Punta Cana is a popular tourist destination, well-known world-wide for its typical white-sand beaches and crystal-clear waters that look like Caribbean postcards. With its more than 40-kilometers of beaches of white sand, palm trees, a blue-green sea and its luxurious and extensive hotel infrastructure, it is the most visited tourist destination in the Caribbean all year round. Its beautiful resorts located on the beaches make your vacation an unforgettable experience.
Most resorts in this tourism center have night clubs, thematic restaurants, spas, clothing, and gift shops, beauty salons, many of them also have casinos and golf courses.
The growth of tourism in Punta Cana has been impressive. Millions of visitors are arriving every year on flights to Punta Cana.
The large hotels in Punta Cana offers the “all-inclusive package” and many of the visitors stay for a week at the beach, swimming pool, sea, varied meals and cocktails. However, if you are one of those who gets bored with that plan on the third day, Punta Cana and its surroundings offer many other tourist attractions. Discover a varied amount of activities and places that you can enjoy in Punta Cana away from the resort:
1-Los Haitises National Park in the Bay of Samaná
A visit to Los Haitises National Park is one of the most enjoyable full-day excursions in Punta Cana. Situated in the bay of Samaná, it gives you an idea of what Punta Cana looked like before its tourist development. With a distinctive feature: its “mogotes”. The mogotes are a small elevation of 30 or 40 meters in height that have been shaped by the nature of the karstic soil of the area and the effect of rain and wind.
Because of these ” mogotes ” the natives (the Tainos) named the place Los Haitises, which means “high or mountainous lands” in their language. You can reach Los Haitises by land or water. Most excursions include an exploration of the dense mangroves by boat and a visit to the ancient caves inhabited by the Tainos, where paintings made by them are still found.
Some of the most beautiful caves are San Gabriel, La Reyna, La Línea and La Arena. Among its fauna you will find pelicans, gannets, owls, parrots, manatees, bats and a variety of reptiles, especially boas and sea turtles. A green paradise of undulating forms that die in the sea.
2-Excursion to Saona Island
One of the most popular sea outings in Punta Cana is Isla Saona, one of the biggest in the Dominican Republic. Many agencies and lifeguards offer this excursion in local and beaches. The price is typically between 60 and 80 dollars per person and you can do it on a large catamaran or a small speedboat. Isla Saona has wonderful beaches, jungle, mangroves and some villages that are inhabited by fishermen. The most beautiful parts of the island are far away from the most touristy area.
The boats all arrive at the same beach, where people bathe and there are some restaurants. But if you like adventure, take a couple of days’ worth of provisions and go deep into the jungle in search of uninhabited areas. Under the waters surrounding Isla Saona, life is an explosion of colors. Take a pair of goggles and dive among the coral.
3-Excursion to Catalina Island
Catalina Island also known as Serena Key is a beautiful island of white sand off the coast of the southeast of the Dominican Republic. It itself is a natural protected reserve where, of course, no buildings exist in the area. Not known to most travel agents and visitors, the beach is sheltered from the wind, which means that the sea is always calm.
The Catalina Island can be described as an ideal tropical fun model, a kind of design alive to handle an area destined to tourism while conserving a good part of the original nature.
This amazing little island, in spite of its reduced dimensions which do not reach 15 square kilometers, one of which is a kilometer of beach for the use of tourists who are seeking exclusively fun in the sun, taking advantage of perfectly elaborated sands, water of optimum temperature, a sea for all water sports, all the colors of the tropical universe and alternatives of isolation for a sublime communication with the environment.
Catalina Island is home to important three beaches (West, North and East), two of them with great tourism sustainable development potential (East and West), despite the presence of only one (West). In addition to the previously mentioned beaches, that occupy more than two thirds of its coastline, La Catalina has very unique rocky coasts, which border its southern part, forming cliffs in some cases and cliffs in others.
Catalina Island is the unique part of the Dominican Republic where you can easily encounter raccoons and wild rabbits face to face, subsisting in a habitat they have already made their own. They are considered exotic in this region of the country. Though they allow themselves to be photographed, they stay at a safe distance from visitors.
4-Jeep 4×4 Safari Excursion
The island of Republica Dominciana has wonderful natural landscapes, the eastern part of the island has various natural wonders, streams, valleys, mountains, rivers, plains, this tour you can go through different areas with natural and ecological attraction of the island, all this in comfortable 4×4 jeeps enabled to transit these areas, the tour is guided by you and accompanied by local expert guides, you can meet local communities and interact directly with the natives.
Tasting the typical Dominican food, besides eating tropical fruits, is really an experience of direct contact with the exuberant nature of the island. It is an unforgettable experience that is totally worthwhile.
5-Cultural Visit to Santo Domingo
If you visit Punta Cana don’t miss the opportunity to know the first European colonial city in America. Santo Domingo is a 3 hour drive – 4 hours by bus – from Punta Cana and, if you are a history enthusiast, it must be on your list of places to visit during your vacation in Punta Cana. All of Santo Domingo’s heritage attractions are located in its Colonial Zone. You will find the “first” of all here. The first American house where Columbus lived, the first cathedral and the first hospital built by the Spanish.
Also the Ozama fortress, the Dominican convent and the church of Santa Clara attract the attention of visitors. The most iconic squares are the Plaza de Colón, with a statue of the Genoese discoverer presiding over it, and the Plaza de España. Amongst these historical monuments, modern life flows in cafes, restaurants, bars and souvenir shops.
6-Visit to Altos de Chavon
Altos de Chavon is a recreation of an ancient Mediterranean style village located on the Chavon River in the province of La Romana, Dominican Republic. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country, and is known as “The City of Artists”.
