[4] Lake Enriquillo covers an area of 380 km2 (150 sq mi),[1] and is the lowest point for an island country, falling 46 m (151 ft) below sea level.

The lake's water level varies because of a combination of storm-driven precipitation events and the region's high evaporation rate.

[7] The lake lies in a valley that stretches from near Port-au-Prince in Haiti to Bahia de Neiba in the Dominican Republic.

Land near Lake Enriquillo has long been used for agriculture, with crops such as bananas, sweet potatoes, and yuca being grown there, as well as pasture for cattle.

The rising water levels have affected hundreds of nearby residents in townships bordering the lake, with abundant loss of agricultural land.

La Descubierta is the town nearest to the entrance of Lago Enriquillo and Isla Cabritos National Park.

[10] The community of Boca de Cachon, near the lake and severely affected by the rising waters, has been the subject of government relocation efforts, including the construction of a new town further from the shores of Enriquillo.

There is a group of possibly pre-Taino indigenous petroglyphs (locally named "las caritas", "the faces"), from where there is a view of the lake.

There are several small hotels in the nearby towns, usually used by travelers linked to commerce, and which are also used by tourists to see the attractions of the area.