Simply fantastic - National Park Lago Enriquillo and Isla Cabritos - Dominican Republic

Hola mis Steemians

After the two national parks "Nalga de Maco" and Monte Cristi in the north at the Haitian border, today I am drawn to the southwest of the Dominican Republic. Here is the

Nationalpark/Parque national Lago Enriquillo.

The 375 km2 large salt lake

is the lowest point in the entire Caribbean. With a length of around 25 kilometres and a width of 8 kilometres, it is about 40 metres below sea level. Although this area has the hottest temperatures in the country, it is an ideal hiking area and especially popular with wildlife observers.

Especially on the island of Cabritos (itself a national park) visitors will find a unique variety of birds and reptiles such as the crocodiles.

Lake Enriquillo

is one of the most famous sights in the south-west of the country. Visitors find here an interesting history as well as a unique animal world with iguanas, flamingos or generally simply a unique lake.

Besides the lowest point of the Dominican Republic, it is also the largest inland lake in the country. Another special feature is the extremely hot climate of this region. It is not uncommon for the thermometer to show temperatures of around 40 degrees or more, and it can easily get hotter than 50 degrees. The reason for this is the strong salt content of the lake, the desert-like landscape and also the mountains that frame the whole lake.

In this unique and fascinating fauna around the Lago Enriquillo and the Isla Cabritos you will find about 135 bird species, among them for example

flamingos
Silver and Blue Heron
the Florida duck
Seawalnd and Sichler
and the Musk Duck

While the landscape around Lago Enriquillo is rather barren and desert-like, the landscape on Cabritos Island is characterized by thorny forests, subtropical forests and cacti.