Punta Cana: Zipline, Horseback, Buggy & Higuey Day Tour

4.57

(1447 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I didn’t expect to start my day in Punta Cana with the smell of roasting coffee beans drifting out from a tiny farm kitchen. Our guide, José, handed me a chipped mug — not fancy, but the coffee was thick and sweet. He showed us how they grind cocoa by hand. The air was sticky already and I kept wiping my forehead, but honestly? Watching his mother laugh as she stirred the pot made me forget about the heat for a minute.

After that we saddled up for horseback riding — I’m not exactly a natural on a horse (my horse seemed to know it too), but trotting past mango trees and these wild chinola vines was oddly calming. We passed a pastel-blue house where two kids waved at us; one had a puppy tucked under her arm. José pointed out sugar cane growing along the riverbank. My shirt stuck to my back but the breeze off the river felt good. I still think about that view through the trees sometimes.

The city part came next — Higuey’s market is loud and smells like fried plantains mixed with incense from the basilica nearby. I tried some kind of cheese at one stall (salty, crumbly) while our guide explained why people come from all over to see the Virgen de La Altagracia church. It’s huge up close — honestly more impressive than I expected.

Then came the adrenaline stuff: ziplining over a river (my hands shook at first), bouncing in a jungle buggy down muddy tracks with splashes hitting my face, then finally swimming in cool water while someone played bachata on their phone nearby. My shoes are still stained red from that mud — not complaining though.