Eagle Bay in the Dominican Republic is a cool landmark of the country. But when planning a visit to this place, travelers make the most mistakes. There is not only a lot of beauty and heavenly pictures, but also a lot of nuances. Read on and I will tell you all the details and subtle points about Bay of Eagles and how we traveled here.

Table of contents:

Eagle bay beach
This is the color of the water throughout the Bay of Eagles

Eagle Bay: general facts

Let’s start in order and by the end of the article you will have a complete picture of this place. Eagle Bay is in all guidebooks and TOP lists of the country’s attractions. And here’s what you need to know about it:

  • In the southwest of the country, near the border with Haiti, there is the Jaragua National Park.
  • Bay of Eagles or Eagle Bay or Bahia de Las Aguilas in Spanish is part of this national park.
  • The national park is under strict state protection. No construction is allowed here. Therefore, there are no hotels, roads and other infrastructure. But where to stay here, I will write below, the options are very cool.
  • There are no eagles in this place and the name has nothing to do with them.
  • This is the Caribbean Sea, and here it is very calm and clear. The photos will speak for themselves.

Bay of Eagles: prices, opening hours

  • The ticket office is open from 9 am until sunset. The gates are closed at night. There is a free large parking lot in front of the entrance to the park.
  • Ticket price: 150 pesos per person (about $3)
free parking near the park
This is free parking in front of the park entrance. But the car is in the shade, not in the sun 🙂

It is important to know:

This is one of the few places in the country where dollars were not accepted. And there are no exchangers. They don’t accept cards either. Be sure to have pesos with you, and small banknotes are better. And they don’t like to give change here either 🙂
  • Recommended time to visit: all year round. By the way, this region is one of the driest in the Dominican Republic. You will understand this from the flora. There are no palm trees at all, only cacti and shrubs. But in the rainy season, when it rains in the north, the weather is great here.
Cacti in Jaragua National Park
On the way to the Bay of Eagles, there are such cacti as palm trees in Punta Cana. We go by foot, but you will read about it later 🙂

Read about the rainy season, weather and water temperature in the article: Dominican weather.

Eagle Bay Map

Below is a map that will answer many questions and for each mark on this map there will be comments further in the text of the article.

Advice:

Install the free Maps.me app on your phone. It works without the Internet and it is a very detailed map, all the necessary points are marked there. And the tickets office and the entrance and everything else.

Bay of Eagles: how to get

And now the most interesting. You can’t just get to the Bay of Eagles. The map above shows where this place is located. The logistics here are extremely difficult.

Public transport

You can’t get here by public transport. No way. There is one option, by bus from Santo Domingo to get to the town of Pedernales, which is on the border with Haiti. The bus runs once a day and costs about $10. From Pedernales to the entrance to the national park just over 20 km, the last 7 of which are on a terrible road. There is only one option – a taxi. All about public transport in the Dominican Republic.

It is important to know:

There is a large article about taxis in the country in detail. But in short: a taxi will cost you about $50 for this section of the journey.

And one more thing: you will spend almost the whole day on the bus from Santo Domingo to the Bay of Eagles. Well, 8 hours exactly. The bus goes 6-6.5 hours. Taxi ride will take 1 hour. Yes, yes 20 km – 1 hour.

By car

The second and last option on how to get to the Bay of Eagles is car rental. It’s definitely more faster and more comfortable.

Read everything about car rental in the country, traffic rules, driving culture of local drivers and safety in the article: car rental in the Dominican Republic.

From Santo Domingo you will reach the entrance to the park (this point is on the map above) in approximately 4 hours. Do not think that there are only 300 km and you will pass them faster. Just plan 4 hours for the road.

If you drive from distant corners of the country, such as Punta Cana and Puerto Plato, then the road by car in one direction will take about 6.5 hours. And do not forget, if you are without an overnight stay, then the same amount of time ago.

Road to Bay of Eagles
There are still 35 kilometers to the Bay of Eagles, and the road is already so beautiful. And a huge plus of the car is that you can stop wherever you want. And there are many places along the way. This is the Caribbean!

Bay of Eagles: options for moving around the park

We believe that you have decided how you will get to the entrance to the park and have already reached. You bought entrance tickets and now decide how to get to the beach itself. There are three options:

  • on foot
  • rent a big jeep 4×4 that will take you
  • by boat

Let’s consider all three options.

