Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine July 2018 | Page 296

Barahona
“The Pearl of the South”
Barahona is located in the southwest of the
country and remains one of the last frontiers
for tourism. Made up of amazing natural
beaches, unspoiled waterfalls, and rugged
ranges of mountain pine, the area offers eco-
friendly expansions that preserve the rare
biosphere, specifically the Jaragua-Bahoruco-
Enriquillo Biosphere Reserve, which was
added to UNESCO’s World Network of
Biosphere Reserves in 2002.
Laguna de Oviedo
The saltwater lake, located in the Jaragua National Park, is one of the Caribbean’s most important
ecological reserves and is the second largest body of water in the Dominican Republic after Lake
Enriquillo. There are mangrove swamps and 24 keys in the center of the lagoon, which visitors
can see during a three-hour boat tour. Here, colonies of Ricord and Rhinoceros iguanas live and
migratory and endemic birds nest, including the royal and Blue Heron, gulls, Spoonbill Pelicans,
parrots and flamingos.
© Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism