Travel Guide Isla Beata

This deserted island was once the refuge of the legendary pirate Cofresi. It is said that he buried a treasure there that has not yet been discovered. Isla Beata is now home to a protected breed of iguana. It is also a fishing area occupied by a few fishermen's huts occasionally inhabited. It can only be reached by lancha from Cueva del Cabo. It was Christopher Columbus himself who discovered the island in 1494. A handful of ruined buildings testify to the existence of a former prison that functioned under the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. The island is managed by the Jaragua National Park.