All 38 placesTicket No. 0037
One-way ticket
Quartz sand facing the Caribbean, on the Las Calderas peninsula: the largest coastal dune field in the Antilles, with trails and mangroves.
StubNo. 0037
From the Zona Colonial it's 86 km by road, about 1 h 13 min of driving.
Take the 6 de Noviembre highway to Baní and follow the signs toward Salinas and the naval base. Before the village of Salinas you'll see the visitor center on your left.
The Dunas de Baní are the Monumento Natural Dunas de las Calderas, on the Las Calderas peninsula, Peravia province. It's the largest coastal dune field in the Antilles.
They've been a protected area since 1996, under decree 233-96, and the Environment Ministry manages them.
Go before 10 or after 4, when the sand burns less.
The sand is fine, made of quartz and feldspar. The Baní River, the Nizao River and the Bahía stream carry it down, and the wind piles it into mounds.
There are two trails: Santanilla, 1.5 km long, and the Guardaparques trail, about 40 minutes round trip, which climbs to the highest dunes with a view of the Caribbean.
Mangroves, cactus and dry forest grow all around, and there are herons, flamingos and gulls.
The Baní salt flats are five minutes away.