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Rhino Iguanas
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You can always head for the national zoo, if you find to not have the time to see them in their natural environment.
Though, despite that, they come up to you expecting food because so many visitors have fed them while visiting the Enriquillo Valley.
Other native creatures includes the Cotica, which only lives in sizable numbers in the wilderness of the Cordillera Central and in the Los Haitises swamps area.
The hutia and solenodon in theory exist, but they could possibly be extinct in the wild. However, you can see them at the national zoo.
Also, the smallest lizard in the world is in isla Beata, highly inaccessible island, remote, and the lizard is so small that the chances of seeing it are very small.
Additionally, there are wild boars in certain areas of the Cordillera Central, they were introduced by the Spaniards but live wildly in certain areas of that mountain range.
With plant life, the best place to see orchids is in the Bahoruco National Park (near Enriquillo Valley, in fact you can see the entire valley, Lago Enriquillo, and even Lage Samutre in Haiti from some of the higher elevation areas), this park has around 80% of all the orchids found in the country. Or, you can indulge with comfort and ease by looking at all the plant species grown in this country by visiting the Botanical Gardens, one of the largest in Latin America.
-NAL
EXTRA: Don't forget that there are two types of iguanas here, the Rhinocerous Iguana and the Ricord Iguana. They both look like mini-Dinasours, perhaps scary creatures, but their appearance is a bad way of judging them, most are tame almost pet quality when it comes to their approaches to humans.
You can always head for the national zoo, if you find to not have the time to see them in their natural environment.
Though, despite that, they come up to you expecting food because so many visitors have fed them while visiting the Enriquillo Valley.
Other native creatures includes the Cotica, which only lives in sizable numbers in the wilderness of the Cordillera Central and in the Los Haitises swamps area.
The hutia and solenodon in theory exist, but they could possibly be extinct in the wild. However, you can see them at the national zoo.
Also, the smallest lizard in the world is in isla Beata, highly inaccessible island, remote, and the lizard is so small that the chances of seeing it are very small.
Additionally, there are wild boars in certain areas of the Cordillera Central, they were introduced by the Spaniards but live wildly in certain areas of that mountain range.
With plant life, the best place to see orchids is in the Bahoruco National Park (near Enriquillo Valley, in fact you can see the entire valley, Lago Enriquillo, and even Lage Samutre in Haiti from some of the higher elevation areas), this park has around 80% of all the orchids found in the country. Or, you can indulge with comfort and ease by looking at all the plant species grown in this country by visiting the Botanical Gardens, one of the largest in Latin America.
-NAL
EXTRA: Don't forget that there are two types of iguanas here, the Rhinocerous Iguana and the Ricord Iguana. They both look like mini-Dinasours, perhaps scary creatures, but their appearance is a bad way of judging them, most are tame almost pet quality when it comes to their approaches to humans.
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Mirador said:
Some additional info, from a brochure I got some years ago when we visited the National Park you mention;
The Isle Cabritos National Park (Little Goats Island) is the largest of three islands found in the center of Lake Enriquillo, (a large salt-water lake 144 feet below sea level, which marks the lowest point in the Caribbean). Situated in the southeastern part of the country (approximately 232 kilo from Santo Domingo), between Sierra de Neyba and Sierra de Bahoruco, the island is 12 kilometers long and 2.5 wide.
The island, which was declared a national park in 1974, is flat with no traces of reefs. Marine deposits make up the soil, which consists mainly of limestone, seashells and coral. The park has numerous species of reptiles including the endangered rhinoceros and ricord iguanas and one of the largest wildlife American crocodile populations in the world. These reptiles can be seen from the lake's shores or on the boat to the island. A variety of waterfowl also inhabit the area. There are 62 species of birds include the flamingo, burrowing owl, Hispaniolan parrot and West Indian nighthawk.
Lago Enriquillo is part of an ancient canal separating the southwest of the Dominican Republic and southern part of Haiti from the mainland of the island of Hispaniola. This region between the Sierra de Neyba and Sierra de Barohuco is a tectonic depression 40 below sea level, and is the largest and saltiest (3 times that of the Atlantic Ocean) of the Antilles.
In Punta Cana we've also got Rhino Iguanas, have had a few visit the Ranch in the past months. Here is a link that mentions what is being done to protect the iguanas. http://www.puntacana.org