Los Haitises National Park
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
Samaná Bay, Dominican Republic 389 spp. recorded
Los Haitises is a protected tropical rainforest situated along the southern edge of Samaná Bay in the Dominican Republic, featuring dense jungle vegetation and water channels lined with mangroves. Its signature species are the Palmchat and the Hispaniolan Woodpecker, both of which forage openly in the high canopy during daytime hours.
19.001° N 69.610° W
🦜 Nature
166 Species sighted
16,326 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Jan Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
+ 254 more species with insufficient data
Recent sightings in Los Haitises National Park
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
38Jan
35Feb
36Mar
32Apr
33May
26Jun
32Jul
27Aug
24Sep
29Oct
33Nov
28Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Cueva de La Arena
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Paraíso Caño Hondo
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Entrance
Paid
Tourism
Low
Typical stay
1–2
daysTrails
Easy
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Good
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
3.0
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 273
🐒 Mammals 53
🦎 Reptiles 50
🐸 Amphibians 13
389 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
37 Threatened 115 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
GoodHow likely to see animals?
3.0
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
78% 📊
Coverage (110 species at ≥5% of 389 in the inventory)
28% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (11 bird, 1 reptile)
20% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
79 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
1 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
27 🏕️
Experience
ExcellentHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
4.4
Climate Pleasant High
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism Medium Medium
Trails Easy High
World Heritage No —
What visitors say
We also saw nesting gulls (there’s no such thing as a ‘seagull’ Ha!
By 3 PM we were on the road, heading north along the coast towards the town of Sabana de la Mar and Parque Nacional Los Haitises.
I don't recommend driving from Samaná to Los Haitises National Park, as the journey takes about 4.5 hours!
Before you go
What animals can you see in Los Haitises National Park?
389 species
Los Haitises National Park has 389 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Turkey Vulture (about 90%), Bark Anole (about 90%), White-necked Crow (about 90%), Hispaniolan Woodpecker (about 80%) and Cattle Egret (about 80%). Among amphibians, the most-seen is Eastern Cane Toad (about 50%).
When is the best time to visit Los Haitises National Park for wildlife?
January–May, September and November
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 80% on a given day, against about 60% in August.
Can you see a Ridgway's Hawk in Los Haitises National Park?
Yes
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Ridgway's Hawk sighting in Los Haitises National Park on a given day, based on 358 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is May and November–December (about 70%).
Can you see a Hispaniolan Woodpecker in Los Haitises National Park?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Hispaniolan Woodpecker sighting in Los Haitises National Park on a given day, based on 591 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February–March, May, July and October–November (about 90%).
Can you see a Palmchat in Los Haitises National Park?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Palmchat sighting in Los Haitises National Park on a given day, based on 609 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is January–February, May, July and September (about 90%).
Can you see a Magnificent Frigatebird in Los Haitises National Park?
Yes
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Magnificent Frigatebird sighting in Los Haitises National Park on a given day, based on 315 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is July (about 70%).
Where in Los Haitises National Park is wildlife easiest to see?
Around Cueva de La Arena
The richest sighting zone is around Cueva de La Arena, followed by Paraíso Caño Hondo and Lindo, ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Los Haitises National Park good for wildlife watching?
3.0 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Los Haitises National Park rates 3.0/5: 278th of 316 parks worldwide and 44th in Central America. 33 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
