Lake Enriquillo

Lake Enriquillo is a hypersaline lake in the southwestern part of the Dominican Republic, located in the Enriquillo Valley close to the border with Haiti. It is the largest lake in the Caribbean and lies below sea level.

The lake features exposed salt flats, scattered cays and a number of small islands including Isla Cabritos, which hosts wildlife such as American crocodiles and iguanas. Salinity and surface area have changed notably in recent decades due to climatic and hydrological variation.

The lake basin has long been recognized for its unusual ecology and geological setting; it is protected in part by national park designations that aim to conserve its endemic fauna and habitats. Human settlements and agriculture are present around the lake’s margins and have influenced local hydrology.

Geographically the lake sits in the southwestern Hispaniola rift valley, in the Dominican Republic’s southwestern province areas, within a semiarid landscape bounded by mountain ranges and near the international border with Haiti.

• Unique status: The lake sits below sea level and is the largest lake in the Caribbean by surface area, with water levels and salinity that vary seasonally and from year to year.

What to See #

• Isla Cabritos: Isla Cabritos, a protected island within the lake that supports wildlife including iguanas and wading birds and forms part of the surrounding national park.
• Lake basin: The salt and hypersaline lake basin that has fluctuating water levels, exposed salt flats and scattered cays; the lake contains no surface outlet.