‘Off the beaten path’ solo trip to the DR?

[AlterEgo]

Got it thanks! Do you think it would be possible to go with a guide to Bani to make it safer? A friend visited there and found some interesting animals there so it’s high on my list. But if it is that dangerous, I’ll stay away!

We go to Bani often, never a problem, but we don’t hang around the streets.

 

[DRob]

There's a fellow on the site, goes by the name Hillbilly. He is (or at least used to be) a Professor at one of the better universities in the country.

Hillbilly has been here going on five decades, and has forgotten more about the DR than most people will ever know. I imagine he probably knows some academic who can tell you where to find all the creepy crawlies you're interested in. Might even be able to steer you towards a guide.

Once you get 10 posts, you'll be able to PM him.

Best of luck.

 

[Salsafan]

And the man with a crazy life in SD barrio, who made professional cave photography.

 

[windeguy]

I have been here 16 years. I have never seen a tarantula in the wild. I have seen two or three very small snakes. And I mean small. A remarkably small number of birds, with the majority being mockingbirds. That is about it except for the solenodon that once lived on our property.

 

[RonS]

I have been here 16 years. I have never seen a tarantula in the wild. I have seen two or three very small snakes. And I mean small. A remarkably small number of birds, with the majority being mockingbirds. That is about it except for the solenodon that once lived on our property.

One of my very good Dominican friends joked that all the wildlife on the island has been eaten, definitely the reptiles! Pollo de los arboles. In the many years and multiple visits per year I have visited I have only seen small lizards. The area around Barahona and the SW might be different. The terrane there is very different than the rest of the island.

 

[Auryn]

As suggested, I would definitely make an effort to meet up with an academic or someone in wildlife conservation. This could point you in the right direction and help you make the most of your visit.

 

[Auryn]

I have been here 16 years. I have never seen a tarantula in the wild. I have seen two or three very small snakes. And I mean small. A remarkably small number of birds, with the majority being mockingbirds. That is about it except for the solenodon that once lived on our property.

Solenodons are probably the most interesting creatures on the island. A giant, venomous, ugly mole-like mammal with long claws? Ew, but interesting. They remind me of a miniature version of the ROUSs from The Princess Bride.

Did anybody try to study the one on your property? There was an thread on them awhile ago and they were thought to be extinct for a long time. But photographing them would likely never happen without a lot of research, time, and experienced help.

 

[Timotero]

Solenodons ........... They remind me of a miniature version of the ROUSs from The Princess Bride.

.........

“I don’t think that word means what you think it means?” -)

I was shocked one evening to see a snake in a low tree right outside my front door. (I thought Saint Patrick had also driven all the snakes out of the DR?). I snapped a picture of it, then googled. Said it was a “Dominican Green Tree Snake”. Non venemous.

Happy hunting (I would go to Las Galeras).

 

[SKY]

The only snakes you will find in Bani are at the Car Wash.

 

[Cdn_Gringo]

To see wildlife, find a cane field that is burning or a plot of long grass being cut back by a bunch of men swinging machetes. Wildlife tends to come streaming out of such places. As a general rule any wildlife that is thought to be creepy (which is pretty much all animals) is usually dispatched as soon as it is discovered.

 

[Salsafan]

The only snakes you will find in Bani are at the Car Wash.

But photographic.

 

[malko]

I have been here 16 years. I have never seen a tarantula in the wild. I have seen two or three very small snakes. And I mean small. A remarkably small number of birds, with the majority being mockingbirds. That is about it except for the solenodon that once lived on our property.

Lucky you !!

I've come into contact with enough tarantulas and cienpies to do me a lifetime..........
I dont mind snakes, thankfully as i have come across a bunch of those too.

I have been to sosua beach once, maybe twice ( that was more than enough, thank you very much ), it must have been 2012, and they pulled an enormous snake out of the sea........ it must have been 2.50-3 meters long, and quite dead. ( well I couldnt say for sure now, but 3 men carried it ).
Locals said that when snakes become to fat to live on land, they go and live in the sea.......sounds fishy to me, but there you go.

 

[malko]

I have been here 16 years. I have never seen a tarantula in the wild. I have seen two or three very small snakes. And I mean small. A remarkably small number of birds, with the majority being mockingbirds. That is about it except for the solenodon that once lived on our property.

I cant believe that in 16 years you havent come across a calipote !!!!
Visit your local brujo to get that fuku lifted, quick !!

 

[mobrouser]

http://www.puntacana.org/environment/indigenous-eyes-ecological-park-reserve

https://zorzalcacao.com/visit-zorzal/ (The chocolate plantation is in a private nature reserve)

http://fatbirder.com/links_geo/america_central/dominican_republic.html