03Cities and regions

The south-west

Barahona and Lake Enriquillo

Barahona Province in the south-west faces the Caribbean with a rugged coast and mountains that press close to the water — a landscape unlike the wide sandy beaches and linked resorts of the east. Inside the Hoya de Enriquillo depression stretches Lake Enriquillo, the largest lake in the Dominican Republic, on Hispaniola and in the Caribbean as a whole, with a surface about 46 metres below sea level — the lowest recorded point on an island nation. Its area shifts with rain and evaporation, and recent estimates put it around 375 square kilometres after years of rising levels. The water is highly saline and shelters American crocodiles and local iguanas; Isla Cabritos remains after smaller islands were flooded. On the south-west shore, roads overlook green slopes above the waves and offer views quite unlike Bávaro. Allow at least a day for the lake and surrounding viewpoints if you pass through the south-west, and bring water and sun protection — the depression is hot and dry for much of the year.

About −46 m

Lake elevation

About 375 km²

Lake area