Eagle Bay: A Tranquil Beach Haven in the Heart of the Dominican Republic

The Bay of Eagles in the Dominican Republic is a cool attraction 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 paradise pictures, but also a lot of nuances. Read on and I will tell you all the details and subtleties about the Bay of Eagles and how we went here.

Oryol Bay beach — *This is the color of the water and transparency throughout the Bay of Eagles*

Bay of Eagles: general facts

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

In the south-west of the country, near the border with Haiti, there is the Jaragua National Park.
The Bay of Eagles (Eagle Bay in English or Bahia de Las Aguilas in Spanish) is part of it.
The National Park is under strict state protection. No construction is allowed here. Therefore, there are no hotels, roads, or other infrastructure. But where to live here, I will write below, options bomb.
There are no eagles in these places and the name has nothing to do with them.
This is the Caribbean Sea, and here it is very calm and transparent. Photos will tell you everything for themselves.

Bay of Eagles: prices, opening hours

The ticket office is open from 9 am until sunset, as well as the entrance to the park itself. The gates are closed at night. There is a free large parking space in front of the park entrance.
Ticket price: 150 pesos per person (about$3)

free parking near the park — *This is a free parking lot in front of the park entrance. But the car is in the shade, not in the sun*

Important to know:This is one of the few places in the country where we have not accepted dollars. But there are no exchangers here. They don’t accept bank cards either. Be sure to bring pesos, and preferably small bills. They also have problems with the delivery.

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 vegetation. There are no palm trees from the word at all, only cacti and shrubs. But in the rainy season, when it is watered in the north, the weather is excellent here.

Cacti in Jaragua National Park — *On the way to the Bay of Eagles such cacti three cars. By the way, we go on foot. but you’ll read more about this later*

The Tip:Install a free map on your phone Maps.me. It works without Internet and it is a very detailed map, where all the necessary points are marked. And the ticket office and entrance and everything else.

Bay of Eagles: how to get there

That’s where the fun begins. You can’t just get to the Bay of Eagles. The map above shows where this place is located. Logistics here are extremely difficult, and in addition to the terrible public transport of the Dominican Republic, getting here is much more complicated.

Public transport

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

Important to know:There is a great article about taxis in the country in detail. But in short: a taxi will cost you about$50 for this section of the road.

And one more thing: you will spend almost the entire light day on this version of the road from Santo Domingo. Well, 8 hours exactly. 6-6. 5 hours there is a bus. A taxi will take 1 hour. Yes, yes 20 km — 1 hour. Such a road there.

By car

The second and last option to get to the Bay of Eagles is car rental. Not to say that you will get there lightning fast, but definitely faster and in comfort.

Read all 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 (there is this point on the map above) in approximately 4 hours. Just do not look that there is only 300 km. Just schedule 4 hours on the road.

If you are traveling from far – flung parts of the country, such as Punta Cana and Puerto Plateau, it will take about 6.5 hours by car in one direction. And don’t forget, if you don’t have an overnight stay, then the same amount back.

Road to the Bay of Eagles — Orlov Bay is still 35 kilometers away, 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 a lot of such places on the road. This is the Caribbean!

Bay of Eagles: options for getting around the park

We assume that you have decided how to get to the entrance to the park and have already arrived. We buy tickets at the ticket office and now decide how to get to the beach itself. There are three working options:

on foot
rent a large jeep that will take you to
by boat

Let’s consider all three options.

Orlov Bay by boat

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

The Boat package includes:

Delivery in 10-15 minutes to the beach Bay of Eagles
They leave you there and specify in advance when to pick you up
At the specified time, + – hour, you will be picked up and taken back. This is Dominicana, being late at one o’clock is not late here.
The price depends on many factors, but the most important one is how many people will be in the boat. The more, the cheaper.
The standard price is about$ 40 per person for a pick-up and drop-off service. You should always bargain here. With a successful combination of circumstances, you can negotiate for$20-25. But I haven’t seen anything lower.
Be aware that the local price for an entire round trip boat is somewhere around 3,000 pesos (~$65). If there are few tourists, all the boatmen are sitting idle, and you are 3-4 people, you can try to negotiate this price with one of the boatmen, only for your company. Of course, they like to inflate the price of white tourists, but they all want to earn money.
- As an argument: tell them that then you will go by jeep or walk, and they will not earn a dollar. It will help you negotiate.

The boat takes tourists to the beach of Orlov — *We’re walking, and there’s a boat taking tourists to the Bay of Eagles. Look at the water.*

The Council:If you don’t have time, and you came here literally for half an hour-an hour to wet your feet. Then everything that is within an hour, the boatman can wait, which means not to make a second round to pick you up, and save gas, which means a discount! This point is immediately indicated and it will help in the auction.

By jeep

At the entrance to the park there will be several land cruisers that can be rented to take you to the bay.

The Jeep package is similar to the boat package. Everything is the same and the time on the road is the same 10-15 minutes, only on the ground. The price for a round-trip seat in a Jeep is usually up to$20. In a good scenario, you can go for$ 10, but this is rare. Bargaining is also appropriate.

