Excursions and Tours

Overview

A day off the resort is the best way to see more of the Dominican Republic than a beach chair and a buffet. The classic excursions from the east coast take you to a protected island, a turquoise sinkhole, dirt roads through sugarcane and cattle country, or out on a catamaran to a reef. From Samaná, January to March, you can watch humpback whales breed a few hundred yards from the boat.

Excursions are also where things most often go wrong for visitors: unlicensed boats, overcrowded tours, surprise charges, and long bus rides that the brochure leaves out. This page covers the main trips with prices and timing, then explains how to book safely and the common scams. For the islands and towns themselves, see La Romana and Bayahíbe, Samaná and Punta Cana.

Saona and Catalina islands

Isla Saona

Saona is the country's most famous excursion: a low island of palm-lined white beaches inside Parque Nacional Cotubanamá (formerly Parque Nacional del Este), off the southeast coast. Almost all trips leave from the docks at Bayahíbe. A typical day goes like this:

1. Hotel pickup by bus or van. From Bayahíbe and Dominicus it is a few minutes; from Bávaro and Punta Cana, plan on about 1 hour 30 minutes each way, with pickups starting early in the morning.
2. Out by catamaran or speedboat, often one way each, along the coast of the national park.
3. A stop at the piscina natural (natural pool), a sandbar where boats anchor in waist-deep, clear water, with starfish on the sandy bottom and a floating rum bar.
4. Several hours on a Saona beach, usually Canto de la Playa or near the village of Mano Juan, with a buffet lunch, rum, soft drinks and water.
5. Back to Bayahíbe in mid-afternoon, then the bus to your hotel.

Prices for a group tour from Bayahíbe start at about $69 per person on major booking sites, for 6 to 7 hours with lunch and drinks. Tours that include pickup from Punta Cana cost more and turn into a 10- to 12-hour day. Private speedboat trips cost more again but let you choose your beach and leave before the crowds.

The national park entry fee is normally built into tour prices. If an operator asks for a separate park fee on the day, ask for the official receipt. Leave starfish in the water: lifting them out for photos can kill them, and guides are supposed to discourage it.

Isla Catalina

Catalina is a smaller island off La Romana with calmer, clearer water than Saona and some of the best easy snorkeling in the country. Its two classic sites are a reef wall that drops away into deep water and a shallow coral garden. Trips leave from Bayahíbe and La Romana, usually combining snorkeling with beach time and lunch. Divers come for the wall. Cruise ships calling at La Romana also use Catalina for beach days; see Cruises. For diving, see Outdoors.

Hoyo Azul and Scape Park

Hoyo Azul (Blue Hole) is a pool of startlingly blue fresh water at the foot of a limestone cliff in Cap Cana, about 20 to 30 minutes from Bávaro. It sits inside Scape Park, an adventure park in the forest that includes zip lines, a cave walk, a rope course, a cultural trail and animal encounters. You reach Hoyo Azul by a short trail from the main area.

• Hours: open daily 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; attractions close at 4:30 p.m., and some run on limited schedules.
• Full admission: about $129 per adult through major booking sites, including pickup from the main Punta Cana hotels, Hoyo Azul, two zip line circuits, the rope course, the Iguabonita cave, the cultural route and animal areas. The buffet lunch, alcohol, photos and the buggy and boat add-ons are extra in that listing.
• Packages: the park also sells combinations with buggy rides, a catamaran cruise, and a "Juanillo VIP" day that adds a catamaran, snorkeling, a sandbar stop and lunch at the Juanillo beach club.
• Time: plan on about 7 hours with transfers.

Book on the official Scape Park site or through your resort, and check the cancellation terms: resellers sometimes show both refundable and nonrefundable labels on the same listing. The zip lines and rope course are not recommended for people with heart problems, back or spinal injuries, or for pregnant travelers.