Eagle Bay by boat

The most expensive and probably the most pleasant and beautiful option. There are many boats at the entrance to the park, you won’t miss them, and the boatmen themselves won’t let you through either.

Boat package includes:

  • Delivery in 10-15 minutes to the Bay of Eagles beach
  • They leave you there, specify in advance when to pick up
  • At the agreed time, + – hour, you are picked up and driven back. This is the Dominican Republic, an hour late is not late.
  • The price depends on many factors, but the most important: how many people will be in the boat. More people – less price
  • The standard price is about $40 per person for a drop off and pick up. There is always a bargain here. With a successful combination of circumstances, you can negotiate for $ 20-25. But lower I did not meet.
  • Be aware that the price for the locals for the whole boat round trip is about 3000 pesos (~$65). If there are few tourists and you are 3-4 people, you can try to negotiate this price with one of the boaters, only for your company. Of course, they like to overcharge white tourists, but everyone wants to earn money.
    • As an argument: tell them that then you will drive a jeep or go on foot, and they will not earn a dollar. This will help bring down the price.
The boat carries tourists to the beach of eagles
We are walking, and there is a boat with tourists going to the Bay of Eagles. Look at the water.

Advice:

If you do not have time, and you came here for a couple of hours. Whatever is within an hour or two, the boatman can wait, which means not making the second round to pick you up, and save gasoline, which means a discount! Mark this moment and it will help in the bargain.

4×4 car

At the entrance to the park there will be several land cruisers that you can rent with a driver to take you to the beach.

The package “4ч4” is similar to the boat. Everything is the same and the travel time is the same 10-15 minutes, only on the ground. The price for a seat in a jeep round trip is usually up to $20. In a good scenario, you can go for $ 10, but this is rare. You can also ask for a discount here.

Bay of Eagles on foot

The most interesting option that my wife and I chose. After reading many reports, where everyone writes that it will take forever to walk in the heat, at least 15 km, or even all 25. Of course, we were upset. But look what’s really happening:

Road to Eagle Bay Park
We go on foot. Of the minuses, only the sun and no shade. There are two sections that are difficult for cars, only 4×4 will pass, but you can walk on foot without problems.
  • Walk in the sun, yes. There is no shadow. Only cacti. By the way, hummingbirds fly here, if you look closely. And you definitely won’t see them on a jeep or boat.
  • On the way there is an observation desk, even three in one place. Neither the jeep nor the boat stops here.
  • Of the tourists who walk, we were the only ones 🙂
  • But from the entrance to the park to the center of the beach (marked on the map), not to the beginning, but to the center to go only 4 km.
  • We walked in flip flops, with stops at the observation decks in 45 minutes.
  • The road is normal. There is one steep hill and the same descent.
bay of eagles observation deck
This is the observation platform on the Bay of Eagles. You see in the center of the photo the white thin line of the beach begins. Here go to her. It seems far, in fact, only 900 meters from this place. 3 km is already behind.

On foot you pay only for entrance tickets for $3.

road to Bahia de Las Aguilas Dominicana
What would be clearer. Follow this road to the beach. Believe me, the beach is much closer than it seems.

What to do at Eagle Bay Beach?

There isn’t much to do here. Sunbathe, swim, watch pelicans, watch fish and look for starfish. And, of course, taking pictures.

starfish in the dominican republic
Here are a million photos of you. Pay attention to the background – these are the boats that bring tourists.

From the general points:

  • The fish here are not like in the Red Sea in Egypt, much less. But compared to the rest of the Dominican Republic, this is a snorkeling paradise.
  • Pelicans that live here. It is the only species in the world that fishes by diving into the water like a bird of prey. Every other species in the world is just diving for fish. We saw Pelicans, it is very interesting to watch them.
  • In the Bay of Eagles, you can also meet the world’s largest starfish. But we swam for half a day, there were no stars that day
Observation tower on Bahia de las Aguilas beach
There is an observation platform in the center of the beach. You can watch the pelicans from it and the whole bay in general.

It is important to know:

From the infrastructure there are bushes, cacti, beautiful sand and insanely beautiful sea. There is nothing else. Water, other drinks, snacks, everything you need to take with you!

