Saona Island: Day Trip with Catamaran Party & Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.65 (362 reviews) 84% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/50

Duration8h

GroupUp to 30

LanguagesEN · DE +4

PickupAt your hotel

Caribbean sea stars, natural pools and a catamaran back to Bayahibe

You’ll float in turquoise water at Lagun Azul’s natural pool, watch sea stars beneath your feet, eat lunch under palm trees on Saona Island, then dance (or just chill) on a catamaran ride back with music and open bar. Expect real Dominican warmth—plus hotel pickup and drop-off for zero stress.

Step-by-step itinerary

Full day Saona Island excursion

Pick up from hotels in morning
Transfer by bus to Bayahibe port
Travel by speedboat to natural pool
Enjoy welcome drinks and see sea stars
Observe channel dividing Saona and mainland
Have lunch on Saona Island
Return on catamaran with music and drinks

The Experience

I’ll be honest — we almost missed our pickup in Punta Cana because I thought the meeting spot was next to the bakery (it wasn’t). Our guide, Rafael, just grinned and waved us over anyway, no big deal. The bus ride to Bayahibe was longer than I expected — about an hour — but watching palm trees flicker past and hearing everyone chat in Spanish and English made it feel like we were all heading somewhere special together. There was this little kid behind me who kept singing “La Bamba” (off-key), which still makes me smile.

The speedboat out to Saona Island was loud and fast; salty spray everywhere, hair whipping around. We stopped at this shallow blue spot called the natural pool — Lagun Azul — where you could actually see sea stars on the sand below. Rafael said not to touch them (“solo mirar!”), so we just floated around with drinks in hand. The water felt warm and soft somehow. I remember the smell of sunscreen mixing with rum punch. Someone tried to teach me how to say “estrella de mar” properly — failed miserably but got a laugh out of it.

Lunch on Saona Island itself was buffet-style, nothing fancy but honestly good after swimming: grilled chicken, rice, some kind of local salad that tasted super fresh. People wandered off under the palms or played dominoes in the shade. I ended up talking with a couple from Santo Domingo who told me about their favorite beaches (they swore by Macao). On the way back, the catamaran cranked up merengue music and suddenly everyone was dancing or at least trying to move along. The sky went hazy gold as we drifted toward Bayahibe again — I didn’t expect to feel so relaxed after a group tour like this.

What’s included

Your day includes morning hotel pickup from Punta Cana or nearby towns, roundtrip bus transfer to Bayahibe port, speedboat ride out to Lagun Azul’s natural pool for swimming among sea stars (just looking!), buffet lunch on Saona Island itself with drinks from an open bar throughout, plus a lively catamaran cruise back before return drop-off at your hotel.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPets welcomeNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Sofunrdtours