Barahona

 The deep southwest of the Dominican Republic, is geographically removed from the country’s primary tourist destinations – but getting closer has its perks: the most biodiverse reserve and parks in the country, incredible beaches, fresh water cascades, birding havens, mountain ranges, and plantations producing some of the country’s finest coffee.

Past Barahona’s eclectic local pulse, into a scenery of fishing villages and sights of mountain ranges that seem to come down from the sky and fall into the turquoise Caribbean Sea as you drive along the scenic Barahona-Enriquillo Coastal Highway. The Barahona province is a nature and wildlife-watching haven, with multiple attractions that could keep you occupied for days.

The Sierra de Bahoruco National Park, reveals multiple ecosystems that range from dry forests to cloud–rising over 2,000 meters and is home to many local species of plants and birds. Complementing this wilderness are rivers cascading down to meet pebble stone beaches, a coastal scenery unlike anywhere else in the DR and caves tucked in thick fern forests leading you toward refreshing swims in blue sinkholes. The neighboring province of Pedernales holds one of the most beautiful beaches in all of the Caribbean called Bahia de Las Aguilas with the absolute best sunsets the island has to offer. If you are adventurous and love to explore beyond the tourist spots and the ordinary then “glamping” in Barahona and Pedernales is for you.

When you’re not swimming, hiking in forests or chasing after gemstones at the larimar mines, just relax at one of the village’s local bars. Barahona’s widespread outdoors and atypical sights allow for picking and blending your choice of scenery and adventures.