Sierra de Neiba

The Neiba range runs east to west north of Lake Enriquillo, rising above two thousand metres, and it is the least visited of the country's major protected areas. The pattern is the same as Bahoruco to the south but the traffic is a fraction: dry scrub at the foot, then broadleaf forest, then a cloud forest belt on the ridge with tree ferns, moss and orchids. It shelters most of the same endemic birds and a number of endemic plants and amphibians, and because so few people come, the walking is genuinely solitary. Communities on the slopes grow coffee and beans, and access is on rough tracks from Neiba or from the northern side.

What you actually see

• The cloud forest ridge - moss, tree ferns and orchids above two thousand metres.
• Endemic birds - the same species as Bahoruco with far fewer people.
• The view over Lake Enriquillo - the salt lake far below to the south.
• The coffee slopes - smallholdings on the way up.

When to go

November to April is drier and the tracks passable. Mornings are clearest. It is cold on the ridge, often below fifteen degrees with wind. Local guides are arranged in Neiba or through lodges near the lake.

Honest expectations

There is essentially no infrastructure: no marked trails, no visitor centre, no accommodation inside the park. Access needs four-wheel drive and local knowledge, and going without a guide is unwise. Deforestation for charcoal and farming has cut into the lower slopes. Very few operators run trips here at all.

Nearby

Lake Enriquillo is below to the south; Barahona is two hours southeast.