwest of the Dominican Republic. Jaragua National Park has a total ar ...

, and it is considered by many Dominicans (and visitors as well) as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The bay is a protected area as is the surrounding park, hence there is an abundance of sea life just feet off the beach within its waters.

Geography

The thing that visitors like the most about this beach, is that it is totally isolated. 323 km from

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 ( Distrito Nacional) , webs ...

and approximately 25 km from Pedernales (the nearest town), this beach is a true oasis in the middle of the deserted steppe of the park. Departing from Pedernales, one gets to a small village called "La Cueva" (literally "The Cave") named so because of the numerous caves surrounding the village, where up until 2007, used to be occupied by local fishermen. La Cueva is located on a tip of land called Cabo Rojo ( Red Cape/Point). Here visitors can hire one of the local villagers to take them to the beach bordering the coast on a small motorboat, by foot or with an all-wheel-drive vehicle and a good driver going through the park itself (either way it is a 10- to 15-minute ride; 45 on foot).

Territory

There was a legal process as the territories on which Bahia de las Aguilas is located were supposed to be "acquired" by persons with political connections. That generated a lot of reactions from civil society as these acquisitions were attributed to corruption practices. Justice did prevail, and Bahia de las Aguilas was declared public land and is now a part of a wide scale plan for development by the Dominican Republic government. Although Bahia de las Aguilas has caught the eye of major international hotel and resort chains like Marriott Group, which has 10 facilities throughout the Dominican Republic and 13 additional projects underway, President Luis Abinader has stated that no construction of any kind will be taking place in zones which are under environmental protection.

Flora and fauna

Given Bahia de las Aguila's location within the Jaragua National Park, its coasts offer a subtropical climate and semi-arid terrain of bushes and shrubs to a range of diverse flora such as canelillas, raft trees, balsa palms, and even producing horned melon fruits. Among its most notable and endemic mammals are the pre-historic Hispaniolan Solenodons ''(Solenodon paradoxus)'', and the

Hutia Hutias (known in Spanish as jutía) are moderately large cavy-like rodents of the subfamily Capromyinae that inhabit the Caribbean islands, with most species restricted to Cuba and Hispaniola. Twenty species of hutia have been identified, but at ...

''(Hutia conga),'' both endangered species, along with the likes of reptiles and amphibians: ricord iguanas, rhinoceros iguanas, and Hispaniolan sliders. There are also numerous bird species flying in the area like

sooty terns The sooty tern (''Onychoprion fuscatus'') is a seabird in the family Laridae. It is a bird of the tropical oceans, returning to land only to breed on islands throughout the equatorial zone. Taxonomy The sooty tern was described by Carl Linnaeu ...

, plain and white-crowned pigeons being the most abundant.

Marine ecosystem

The Bahia de las Aguilas Caribbean sea floor is composed largely of uncontaminated coral reefs, and abundant sea grass prairies which serve as a key source of nutrients for legions of queen conch,

Panulirus argus ''Panulirus argus'', the Caribbean spiny lobster, is a species of spiny lobster that lives on reefs and in mangrove swamps in the western Atlantic Ocean. Anatomy ''P. argus'' have long, cylindrical bodies covered with spines. Two large spines ...

''(spiny lobster),'' and even larger protagonists like the Antillean manatee. Seeking refuge in its waters, endangered species of hawksbill turtles, leatherbacks, and green sea turtles rely on areas like Bahia de las Aguilas to reproduce and live free of illegal poaching.

Panoramic views

References

External links

{{Wikivoyage, Bahia de las Aguilashttp://www.diariolibre.com/cronologia/ver/meta/bahia-de-las-aguilas *http://www.listindiario.com/app/article.aspx?id=48661 *http://www.grupojaragua.org.do/pnj.html#Comunidades%20Aleda%C3%B1as Geography of Pedernales Province Beaches of the Dominican Republic Tourist attractions in Pedernales Province