Monte Cristi National Park, National park in Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic

Monte Cristi National Park runs from the Haitian border to Punta Rucia, covering 550 km² of coastal lagoons, beaches and mangrove swamps. Above it rises a limestone mesa about 237 m high, known as El Morro for its shoe-like shape, from which offshore keys and the wooded northern slopes are visible.

The sources consulted do not record when Monte Cristi National Park was created or first protected; the 1983 date in earlier versions is not confirmed. What they do establish is the park's extent: it runs from the Haitian border to Punta Rucia, near the town of Montecristi, and covers 550 km² of coastal lagoons, beaches, mangroves and a limestone mesa. Its driest terrain receives just over two inches of rain a year.

The park's best-known feature is El Morro, a limestone mesa whose profile resembles a shoe; it is the landmark by which Dominicans identify this stretch of coast. The mesa rises about 237 m and shelters Sabia Montecristini, a plant found only here, along with several reptile species.

There are no marked paths anywhere in the park, so visitors move with a local guide or on their own through dry scrub and along the coast. The area receives barely more than two inches of rain a year, so carry water and sun protection. Access runs from the Haitian border to Punta Rucia.

The mesa is known locally as El Morro because of its shoe-like profile, a landmark visible along the coast between the Haitian border and Punta Rucia. Its dry surroundings receive just over two inches of rain a year, and the flat top shelters the plant Sabia montecristini along with several reptile species.