03Cities and regions

The south-east

Bayahíbe and Saona Island

Bayahíbe is a Caribbean town about 16 kilometres east of La Romana, with 5,618 residents by the 2022 census. It began as a fishing village in 1874, founded by a family from Puerto Rico, and later became the main departure point for tourist boats to Saona Island. The island covers about 110 square kilometres and lies roughly 2.4 kilometres off the south-east coast; it is a nature reserve inside Cotubanamá National Park, formerly known as Parque del Este. The park spans about 791.9 square kilometres of wet and dry forest, mangroves, beaches and caves, and was declared in 1975 after studies of local plants. Saona offers broad sandy beaches and shallow turquoise water where sand shows underfoot, with two permanent settlements: Mano Juan and the Catuano naval base. Book the boat from Bayahíbe’s pier early in the morning, and leave enough time for swimming and a light lunch on the sand before the afternoon return, when swell can pick up.

About 110 km²

Saona area

About 792 km²

Park area

0

Bayahíbe population