Altos de ChavónThe project was conceived by Italian architect Roberto Copa, and Austrian industrialist Charles Bluhdorn. It began in 1976 when they began the construction of a nearby road and a bridge that crosses the Chavon River that resulted in the demolition of a mountain of stone. Bludhorn had the idea of using the stones to create a 16th century Mediterranean village. Construction was completed in the early 1980s.
This beautiful village is a bohemian environment with panoramic views and narrow alleys lined with lanterns and limestone walls. It houses a cultural centre, Mediterranean style restaurants and a number of picturesque shops.
On its square, you will find the charming St. Stanislaus Church of Krakow. This small church was named by the patron saint of Poland in honor of Pope John Paul II who visited the Dominican Republic in 1979 and left some of the ashes of the saint.
Altos de Chavón Roman style amphitheater is the iconic symbol of Altos de Chavón. It has a capacity for 5,000 spectators, and the most impressive activities are held in which internationally renowned artists have performed: Juan Luis Guerra, Julio Iglesias, Marc Antony, Placido Domingo, Gloria Estéfan, Pitbull, Elton John, Paulina Rubio, Luis Fonsi, Ricardo Arjona, Alejandro Sanz, Don Omar, Frank Sinatra and Sting.
The Regional Museum of Archaeology contains a collection of aboriginal artifacts that were discovered in the surrounding area. Its three galleries display the work of students from its design school and the hotel industry affiliated with the Parsons School of Design in New York.
7-Punta Cana Buggy Excursion
It is a very good experience, you will go all over the country road accompanied by expert guides, you drive yourself in a buggy in roads full of a lot of adventure, beautiful natural places, rivers, mountains.
You will also have a direct contact with the local people, and you will be able to eat tropical fruits and taste really creole food. On the way back you will have a good shower and it is something you will always remember with joy. This is an activity that can be done with the family for more fun.
For this excursion it is recommended to wear closed shoes and old clothes, since you will get very dirty, also take glasses and a handkerchief to cover your face, on the roads you will get splashed with mud and dust.
8-Adventure Activities In Punta Cana
In Punta Cana there is a great diversity of adventure excursions that you can do. You can go by jeep through the jungle, on quad or horse on the beaches, or also fly on a zip line over the Caribbean jungle.
In the beach environment you can also opt for parasailing – flying with a kind of parachute attached to a boat -, speedboats and some surfing and windsurfing courses. If you have a good budget, you can always go for a ride in a light aircraft and admire this natural beauty from the air.
Among the great variety of adventure tours in Punta Cana, these are the most remarkable:
• Marinarium: an aquarium located in the sea, in front of the Cabeza de Toro where you can swim with sharks, sea lions. Available from hotels.
• Dolphin Island: Dolphin Explorer, swimming with dolphins, available from the hotels.
• Manati Park: It is more complex, apart from the dolphins you can see birds, iguanas, Taino shows, how the Indians lived, etc.
• Party Bus: is a bus moving here near the area between villages, ranches, fields etc.
• Zip Adventure: is some cable tracks so you can go through mountains and hills.
• Buggy Adventure: Squad Adventure, with buggy or with squad you can visit some virgin beaches, ranches and villages.
• Jeep Safari: off-road trip between villages, fields, canals.
• Bavaro splash: driving with small boats along the coast
• Caribbean festival: is a fabulous live display of Dominican carnival incl snorkeling
• Horseback Riding: horse riding, same on the beach or on ranches.
• Helicopter tour: flying over the tourist area, you can see Cap Cana, the Punta Cana airport, the Marinarium, El Barco undido, the hotels and your hotel too.
• Funny Monster Safari: with a 6×6 truck visiting fields, canaveral, a cigar factory, fields, cockfighting exhibition, etc
• Fun Fun Caves: is a ranch where you can ride a horse, walk through a Dominican forest, and then go down into one of the largest caves in the world with a professional team
9-Visit Coco Bongo Nightclub
Coco Bongo is much more than a nightclub, it guarantees an incredible night and a unique experience to all those who are looking for fun, shows, theater, drinks and an atmosphere in the pure style of Broadway or Las Vegas. The Coco Bongo nightclub has three levels organized in bleachers. From the outside, the 4,016 square meter building is already impressive.
It has more than 300 shows, where an incredible display of lights and sound all combined with musical times and movies and images projected. The shows include professional acrobats, dancers and actors. Among the most outstanding and that fill with magic Coco Bongo are their live musicals that imitate stars of world music or famous movies.
10-Scape Park, Hoyo Azul Excursion (Blue Hole)
Scape park blue hole in punta cana. The incredible ecological trails will give you the opportunity to see endemic plants, cactus, ferns, bromeliads, orchids and more. This tour package will end at the famous Blue Hole cave. This tourist package is valid for 6 years and more.
The Hoyo Azul ecological tour is designed to educate and put the visitors face to face with nature to observe the ecosystems of the Dominican Republic and how the different plants grow and proliferate in a controlled environment and also in the wild. The tour will end at the Hoyo Azul cave; this is a natural pool, with crystal blue water, formed at the base of a giant cliff.
Visitors will be able to jump in and enjoy these fresh and revitalized waters, you will be able to jump in and enjoy these fresh and revitalized waters. You can fly across the trees on a zipline, relax on Juanillo beach, explore an underground cave, see a waterfall or learn about the true Dominican lifestyle.
The full day adventure includes a buffet and complementary attractions: Mountain Bike Eco-Trail, a guided tour through the natural forests; Animal Encounter, where you could see tropical animals such as macaws, iguanas, parrots, monkeys and more.The choice is yours, and no matter what you choose, the day will be full of adventures and experiences you will never forget.
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