The 7 Day Trips from Punta Cana Worth the Early Start

1.Saona Island Day Trip From Punta Cana with Lunch and Open Bar

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,709 reviews · from $82Our pick

Travel from Punta Cana to Bayahibe, then reach Saona Island by speedboat or catamaran. Stop at a shallow natural pool for starfish, enjoy three hours on the beach, eat a Dominican buffet, and return by party catamaran. Guides such as Alex and Christian are known for keeping the day lively.

“Our tour guide was incredible. What an amazing experience. Highly recommend it. Everything ran right on schedule and organized. Definitely one of the highlights of my trip to DR this past May.”

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2.Day Trip to Santo Domingo from Punta Cana

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 659 reviews · from $55Best value

Travel from Punta Cana to Santo Domingo in an air-conditioned vehicle, stopping at Los Tres Ojos National Park, the Columbus Lighthouse, the Malecón, and the Colonial Zone. A typical lunch and non-alcoholic drinks are included. Expect a long road day, group transport for up to 29 people, plenty of walking, and guide quality that can vary.

“This trip was fun overall. It involved a lot of walking, so be prepared to bring yourself a multiple bottles of water, a hand towel, a few snacks to eat and an umbrella for sure. It will be very sunny outside if you are coming in summer. Without an umbrella, it will be very hot and unbearable. This tour does not give you a lot of time to click pictures though, as we are constantly on the move. However, our guide was very friendly too and waited with a lot of patience while we clicked pictures. Overall it was an easy 4 stars. The reason I took off 1 star…”

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3.Santo Domingo Day Trip with Tickets and Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 584 reviews · 1 day · from $82

Travel from Punta Cana to Santo Domingo for a full day of history and sightseeing. Visit Los Tres Ojos National Park, the first cathedral in the Americas, Alcázar de Colón, the National Pantheon, El Faro a Colón, and the Colonial Zone. Guides including Victor, Miguel, and Hector lead the tour in English, Spanish, or Portuguese.

“This experience was incredible! Our tour guide, Rudy, was very informative and patient. He translated into Spanish for those who needed it. Our driving was excellent as well! Thank you!”

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4.Saona Island and Altos de Chavón Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 340 reviews · 1 day · from $92

Spend a long, lively day combining Altos de Chavón’s stone-built village with Saona Island’s white sand and clear water. Your English or Spanish-speaking guide leads the visit, with transport, park entry, boat travel, buffet lunch, unlimited drinks, and a stop at the natural swimming pool included. Expect music, dancing, beach time, and a busy schedule.

“The start of the trip wasn’t so good. We were one of the first to pick up, so we couldn’t eat breakfast at the hotel. Surprisingly the bus driver was on time, but then.. We had a 3 hour bus trip, then we would go on a catamaran, which had extremly loud music and we were sooo hungry. The very loud music didn’t let us join the catamaran trip, it was ridicilous. We asked to maybe lower the music a little, so it would be enjoyable, but no one cared. So we weren’t so happy at the beginning, but later everything was great! We didn’t see any starfish, but the…”

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5.Dominican Flavors Guided Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 31 reviews · 4 hours · from $125

From Punta Cana, you’ll visit the Vega Fina cigar factory, Chocopunto chocolate workshop, Cave of Wonders, and Ron Barceló Historic Center. Tastings are included, along with hotel transfers and a multilingual guide. The pace is brisk, and the cave includes uneven walking, so comfortable shoes matter.

“This is my first time booking with you guys. The activity was amazing each tour guide was very informative.”

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6.Discover Santo Domingo: A Day Trip from Punta Cana

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 30 reviews · 5 - 10 hours · from $75

Travel from Punta Cana to Santo Domingo for a full day of history and local culture. You’ll visit Los Tres Ojos, the Colonial Zone, the First Cathedral, National Pantheon, Alcazar de Colon, and the Malecon, with a typical Dominican lunch and free time. Guide José has made extra efforts for French-speaking visitors, though French guiding is not guaranteed.

“Super excursion avec un guide et chauffeur super Je recommande”

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7.Saona Island from Punta Cana Day Trip with Open Bar

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 22 reviews · 9h 30m · from $75

Travel from Punta Cana to Saona Island for a 9.5-hour beach day at exclusive Playatao Beach. Swim at the Natural Pools, enjoy a floating bar, lunch, reserved beach tables, and drinks including mojitos, Cuba Libres, beer, and soft drinks. Junior is especially helpful with guests who need walking assistance.

“Junior was amazing at helping me walk around as I don’t walk that well, he also saw that I was on my own and I was the only English person, so he kept saying hi and having a quick chat. The catamaran was very fun and lively the drinks were definitely flowing”

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