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You are here: Home / Dominican Republic / North Coast / Nalga de Maco National Park, Río Limpio

Nalga de Maco National Park, Río Limpio

  • About
  • The Birds
  • How to Get There

This 20,349 ha national park is located in the northern region of the Dominican Republic towards the western-most end of the Cordillera Central and close to the border with the Republic of Haiti.  It has a diverse set of habitats including riparian forests, moist broadleaf forests, and a unique dwarf cloud forest at the highest elevations.  There are also agricultural lands, including a rich coffee-growing area.  Río Limpio offers visitor accommodations, and access to the national park via a two-day long hiking trail, though other shorter hikes are available.  A visitor center has been built at the end of what will become the “Hispaniola Trail,” which will facilitate enjoyment of the national parks throughout the Cordillera Central.

Nalga de Maco, which translates as the “butt of the frog,” takes its name from the shape of the mountains that make up the reserve.  The park is primarily known among spelunkers and serious cave-explorers for its cavern systems, but there is also a fine waterfall, multiple trails, and the park is becoming increasingly known for its diversity of rare and endangered birds.  This is one of the few places where one can reliably see the Bay-breasted Cuckoo, and other threatened endemics are found at higher and more remote sites, including White-necked Crow, Golden Swallow, Bicknell’s Thrush, White-winged Warbler, and Eastern Chat Tanager.

  • Trail difficulty: 1-3
  • Reserve hours: none
  • Entrance fee: RD$50

Hispaniolan Parakeet, Hispaniolan Parrot, Bay- breasted Cuckoo, Hispaniolan Palm Crow, White- necked Crow, Golden Swallow, Hispaniolan Highland- Tanager, Eastern Chat- Tanager, Antillean Siskin

Access to the park and the birding areas are offered through Río Limpio via a two-day long hiking trail.  The trail through forests is steep and not well marked; a guide is essential.  But one does not need to hike for two days to see some of the landmark species here.  Ask for a guide who knows the local trails which are all farm and cow paths.

From Santo Domingo take the Autopista Duarte north thru Santiago where it becomes the Carretera Duarte.  At the well-marked Navarrette intersection continue west to Esperanza following signs for Mao.  Beyond Mao continue to Santiago Rodríguez, Sabaneta, and Partido.  At the T-intersection in Santiago de la Cruz, turn left towards Loma de Cabrera.  From Loma de Cabrera take the right-hand split in the road south towards Restauración.  At ‘El 14’ checkpoint take the right turn to Río Limpio.  This is now a very bad road and continues as such for 20 km (12.4 miles) until reaching your destination of Río Limpio.  In the village continue straight ahead to the park office on the left.

Nalga de Maco National Park, Río Limpio

Dominican Republic Sites

Central Mountain Range
Constanza and Valle Nuevo
Ebano Verde Reserve
Hatillo
Jarabacoa with Armando Bermúdez and José del Carmen Ramírez National Parks
La Joya de San Francisco
Loma Quita Espuela
Pico Diego de Ocampo, Santiago
Southeast
Bávaro
Cumayasa
Del Este National Park
Del Este National Park: Boca de Yuma
Del Este National Park: Guaraguao
Del Este National Park: Padre Nuestro Trail
Del Este National Park: Saona Island
Ecological Foundation Trail, Punta Cana
Limón Lagoon
Los Haitises National Park
Los Haitises National Park: Caño Hondo
Los Haitises National Park: Los Limones
Monte Plata
Southwest
Aguacate and Zapotén
Cabo Rojo and Pedernales
Cabral Lagoon
Cachote, Eastern Bahoruco
Jimaní
Lake Enriquillo
Loma Charco Azul
Oviedo Lagoon, Jaragua National Park
Puerto Alejandro and Tortuguero
Rabo de Gato and Puerto Escondido
Sierra de Bahoruco National Park
Los Arroyos, Sierra de Bahoruco National Park
North Coast
Cayos Siete Hermanos
El Limón, Samaná
Estero Hondo
Loma Guaconejo
Loma Isabel de Torres, Puerto Plata
Monte Cristi and Saladilla
Nalga de Maco National Park, Río Limpio
Samaná
Around Santo Domingo
Las Salinas de Baní
Mirador del Norte Park
National Botanical Garden
Ozama Wetlands

Partners in the Dominican Republic

  • Grupo Acción Ecológica
  • La Sociedad Ornitológica de la Hispaniola (SOH)
  • National Aviary

With special thanks to our partners at the Ruta Barrancoli

Ruta Barrancoli logo


Dominican Republic Tour Operators

  • Explora Ecotour
  • Miguel A. Landestoy T., Independent Guide
  • Tody Tours
  • Wildside Nature Tours

Bird Checklists

Click here to download a pamphlet-sized year-round checklist for Dominican Republic.

Recommended Field Guides

Birds of the Dominican Republic and Haiti by Steven Latta, Christopher Rimmer, Allan Keith, James Wiley, Herbert A. Raffaele, Kent McFarland, and Eladio Fernandez

Aves de la República Dominicana y Haití by Steven Latta, Christopher Rimmer, Allan Keith, James Wiley, Herbert A. Raffaele, Kent McFarland, and Eladio Fernandez

Ruta Barrancolí: A Bird-finding Guide to the Dominican Republic by Steven C. Latta and Kate J. Wallace

Birds of the West Indies by Herbert Raffaele, James Wiley, Orlando Garrido, Allan Keith, and Janis Raffaele

Want to know how you can be involved?

Do you know of a place that should be part of the Caribbean Birding Trail? Are you the owner of a lodge or hotel and want to attract eco-tourists? Are you a guide interested in the birdwatching market? Then, get involved with our project!

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