Covering 140 square kilometers, this is the largest of all the national parks and includes the islands of Beata and Alto Velo. Receiving an annual average rainfall of only 10 to 28 inches, the vegetation is mostly subtropical dry forest and thorn forest, cacti being the most predominant.

Approximately sixty percent of the country’s species of birds inhabit the region, among them the nation’s largest population of flamingos, as well as American frigate birds, roseate spoonbills, black-crowned tanagers, great egrets, herons, terns, and spoonbills. In 2001 scientists identified the world’s smallest gecko on Alto Velo - the Dwarf Gecko (Sphaerodactylus cochranae) measures 1.6 centimeters across.

The Ricord iguana (Cyclura ricordii) and the rhinoceros iguana (Cyclura cornuta) also inhabit the region, both of which are endemic to the Dominican Republic. On the southern coast of Isla Beata there are caves with Taino pictographs and petrographs.

Bordering Haiti and stretching over 500 square kilometers this park consists of subtropical dry forest, the Los Cayos de los Siete Hermanos (the Seven Brothers Cays) many coastal lagoons with dense mangroves, and the 700 foot El Morro, a limestone mesa towering above a lovely golden sand beach.

One of the driest regions of the Dominican Republic, averaging only 2-3 inches of rain annually, the area mainly consists of dry sub-tropical forests and marine and land ecosystems. The outlying group of islands (Los Siete Hermanos) is home to a variety of seabirds, such as brown pelicans, great egrets, yellow-crowned night herons, red-footed gannet, and frigate birds.

These two parks are adjacent to one another, Armando Bermudez covering the north of the Cordillera Central (Central Mountain Range), with Jose del Carmen Ramirez extending to the south, and between the two cover nearly all of the central mountain area. This was the first national park established in the Dominican Republic in 1956, and is host to the highest peak in the Caribbean, Pico Duarte, at an elevation of 3,175 meters (10,414 feet). Climbing Pico Duarte is one of many popular great eco-adventure tours available on the island (see our section on adventure tours). The other three highest mountains in all of the Caribbean are also located here – La Pelona (3,087 meters), La Rucilla (3,049 meters), and Pico Yaque (2,760 meters).

With an estimated average annual rainfall of between 2 to 4 meters (8 to 13 feet!) these two parks are also the source of 12 of the country’s most important rivers, including the two largest, the Rio Yaque del Norte and RioYaque del Sur. Two damns that supply hydroelectric to the Cibao Central (including the city of Santiago), and areas to the northeast are also located in the region.

Average temperatures in the region range between 12 and 18 degrees celsius (53 and 64 degrees Fahrenheit) and the vegetation is classified as subtropical rainforest. The vegetation is extremely diverse and changes with the altitude, ranging from juniper, wild tamarind, mountain wild olive, West Indian cedar in the lower areas, to ferns, palms, and pine trees in the upper regions. Birdwatchers will be delighted to encounter the varied birdlife in the park, such as the Hispaniolan parrot (Amazona ventrallis), Green-tailed warbler (Microligea palustris), Antillean siskin (Carduelis dominicensis), Hispaniolan woodpecker (Melanerpes striatus), Palm chat (Dulus dominicus), plus many others, all of which are endemic to the island. The Palm chat – Cigua palmera in Spanish - is the national bird.