Southwest DR- Barahona and Bahia de las Aguilas

So, before a year passes by, I wanted to share these photos of a July trip we took to the southwest of the DR- Barahona and Bahia de las Aguilas. I lived in the southwest when I was a Peace Corps Volunteer here, but I hadn't been back since. We traveled with my brother and some friends.

Here is the view upon arriving at the departure point for Bahia de las Aguilas (arguably the most beautiful and perhaps the most remote beach in the DR). It took us 2.5 hours to arrive from Barahona.

We all piled into this cute little boat for a 10 minute ride to the beach at Bahia de las Aguilas (Bay of Eagles). 

The sand on this beach is so white, and the water is so clear- it's almost unbelievable. There is little shade- just a pier and pavilion - so after a few hours, we resorted to hiding under the pier (future visitors- bring your umbrella, it will fit in the boat!). To be honest, I prefer palm tree beaches, but this one wasn't too shabby.

Here are a few shots from Hotel El Quemaito in Barahona where we stayed. It is a modest place, but we found it very charming and friendly. The breakfast is pretty yummy, and there have a nice pool where L learned to swim!

 A very proud 4yo showing off the pool where she started to swim

 View from the hotel. Unfortunately, this view is not visible from the rooms or restaurant. I don't know why!

On day two, we ended up at Balneario San Rafael, on the road between Barahona and Paraiso. This is a natural spring that starts up in the mountains and ends up in the ocean. This balneario (bathing place) had 3 or 4 pools, with waterfalls. Vendors have set up tables and chairs around the pools, selling seafood and snacks. One word of caution: the water is frigid!

The pools lead to the ocean, which on that day, was quite rough. People told me it's like that regularly, and I was surprised to see people playing in the surf. This beach is more rocky than sandy- tiny little rocks that were fun to collect.

Uncle J enjoyed giving me a heart attack as he played with my kids in the waterfall.

This was one of my favorite days thus far in the DR. I think it's because we were not in a touristy spot, but rather hanging out with regular people. I'm hoping to find some other balnearios nearby to check out.

We did not make it to Lago Enriquillo or other tourist attractions in the region, because we would have had to drive another 4+ hours in a day. That was due to our decision to stay in Barahona- if I was making this trip again, I would stay in Pedernales (near the Haitian border) instead, though accommodations are quite modest. We tried to visit the larimar (a blue mineral found only in the DR and in the Barahona area- it makes beautiful jewelry) mines, but our car started to overheat, so we abandoned that idea. 

All in all, we loved our trip to the Southwest. It's definitely an underexplored area of this country, with beautiful places to discover.