The Guides have been working with international organizations such as Peace Corps, Cooperacion Espanola, and other German organizations to increase awareness about the lake and the biosphere it is a part of.
(Below: Guide Benito Hernandez (center) guides a group of students at the entrance of the park)
Lake Enriquillo is one of only a few saltwater lakes in the world inhabited by crocodiles. Lake Enriquillo is located in a rift valley that extends 79 miles (127 km) from Port-au-Prince Bay in Haiti in the west to near Neiba Bay in the Dominican Republic in the east.
The rift valley is a former marine strait, and was created around 1 million years ago when the water level fell and by sediments of the Yaque del Sur River. The lake is 9 to 12 miles (15 to 20 km) wide. Known as the Cul-de-Sac Depression in Haiti and the Hoya de Enriquillo in the Dominican Republic, parts of the rift valley are below sea level and are covered by large salt lakes.
Lake Enriquillo covers an area of 102 square miles (265 km²) and is the lowest point in the Caribbean falling 144 feet (44 m) below sea level. Its drainage basin includes 10 minor river systems. The rivers that rise in the Neiba Mountains to the north (lower center and lower right of the image) are perennial. Those rivers that rise in the Baoruco Mountains to the south (upper center and upper left of the image) are intermittent.
Lake Enriquillo has no outlet. The lake's water level varies because of a combination of storm-driven precipitation events and the region's high evaporation rate. Salinity in the lake can vary between 33 ppt to over 100 ppt. Tremors in the region are common. Just above the right center of the image, the other large salt lake in the rift valley, Etang Saumâtre located in the country of Haiti, is visible.
The lake contains 3 islands: Isla Barbarita, Islita and Isla Cabritos. The last one is the largest of all and contains a National Park famous for the crocodiles and flamingos. When water levels drop as a result of dry spells, the islands are usually linked to each other by sandbars.1
Jaragua-Bahoruca-Enriquillo Biosphere Reserve
The Jaragua-Bahoruca-Enriquillo Biosphere Reserve is located in the southwest of the Dominican Republic. It includes three biogeographic regions in the Caribbean: the ‘Hoya del Lago Enriquillo’, the ‘Sierra de Bahoruco’ and the ‘Procurrente de Barahona’. It comprises a great variety of natural ecosystems, from tropical highlands to karstic terraces with coastal, marine, islands and cays with a rich biodiversity and an important regional endemism. The relief is sloped, covered by humid and cloud forests, caves and coastal wetlands with large mangrove associations, mud banks and lagoons creating a complex of habitats supporting a high diversity of flora and fauna. The protected Lago Enriquillo National Park, covering a highly saline lake below sea level, is one of its more important features. In the coastal and marine area of ‘Parque Jagara’ species of pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) and manatee (Trichechus manatus) are found. The ‘Isla Beata’ and ‘ los cayos Los Frailes’ have an enormous variety of marine birds, some 107 bird species, and 67 reptiles are reported all over the reserve.2
1Taken from Wikipedia
2 Taken from UNESCO
Possible adventures in the area-
Before arriving in La Descubierta, for the more adventurous, feel free to explore the area around the lake and all it has to offer. On your way, stop in Neyba for a night. Known for its vinyards, Neyba has its own open air market on Wednesdays and Saturdays, selling anything from local wines to local produce. There you will be able to check your internet, go to the grocery store, and eat some fresh grapes direct from the Vinyards!
Next you will find yourself in La Descubierta. Before you arrive, you will pass Las Caritas, Taino (Taino's were the native indians to the island) drawings in ancient coral reefs, thought to be over a thousand years old.
Stay a night in La Descubierta, bathe in Las Barias (cold water springs that naturally form a pool surrounded by cold rivers), eat some Pica Pollo (fried chicken with local seasoning), and prepare yourself for the following morning off to the lake. We suggest you start early, unless you want to get to know the fierce noon sun of the Dominican Republic. You will be taken out on the boat with either one or two guides depending on the size of the group. We will make multiple stops to try and find the crocodiles and flamingos, but be reminded, this isn't the zoo. This is nature, and sometimes the animals don't show. From there we take the boat to the island, where we will encounter the endemic wildlife of the island, as well as sit in the ramada and enjoy lunch. There is a small museum as well explaining the different ecosystems and wildlife that exist on Isla Cabritos.
On your return, take a stop at Azuafrada (the natural sulfer springs that create a pool for guest of the park to enjoy), and head back to the hotel for some rest.
The following day, head out to Jimani, famous for its "Hatian Market", where you can find anything from jewlrey to radios to donated canned foods by the UN. It is truly a different world.
From there, head to Puerto Escondido. There you will find Tody Tours http://www.todytours.com/ , a bird sanctuary run by a former Peace Corps Volunteer, where you can encounter every bird species on the island. Afterwords, spend your time creating your own adventures around the lake, or head back to Barahona or the Capital for some much deserved rest.