Things to do in Dominican Republic
Catamaran Punta Cana48 optionsPunta Cana Airport Transfer79 optionsSnorkeling in Punta Cana48 optionsSaona Island Tours19 optionsATV Punta Cana37 optionsScuba Doo Punta Cana22 optionsPunta Cana City Tour21 optionsZipline Punta Cana24 optionsBoat Trips Punta Cana64 optionsHorseback Riding Punta Cana25 optionsZiplining8 optionsPunta Cana Day Trips8 options
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Saona Island Cruise from Punta Cana: Natural Pool & LunchYou board a speedboat or catamaran from Bayahibe, wade into the natural pool at Playa Palmilla for 40 minutes, then cruise to Saona Island for lunch and beach time. The tour includes hotel pickup, grilled lunch with tropical fruit, national rum, and a professional guide. You return by catamaran or speedboat with the group, arriving back at your hotel in the late afternoon.Is it for me?Right for travelers staying in Punta Cana who want a full island day without arranging their own boat or transport—the shared pickup and fixed itinerary mean you show up at your hotel and the rest is handled. Not suitable if you need a private group or prefer to avoid crowds.
Saona Island: Catamaran & Natural Pool with Lunch & BarYou board a catamaran or speedboat with hotel pickup already arranged, swim in a natural sandbar pool, spend the afternoon on Saona Island's white-sand beach, and eat a buffet lunch with an open bar included. Your guide stays with you all day, and the boat returns you to your hotel in the evening — no transport logistics to figure out.Is it for me?Book this if you want a full beach day without arranging transport, entry, or meals — the catamaran departure time and hotel pickup mean you're not coordinating logistics, and the included lunch and bar remove the need to budget for food and drinks on the island.
Santo Domingo Day Trip from Punta Cana: Colonial Zone & CathedralAn 11-hour day trip from Punta Cana to Santo Domingo with hotel pickup, air-conditioned transport, and a professional art historian guide who speaks your language. You visit the Colonial Zone (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Calle Las Damas—the oldest street in the Americas, created in 1502—the Cathedral of Santa Maria la Menor dating to 1512, the Columbus Palace, the National Palace, and Three Eyes National Park's limestone cave system with crystal-clear lakes. Entry to all monuments, headsets with language selection, and lunch at a typical Dominican restaurant are included.Is it for me?Book this if you have a full day and want to cover multiple sites across the city and caves; choose the half-day Colonial Zone option if you prefer fewer stops and a slower pace.
El Limón Waterfall & Bacardi Island Tour with Horseback RideThis 11- to 12-hour tour from Punta Cana takes you by bus to Samaná, then by horseback to El Limón Waterfall (120 feet high), with lunch at a countryside ranch and a catamaran sail to Bacardi Island for swimming and exploration. Hotel pickup and drop-off, lunch with two drinks, and a live guide in your choice of English, Spanish, French or German are included. Note: the itinerary switches to whale watching at Samaná Bay if you travel between January 18 and March 20.Is it for me?Book this tour if you want the waterfall and island in one day without arranging separate transport between them — the bus, catamaran and horseback ride are timed to connect, so the schedule holds without you building it. Not suitable if you have spinal injuries or are pregnant.
Saona Island Tour Punta Cana: Speedboat, Natural Pool & Beach LunchYou get hotel pickup in an air-conditioned vehicle, a speedboat ride across the Caribbean, a 45-minute stop at the Natural Pool where water reaches your waist and starfish are visible, nearly three hours on Saona Island's white-sand beaches, and a buffet lunch with drinks included. The whole day runs 8 to 9 hours, and the boat returns you to your hotel by late afternoon.Is it for me?Book this if you want the main Saona Island experience without arranging your own boat, timing multiple stops, or figuring out lunch—the fixed schedule and included transport from your hotel means you show up ready to swim, and everything else is handled.
Underwater Scooter Snorkeling in Punta CanaUnderwater scooter snorkeling in Punta Cana pairs a glass-bottom boat ride to Cabeza de Toro with a motorized helmet experience at 4 meters depth, where you breathe normally and watch fish without conventional dive gear. A dive master leads the scooter portion (about 15 minutes); a lifeguard guide accompanies the snorkeling at the official dive site El Niño. Hotel pickup from Bavaro and Los Corales is included; the full activity runs 3.5 hours. Children from age 8 are welcome.Is it for me?The 3.5-hour duration leaves room for a beach afternoon or a meal afterward, but rules out combining this with another major activity the same day. Book this if you have a free morning or early afternoon and want to experience underwater depth without the learning curve or physical demands of conventional scuba.