Accommodation

Glamping beach near Jaragua park
The place that I will suggest you for an overnight stay has such a beach. And it’s right at the entrance to the park.

As you have already read. There are no hotels or other capital buildings either at the entrance to the park or in the national park itself. But right within a radius of three hundred meters from the entrance to the national park there are 3 campsites. 2 of them are located on the beach and are tents that can be rented. The third campsite is located 100 meters from the sea and consists of small prefabricated panel houses.

Tent in glamping dominican Republic
Here in such a glamping there is a chance to live. It is open all year round. There is a full bed, sockets, a fan and only 7 meters from the sea. See photo below.

2 campsites are classic campsites in our understanding. The third one I recommend is glamping! And if you have never lived in such a place, then now there is a unique chance. You should stay here at least for 1 night.

What is Glamping?

A modern trend in tourism: it combines the words Glamor and Camping. You live in an ordinary tent right on the beach, on the Caribbean coast. But at the same time, you can stand up to your full height in the tent. There is a full size bed. Electricity with sockets and fan. Cool, yeah?

A more detailed report about this glamping, where to live, where to eat, how to book, as well as many tips, read in a separate article. All you need to know at this stage: it’s cool here and living in such a place for 1-2 days is just fine.

Glamping in the Bay of Eagles
This is the view from our tent.

General tips and recommendations for visiting Bay of Eagles

This chapter will help you avoid mistakes in planning. And you can spend a heavenly couple of days here.

Caribbean sea in the south of the Dominican Republic
The star was not caught, but even without it, the picture was imprinted in memory for a long time.
  • Whatever the navigator says, it takes 4 hours by car to get here from Santo Domingo. The biggest mistake: trying to get here in 1 day, relax in the bay and go back.
  • Plan at least one night here. Then say thank you. And 2 is better.
  • There are no shops, banks with exchange offices and so on. The restaurant in the glamping is very expensive. Prices are at the link above in the article about glamping. All food, water, alcohol must be bought in advance and brought with you.
    • Also, do not hope for a normal store in Pedernales. And in general, there is nothing to do on the border with Haiti. There are more checkpoints and inspections here than anywhere else.
  • Please bring Dominican pesos with you. There is no place to exchange dollars either.
  • Also bring repellents with you. In windless weather there may be mosquitoes. How we solve this issue, in the article: what you must take with you to the Dominican Republic.
  • There are problems with palm trees and shade: be sure to have sun cream and everything your skin needs.
  • Take your snorkel and mask with you, here you can and should snorkel.
  • Well, the last advice: the last 7 km before the bay and glamping (there is only one road), it is better to follow the signs. Navigator is not correct.
  • If you have already decided to go here, then plan to visit the Magnetic Anomaly of the Earth and Laguna Oviedo, where pink flamingos live, on the way. About these two attractions, and the 20 best places in the Dominican Republic, read the article: what to see in the Dominican Republic TOP-20.
    • And if you decide to visit these places, then here is the road from Santo Domingo, instead of 4 hours it will take all 7-8 🙂
Navigation in Bahia de Las Aguilas
7 km before the park, start following these signs. There are many of them, at every turn.

Total

In conclusion: Eagle Bay in the Dominican Republic is a cool place. The only huge minus is the location in a very far part of the country. My advice: if you have time, go here for 2-3 days. There is no time, it is better to visit the cool places of the Samana Peninsula. There you will see 5 times more in two days.

And one more thing: Bay of Eagles, one of the few places in the Dominican Republic where the beach faces west. This means that there are amazing sunsets overlooking the ocean, which is a rarity for this country.

Have an easy road, unforgettable sunsets, and fantastic memories from Bahia de Las Aguilas!


Resources to help you plan your dream trip to Dominican Republic

  • Flights at the best prices with discounts
  • Car rental: DiscoverCars – a largest international resource
  • Hotels and apartments: Hotellook – compares hotel prices among dozens of booking platforms and offer you the best price.
  • Vacation packages:
    • Expedia – best deals from Europe.
    • CheapOair – cheap packages from all US cities.
  • Tours, excursions and extreme activities:
    • GetYourGuide – more than 800+ tours and water activities.
    • Viator – 3500+ tours and excursions in Dominican.
  • Comprehensive travel insurance: EKTA
  • eSIM virtual sim card with internet package.
  • Taxi and airport transfers: Intui.Travel