Lago Enriquillo

Our southwest Dominican Republic adventure continued on day two with a trip to Lago Enriquillo (a huge saltwater lake), a jaunt to the Haitian border, a drive through a charming little village called La Lista, and a quick side trip to Polo Magnetico.

First, Lago Enriquillo.

We rose on Sunday morning and had breakfast at Casa del Mar. One of the things that I love most about this lodge is that they pride themselves on anticipating the guest's needs. One of our group wandered out on to the patio, a staff member immediately noticed and brought coffee. Then came plates of fresh fruit as the others in our group came out, and finally a plated hot breakfast of eggs, toast, ham and cheese arrived. We didn't have to go anywhere, or order anything - the staff just brought it to us.

Our patio where breakfast was served.

...And the view from it.

We gathered our things for the day and walked up the hill to our car. Remember how I said that the road to Bahía de las Águilas was red dirt? Trust me when I say that our car was pretty dusty and dirty upon our return to the hotel the previous night. But Sunday morning? The staff had scrubbed the vehicle until it was so clean I could see my reflection. Now, that's an amazing hotel in my book.

We started out around 9:00 a.m. and leisurely made our way to the lake, taking in the scenery as we went. This part of the Dominican Republic is very dry, so there aren't a lot of crops, but we did notice sugar cane and bananas.

Sugar cane field.

Sugar cane being transported on a single track railway. It appeared that the cars remain on the track until sufficiently full, and then an engine is brought in to haul them away.

We soon found ourselves near the lake and spotted a sign indicating we were entering the national park.

There were stairs next to this sign leading to a shallow cave featuring Taino Indian petroglyphs, so up we climbed.

Rickety? Yes, indeed.

But the view was awesome with Lake Enriquillo in the background. Notice the cactus - not what you'd expect on a tropical island.

R and me.

The petroglyphs.

And a bit closer.

We traveled on to the lake, and were greeted in the visitor center parking lot by about 30 hungry iguanas, looking for a handout.

The literally came running when they heard the car approach.

But they were not aggressive and even posed charmingly. :) Notice the horn on the top of his nose? These are rhinoceros iguanas.

As we wandered toward the water, a local boatman offered to give us a tour of the lake, explain the history and point out interesting features. We readily agreed - the cost was about $50 for the four of us in our group, well worth it. (Basically, it was a private 45 minute lesson with area experts - fantastic, really.)

Lake Enriquillo is the largest lake and the lowest elevation in all of the Caribbean. It's a hypersaline (really salty) lake and the guide told us that more wildlife is now able to thrive in the environment due to the recent dramatic rise in the water level (making the water less salty).

A view from the boat.

Between 2004 and 2009, the lake doubled its surface area. These are palm trees that used to be on land.

Lots of waterfowl can be found on the lake. We saw dozens of these birds - both black and white.

In flight.

Other birds nest here, too.

Surprisingly, Lake Enriquillo is home to the largest population of American crocodiles in the Caribbean. When we were there, the guide pointed out that the females in the shady shallow areas were pregnant and would lay their eggs in the next couple of months.

Our friend, el cocodrilo.

She was actually very calm. The guide told us that the crocodiles were intimidated because of our size (which included the boat).

These crocodiles are endangered here. Apparently they are often killed - not for their meat or their hide - but just because some people think they're ugly. 

Next up: the Haitian border and other delights of day two.