Santo Domingo from Punta Cana: Colonial Zone & Three Eyes CaveYou're picked up from your Punta Cana hotel and driven to Santo Domingo, where you walk through Three Eyes cave system with its crystal lakes, explore the oldest street in the Americas on a guided tour of the Colonial Zone, see the 1512 Cathedral and the Columbus Lighthouse, and eat a buffet lunch of Dominican food. The guide is an art historian, the vehicle is air-conditioned, and you're back at your hotel by evening without having to arrange any of the logistics yourself.Is it for me?Choose this tour if you want to see Santo Domingo's main historical sites—the oldest cathedral in the Americas, the oldest street, and the cave system—in one day without arranging your own transport, timing, or guide. The fixed schedule and included pickup mean you leave the logistics to someone else and spend the day learning instead of planning.
Mundo Auténtico Punta Cana: Cigars, Rum & Chocolate TastingMundo Auténtico is a combined factory and shop tour in Punta Cana where you taste and purchase Dominican cigars, rum, chocolate, coffee and larimar jewelry with hotel pickup and a multilingual guide. The tour runs 2 to 3 hours and includes tastings at each station, so you walk out with samples and souvenirs without hunting across the island.Is it for me?Two to three hours leaves room for a beach afternoon or another activity, but means you're moving through each station without lingering—a good fit if you want the five key Dominican products in one morning rather than hunting separate shops across Punta Cana.
Punta Cana Shopping Tour: Local Crafts & Dominican TastingsA three-hour shopping tour from Punta Cana takes you to Plaza Artesanal World Mart, where you browse local handicrafts, jewelry made from Dominican larimar and amber, and clothing, then taste cigars, coffee, chocolate and Mamajuana. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included, and a guide in English or Spanish leads the way.Is it for me?This is a shared tour with a guide, so you move through the market as a group rather than exploring entirely on your own—the pace is set and the tastings are part of the itinerary. It works well if you want to see what local artisans make without spending a full day shopping, or if you'd rather have someone point out what's worth trying instead of wandering the market alone.
Santo Domingo City Tour: Colonial Zone & Ozama FortA six-hour guided tour of Santo Domingo covers the Colonial Zone, Columbus Lighthouse, Alcázar de Colón palace, the Cathedral of Santa Maria la Menor, Three Eyes National Park and Ozama Fortress, with hotel pickup, lunch and an air-conditioned vehicle included. The guide speaks English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and additional languages. Children from age 4 are welcome, and the pace suits all fitness levels.Is it for me?Book this tour if you're staying in Santo Domingo without a car—pickup from your hotel means you don't arrange transport between the Colonial Zone, the fortress, the palace and the park, and the fixed six-hour schedule holds everything together in a single afternoon.
Saona Island day trip from Punta Cana: Natural Pool and lunchA day trip from Punta Cana to Saona Island combines a stop at the Natural Pool—a shallow sandbank surrounded by starfish in the Caribbean—with several hours on the island itself for swimming and beach time. Hotel pickup in an air-conditioned bus, catamaran transport, a Dominican buffet lunch served on the beach, and an open bar with rum, soft drinks and water are included. The full day runs about 9 hours.Is it for me?Book this if you're staying in Punta Cana and can commit to a 9-hour day starting before 8am; you'll spend significant time in the water at the Natural Pool and Saona Island, so comfort wading and floating matters more than strong swimming skills.
Shopping Tour Punta Cana: Rum, Cigars, Larimar & ChocolateA shopping tour in Punta Cana that moves you through a Tobacco Museum with cigar tasting, rum and mamajuana tastings, a Chocolate factory, Dominican organic coffee, and larimar jewelry exhibits, all inside one climate-controlled space with a guide who speaks English, Spanish, French and three other languages. The tour runs one to four hours depending on how long you want to browse, and two-way transport is included.Is it for me?Book this tour if you want to shop for Dominican souvenirs and gifts without spending time figuring out where to go — the stops are arranged, the tastings are built in, and the guide handles the route so you focus on what catches your eye.