Buggy and ATV tours

Buggy tours are the loud, muddy favorite of the east coast. You drive (or ride in) an open dune buggy along dirt roads through the countryside north of Bávaro, around Macao and the hills behind it, usually with stops at:

• A cave or cenote with a freshwater swimming hole
• Playa Macao, a public surf beach
• A ranch or "typical Dominican house" with coffee, cacao, cigar and mamajuana tastings, and a shop

Tours run 3 to 4 hours, with hotel pickup. You will get covered in dust in the dry season and mud after rain, so wear old clothes and closed shoes. Operators hand out bandanas and sometimes goggles; sunglasses help. Prices vary by single or double buggy and by who drives, so ask for the per-buggy and per-person price in writing and compare a few operators. Drivers generally need to be adults with a valid license; ask the operator about age rules for passengers.

Catamarans and snorkeling

Catamaran trips leave from Bávaro beach and Cap Cana for a few hours on the water. Party catamarans are just that: an open bar, merengue and bachata lessons on deck, a snorkel stop on the reef and a swim at a sandbar. Quieter sailing and snorkel trips, sunset cruises and private charters exist too, at higher prices. Many leave from the beach in front of your resort, so the pickup is a short walk.

• Ask how many passengers the boat carries; crowded boats make for crowded snorkeling
• Check that life jackets are on board in adult and child sizes
• Ask whether snorkel gear is cleaned and whether a guide swims with the group
• If you are not a strong swimmer, wear a snorkel vest and stay near the guide
• Do not snorkel after a lot of rum

For the best snorkeling, the southeast beats the Punta Cana reef: Catalina, the coast near Bayahíbe and the waters of Parque Nacional Cotubanamá are clearer and richer. On the north coast, Sosúa bay is the easy choice; see Cabarete and Sosúa.

Dolphin and sea lion encounters

Several parks offer in-water programs with captive dolphins and sea lions. The best known are Dolphin Explorer in the Punta Cana area, which has a second site and a park in St. Kitts, and Ocean World at Cofresí near Puerto Plata, popular with cruise passengers.

At Dolphin Explorer, programs range from general admission (an aviary and sea lion encounter) to swims with one or two dolphins. The water time listed runs about 30 to 60 minutes depending on the program, which is less than the total visit. Prices change by season and by package; check the park's own site and ask whether hotel pickup and photos are included.

These programs are controversial. Animal welfare groups argue that keeping dolphins in captivity for swim programs harms them and campaign for people not to book them. Some travel companies have stopped selling tickets; Tripadvisor, for example, announced in 2019 that it would stop selling tickets to attractions that breed or import whales and dolphins for public display. The parks say their animals are well cared for and that their programs teach visitors about marine life. If you want to see dolphins and whales in the wild, the Samaná whale season is the alternative.

Zip lines and adventure parks

Zip lines are a staple around Punta Cana, usually in the hills inland from the coast, and often combined with buggies, horseback riding or a cave swim in a single day. Scape Park's zip lines are included in its full admission. On the north coast and in the mountains, zip lines are part of adventure days around Puerto Plata and Jarabacoa, where rafting, canyoning and waterfalls are the main draw.

• Check the equipment: a full-body or sit harness, a helmet and two attachment points on the cable
• Ask about weight and age limits before you book
• Watch the safety briefing; staff should check every clip
• Skip it if the cables, platforms or gear look worn, or if staff rush you

Whale watching in Samaná

Every winter, thousands of North Atlantic humpback whales come to Dominican waters to mate and give birth. Samaná Bay is one of the easiest places in the world to see them: boats leave from the town dock, and on a good day you see males breaching and competing, mothers with calves, and hear the males singing through a hydrophone on some boats.

• Season: officially January 15 to March 31 in 2026; the 2027 dates had not been announced by late October 2026. The Ministry of Environment opened the 2026 season in mid-January.
• Peak: roughly February and early March, when some operators run two trips a day.
• Price: Whale Samaná, a long-established operator in Samaná town, charges $65 per adult and $35 per child, with an add-on stop at Cayo Levantado for about $5 more.
• Time: plan on about half a day, including a 30- to 40-minute run out toward the mouth of the bay.
• Permits: boats need an environmental permit from the Ministry of Environment. For the 2026 season it planned 46 permits, 43 for Samaná and 3 for trips from Puerto Plata, under a new digital system.