Eagle Bay on foot

The most interesting option that my wife and I chose. I felt sorry for the money. After reading a lot of reports, where everyone writes that it takes forever to walk in the heat, at least 15 km, or even all 25. Of course, we were depressed. But see what actually happens:

Eagle Bay Park Road — We go on foot with my wife. Of the minuses, only the sun and the lack of shade. There are two sections that are difficult for cars, only jeeps will pass, but they can be passed on foot without any problems.

Walking in the sun, yes. There is no shadow. Only cacti. By the way, hummingbirds fly here, if you look closely. But you won’t see them on a jeep or boat.
On the way there is a viewing platform, even three in one place. Neither the jeep nor the boat stops here.
Of the tourists who go on foot, there were only us
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 passed at a brisk pace in slantsy, from the stop to the observation platforms in 45 minutes.
The road is normal. There is one steep hill and the same descent.

orlov bay observation deck — Here is this observation deck on the Bay of Eagles. You can see in the center of the photo the white thin line of the beach begins. Here’s a walk up to it. It seems far away, in fact from this place only 900 meters. 3 km is already behind.

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

Bahia de Las Aguilas Road Dominicana — *To make it clearer. Follow this road to the beach. Believe me, the beach is much closer than it seems.*

What to do on the beach Bay of Eagles?

There aren’t many classes here. Sunbathe, swim, watch pelicans, watch fish and look for starfish. And of course to be photographed.

starfish in the dominican republic — *You’ll have a million of these photos. Pay attention to the background — these are the boats that bring tourists.*

From the general points:

Fish here is not like in the red Sea in Egypt, much less. But compared to the rest of the Dominican Republic, it’s a snorkeling paradise.
Pelicans that live here. This is the only species in the world that catches fish by diving into the water like a bird of prey. All the other species in the world just dive for fish. Pelicans were seen, it is very interesting to watch them.
In the Bay of Eagles, you can also meet the world’s largest starfish. If you watched Heads and Tails, that’s where Ivleeva gets such a star on this particular beach. We swam for half a day, there were no stars that day

Bahia de las Aguilas Beach Observation Tower — *In the center of the beach there is a viewing platform. You can watch pelicans and the whole bay from it.*

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

Where to live and spend the night?

Gleping Beach near Jaragua Park — *The place that I will offer you for an overnight stay has such a beach. And it is located right at the entrance to the park, which can be reached by car.*

As you’ve already read. Neither at the entrance to the park, nor in the national park itself, there are no hotels and other capital buildings. 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 first line and are canvas tents and tents that can be rented. The third campsite is located on the second line, 70 meters from the sea and consists of prefabricated panel houses.

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

2 campsites are classic campsites in our city. The third one I recommend is glamping! And if you have never lived in such a place, then now is a unique chance. At least for 1 night you need to stay here.

What is Glamping?Modern tourist destination: combines the words Glamour 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-fledged normal bed. Electricity with sockets and Fan. Cool, right?

Read more about this glamping experience, where to live, where to eat, how to book, and a lot of tips 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 Park — *This is the view from our tent. Well, almost like at home in our stone ghetto on the next 10-storey building.*

General tips and recommendations for visiting the Bay of Eagles

This chapter will help you avoid planning mistakes. 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 my memory for a long time.*

No matter what the navigator says, it takes 4 hours by car to get here from Santo Domingo. You don’t need to fit something that doesn’t fit in 1 day. This is the biggest mistake to try to get here in a light day, relax in the bay and go back.
Plan at least one overnight stay here. Then say thank you. Or better yet, 2.
There are no shops, banks with exchangers, and so on. The restaurant in Glamping is very expensive. Prices can be found at the link above in the article about glamping. All food, water, and alcohol must be purchased in advance and brought with you.
- Also, you should not count on a normal store in Pedernales. Anyway, there’s nothing to do on the border with Haiti. There are more checkpoints and inspections here than anywhere else.
Keep your Dominican pesos with you. There is no place to change dollars either.
Also take some repellents with you. In calm weather, there may be mosquitoes. How we solve this issue, in the article: what you should definitely take with you to the Dominican Republic.
There are problems with palm trees and shade: be sure to apply sunscreen and everything your skin needs.

Take a tube and mask with you, here you can and should snorkel.
Well, one last tip: the remaining 7 km before the bay and glamping (there is only one road), it is better to follow the signs that are everywhere here than using the navigator.
If you have already decided to go here, then plan a visit to the Earth’s Magnetic Anomaly and Oviedo Lagoon, where pink flamingos live.
- And if you decide to stop by these places, then the road from Santo Domingo, instead of 4 hours, will take all 7-8

Navigation in Bahia de Las Aguilas — *Start following these signs 7 km from the park. There are many of them, at every turn.*

Conslusion

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

And also: the Bay of Eagles, one of the few places in the Dominican Republic where the beach faces west. This means that there are cool sunsets with ocean views, which is very rare for this country.

Enjoy easy travel, unforgettable sunsets, and fantastic memories from Bahia de Las Aguilas!