Los Haitises
Los Haitises is one of the most important national parks in the Dominican Republic . It is located in the northeast of the country, in the southwest corner of Samaná Bay , at the mouth of the Yuna River . The area covers 826 km².
history
The area was already populated in pre-Columbian times by the Taínos , the indigenous people of the island, or at least visited from time to time. This is indicated above all by petroglyphs on the walls of the numerous caves in the area. The name "Haitises" is derived from "Aiti" or "Haiti", the name of the Taínos for hill or hilly / mountainous country. The elevations in the Haitises are not high (barely 100 m), but quite steep, so that the name is understandable.
After the Conquista, the area remained uninhabited for a long time; It was not until the 19th and early 20th centuries that parts of Haitises were farmed and mainly beets were grown, which were used for starch production and exported. For this purpose, a railway and a port facility were built in the Bahía de San Lorfeno, the remains of which can still be found today.
In 1968, around 200 km² were placed under protection as the so-called “reserva forestal” (forest reserve). The protected area was subsequently converted into a national park and expanded several times, most recently in 1996.
Geology, flora and fauna
Los Haitises are a typical karst area , consisting of Tertiary limestones overlying volcanic rocks. In contrast to limestone, volcanic rocks are not very permeable to water, so that rainwater collects at the bottom of the limestone, forms underground rivers and emerges as voluminous karst springs or karst lakes . Due to the strong surface erosion, the terrain is very rugged. Particularly impressive are the so-called "mogotes", steep hills that are reminiscent of the humpbacks of giant turtles and sometimes rise almost 100 m in height.
As in any karst area, there are many caves in the Haitises. Of these, the Cueva Fun-Fun is about 3 km long and is the largest cave in the Dominican Republic. It is not open to tourists.
Due to the low humus on the karst surface and the fact that the water quickly seeps into the limestone, the vegetation on the hills - despite the heavy rainfall in this area - is only semi-humid. Shrub-like plants and low palm species predominate. Only in the depressions is there a really tropical vegetation with larger trees, e.g. B. also mahogany ( Swietenia mahagoni ) and kapok ( Ceiba pentandra ). The many epiphytes are typical of Los Haitises ; among these, bromeliads dominate , in particular the so-called “Cabello de hadas”, in German “witch's hair” (Louisianamoos, Tillandsia usneoides ) and orchids . Of the latter, over 200 different species have been described in the Haitises, around a third of which are endemic .
The mangrove forests along the coast, which are among the largest on the island, are also remarkable . Both the red ( Rhizophora mangle ) and the white mangroves ( Laguncularia racemosa ) occur.
Larger mammals do not live in the national park. The manatís (manatees) that used to be found in the Yuna estuary seem to have died out there. In any case, none have been observed since the 1980s. The most common mammals are arguably the bats that inhabit the caves. Two rare endemic mammals of Hispaniola are still living in the Haitises, namely the Schlitzrüssler ( solenodon paradoxus ) and the Jutía ( Plagiodontia aedium ).
Seagulls, pelicans , cormorants and frigate birds live and breed in the coastal zone . In addition, the rather rare Haiti buzzard (Buteo ridgway) occurs in the Haitises.
Among the arthropods, the flagellum spiders ( Amblypygi ), also cave dwellers, which can sometimes be the size of a palm, should be mentioned.
tourism
The national park is only accessible with guided tours. It can be reached by ship from various places ( Sánchez , Samaná , Sabana de la Mar ). Most tours go from Sabana de la Mar through the Bahía de San Lorenzo to some islands or peninsulas, with caves to be visited (e.g. the Cueva de las Linias with petroglyphs and the Cueva de la Arena with its bat colony) . The tours are carried out with motor boats; Efforts to use electric or solar boats in the national park have so far failed. There are also tours with off-road vehicles or guided hiking tours inland. However, large parts of the park are still not allowed to be entered by tourists.
A visitor center (Aula de la Naturaleza) has also been set up in Sabana de la Mar.
Web link
Coordinates: 19 ° 2 ′ 38.2 " N , 69 ° 35 ′ 34.4" W.