The bay is part of the Santuario de Mamíferos Marinos Bancos de la Plata y de la Navidad (marine mammal sanctuary of the Silver and Navidad banks). Boats in Samaná Bay watch from a distance and do not let passengers into the water. Swimming near humpbacks is limited to permitted multi-day liveaboard trips to the Silver Bank, far offshore, which leave from Puerto Plata and book up long in advance.

Day trips to Samaná from Punta Cana exist, but it is about 3 to 4 hours by road each way, and many include a fast boat across the bay. Staying a night or two in Samaná or Las Terrenas makes for a far better trip, with time for Los Haitises National Park and El Limón waterfall. See Samaná and When to go.

More day trips worth the drive

For hiking, diving, kitesurfing and caving, see Outdoors. In winter, an evening at a LIDOM baseball game is one of the best excursions you can take; see Baseball.

Typical prices at a glance

Prices change by season and by seller. These are per person unless noted, for group tours, as listed in October 2026.

How to book safely

Tourism businesses in the Dominican Republic are licensed by the Ministry of Tourism, MITUR, and tour boats, captains and guides need their own permits. Unlicensed sellers are a real problem: in August 2025 tour guides held a 24-hour national strike in Bayahíbe and elsewhere to protest unlicensed operators and untrained people selling excursions. The safest approach is to book with an established, licensed company.

1. Choose your channel. Your resort's tour desk, an established local operator booked directly, a major booking platform with recent reviews, or your cruise line. Each of these gives you someone to complain to and a paper trail.
2. Ask for the license. A legitimate operator will give you its company name, MITUR license details and a phone number. If they cannot, walk away.
3. Read recent reviews from the last few months, looking for safety comments, crowding and surprise charges.
4. Get it in writing: what the price includes, the pickup time and place, the type of boat or vehicle, and the cancellation policy.
5. Pay by credit card where you can, so you can dispute a charge if the tour does not happen. Avoid paying cash in advance to anyone on the beach.
6. Check the basics on the day: life jackets on boats, seatbelts in vehicles, a guide who gives a safety briefing, and a boat that is not overloaded.
7. Buy travel insurance that covers adventure activities and medical evacuation. Medicare does not cover care abroad.

For cruise passengers, booking through the ship costs more but guarantees the ship waits if the tour runs late. Independent tours work well if you leave a generous buffer before all-aboard time. See Cruises.

Common scams and how to avoid them

• The no-show. A beach seller takes a cash deposit for tomorrow's trip and nobody arrives. Book with a company that has an office, a website and a working phone.
• The switch. You pay for a catamaran and get a crowded speedboat, or a "private" tour that turns out to be shared. Get the boat type and group size in writing.
• Surprise fees on the day. A park fee, a fuel surcharge, drinks or a "tip for the captain" announced once you are on board. Ask in advance what is not included.
• Damage claims. Jet ski, buggy and scooter renters sometimes claim you caused existing scratches. Photograph the vehicle before you start, and avoid renting from unlicensed beach sellers.
• The shopping stop. Tours that stop at a "factory" or "typical house" earn commissions on what you buy. Prices for larimar, amber, cigars and rum are often inflated. See Shopping.
• Photo packages. A photographer follows you all day, then sells the pictures at the end. You are under no obligation to buy.
• Unofficial taxis. Drivers outside the resort gate offering a cheap tour. Use your hotel's taxi stand or a licensed transfer, and agree on the price first. See Getting around.

If something goes wrong, contact POLITUR, the tourist police, at 809-200-3500, or use its smartphone app. The emergency number is 911, which covers Punta Cana and the other main resort areas. See Safety.

What to bring

• Reef-safe sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses with a strap
• Swimsuit worn under your clothes, a towel and a change of clothes
• Water shoes for Hoyo Azul, caves and rocky beaches
• Old clothes and closed shoes for buggies
• A dry bag or waterproof phone pouch for boats
• Small bills for tips and drinks; leave the passport in the safe and carry a copy
• Seasickness medicine for boats and whale watching
• The operator's name, phone number and your booking confirmation