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.

There are two main seasons in the Dominican Republic, the cool season which runs from November to April and the rainy season from May to October.  A lot of people and visitors to the island prefer the cool season as the heat is less intense, the humidity is lower and the rainfall is less frequent.  Temperatures are generally around 29°C during the day and will go down to about 19°C at night.

During the rainy season the rainfall can get very heavy, on the good side though the showers are heavy but short lived. Rainfall can wash out roads and make traveling difficult throughout the island. Rain is most frequent from May to Mid June (although for the last two years the rainy season has in fact been very dry).

In rainy season the average temperature is 31°C during the day and 22°C at night.

As you can see there isn’t that much seasonal variation between temperatures, although the summer months seem to get hotter each year and August can be sometimes unbearably hot, however if you are within arms reach of a swimming pool my advise is to do like the hippos do and just wallow around in some cool water!

Hurricane season runs from June to November and the Dominican Republic lies within the hurricane belt.  It is not possible to predict when a storm/hurricane will occur but with today's hurricane warning stations and systems they can certainly be tracked a lot quicker and warnings be given earlier than in years gone by.