Santo Domingo City Tour: History of the CaribbeanA seven to eight hour city tour of Santo Domingo's historical monuments with hotel pickup, a professional guide fluent in multiple languages, and a typical Dominican lunch or buffet included. The guide covers the island's history, Dominican culture, food and music throughout the day. Light refreshments are provided, and the tour suits all fitness levels.Is it for me?Book this if you want a guided tour with lunch included and prefer group travel by bus from your hotel rather than navigating Santo Domingo independently.
Catalina Island scuba diving: 2 dives, lunch & beachA full-day scuba diving trip from Punta Cana to Catalina Island with two guided dives at depths ranging from 5m to 40m+, lunch on a private beach, and an open bar. PADI-certified dive masters lead both dives; all equipment, including two tanks and weight belts, is provided. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included. Minimum age is 13; evidence of dive certification is required.Is it for me?Book this if you're a certified diver wanting two dives in one day with a full crew and equipment provided, plus beach downtime between dives; choose the VIP option if you want fresh-caught fish added to your Dominican lunch.
Saona Island Full Day: Catamaran, Natural Pool & Beach LunchYou board a speedboat from Bayahibe, swim in a natural pool of clear turquoise water, then transfer to a catamaran for the journey to Saona Island. Lunch is served on the beach with unlimited drinks included, and the return trip features live Caribbean music and entertainers. Hotel pickup and air-conditioned transport from Santo Domingo are included, so you arrive and depart without arranging anything yourself.Is it for me?Book this if you want a full Caribbean day without arranging boats, transport, or meals yourself—the catamaran handles all three, which is what makes a natural pool swim and a beach lunch possible in one departure.
Deep-Sea Fishing in Punta Cana: 4-Hour Charter with CaptainA 4-hour deep-sea fishing charter from Punta Cana includes hotel pickup, a captain and crew fluent in English and other languages, professional fishing equipment, and trolling in waters where marlin, wahoo, barracuda and tuna run by season. The Atlantic and Caribbean currents converge off the coast, concentrating baitfish and game species year-round. Fishing is unpredictable, but the crew knows the grounds and adjusts for conditions and your experience level.Is it for me?Four hours leaves room for other activities in your day, but long enough to reach the deep water where the big fish are. The crew handles the boat, the tackle and the instruction, so you show up and fish — no experience or gear of your own required.
Santo Domingo History & Caves: Guided Tour with LunchYou’ll descend into Santo Domingo’s 3 Eyes caves with a local guide, wander cobbled streets in the Colonial Zone, visit landmarks like Alcázar de Colón and Columbus Lighthouse, and share lunch with locals. Expect unexpected moments — from cool cave air to warm Dominican coffee — that you’ll remember long after heading home.
Punta Cana Cigar, Rum & Chocolate Tour: Bella Mare StoreA guided shopping tour at Bella Mare Store in Punta Cana where you see cigar artisans at work, taste rum and coffee, sample chocolate, and browse Larimar jewelry, amber, crafts and souvenirs—all with free round-trip resort pickup included. The tour runs about two and a half hours and a live guide speaks English, Spanish, French and German. Children from age 4 are welcome.Is it for me?The free pickup from your resort means you don't need a car or a taxi negotiation to reach Bella Mare—the guide handles the timing and brings you back when you're done, so shopping for cigars, rum, coffee and chocolate becomes a standalone afternoon instead of a side trip you have to plan around.
Kitesurfing lessons in Buen Hombre, Dominican RepublicA kitesurfing lesson in Buen Hombre, Dominican Republic, with a professional instructor and all equipment provided. The bay has flat, shallow water with no obstacles and consistent wind — conditions that let beginners progress faster than at other Caribbean spots. Lessons run three hours; pickup is included, and children from age 6 are welcome.Is it for me?Flat water and the island's most consistent wind mean you'll progress faster and spend less time fighting conditions than at other beaches.
Scuba Diving Catalina Island: 2 tank dives with lunchScuba dive Catalina Island on a guided excursion from La Romana with roundtrip hotel pickup, two tank dives at The Wall and The Aquarium, buffet lunch with open bar, and all equipment provided. You must hold a valid diving license and be at least 17 years old; each dive runs 30 to 45 minutes. The tour does not include pickups from Cap Cana, the airport area, or Veron/Pueblo Bavaro without an additional taxi fee.Is it for me?Book this dive if you're staying in Punta Cana or Uvero Alto without a car—the catamaran leaves from La Romana, and hotel pickup means you don't arrange the drive or navigate the port yourself. You'll need a valid diving license and moderate fitness to handle the depths and currents at both sites.
