13 Day Trips in the Dominican Republic 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

Spend about nine hours traveling from Punta Cana to Bayahibe and Saona Island. Guides such as Alex, Cristian, and Papito lead the day, with a starfish stop, beach time, buffet lunch, rum, beer, and a lively catamaran ride home.

“I had the most horrible experience and customer service. Please DO NOT BOOK THIS EXCURSION!! This is just a money grab. No pick up! No refund! Lies! To change your booking to another day, they wanted more money. No one else on this platform does that. BUYER BEWARE! Pay real close attention to the name and look elsewhere to purchase for Saona Island or just wait in do it in person. I paid half the price in person than what they are asking here. They are way overpriced and greedy. I would give them zero stars if I could.”

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2.Day Trip to Santo Domingo from Punta Cana

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

Spend about 10 hours traveling from Punta Cana to Santo Domingo with a guide, visiting Los Tres Ojos, the Columbus Lighthouse, the Malecón, and the Colonial Zone. Lunch and non-alcoholic drinks are included. Expect a long road day, plenty of walking, and a fast overview of the capital.

“Great to day trip to Santo Domingo, to learn about the Dominican Republic history. David is a great guide, knows a ton of history and fully bilingual. Bus though was a bit outdated, but AC worked fine so it got the job done.”

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3.Punta Cana: Santo Domingo Day Trip with Tickets and Lunch

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

Spend about 10 hours traveling from Punta Cana to Santo Domingo with guides such as Victor, Miguel, or Hector. Visit Los Tres Ojos, the first cathedral in America, Alcázar de Colón, the National Pantheon, El Faro a Colón, and Colonial Zone streets, with lunch and museum tickets included.

“It was a great trip with an informative guide. The lagoon was beautiful and the cathedral also. I would definitely recommend this excursion.”

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4.Full-Day Excursion in Saona Island

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 440 reviews · from $64

Leave Punta Cana early for Bayahibe, ride a speedboat to Saona Island, stop 45 minutes at a shallow natural pool, enjoy lunch and about three hours on the beach, then return by catamaran with music, dancing, and drinks. Guides such as Jose and Francisco have earned praise for their energy.

“Picked up at 7am, spent 3 hours going to other hotels, swapping from a mini bus to coach to then another coach. then finally got to the port at 11:20. Told to get off as too busy for coach to get into car park, followed guide through streets wRead more”

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5.Punta Cana: Saona Island and Altos de Chavón Day Trip

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

Travel from Punta Cana to Altos de Chavón and Saona Island with an English- or Spanish-speaking guide. Expect a long day with hotel pickup, a catamaran ride, a natural pool stop, beach time, buffet lunch, unlimited drinks, and lively music. Guides named Benjamin and Alberto have earned special praise, though staffing varies.

“Good tour. A lot of wasted time doing pick ups. Long day.”

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6.Saona Island: Small Group Virgin Beaches Cruise Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 178 reviews · 8 - 11 hours · from $128

Travel from Bayahibe to Saona Island on a 45-foot boat with guide Christian and his multilingual crew. Visit Mano Juan’s turtle nursery, eat a Dominican lunch, snorkel at Canto de la Playa, and finish at a starfish-filled natural pool. Small groups keep the day personal.

“yes you can save 30 dollars / euro and go cheaper but this trip is worth every cent. from when you arrive at the office you are taken care of. You will learn about the turtles you will get those insta amazing photos you will see the fish and eat lovely real food the beaches you go to are amazing. was a wonderful day. had time to enjoy the island with only our group and Christian the tour guide managed the group so everyone enjoyed the day there was fun and rum and best tour we have done. also the photographer charges a fair rate so get your pictures done…”

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7.Punta Cana: Santo Domingo Day Trip with Tickets and Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★3.4 · 85 reviews · 10 hours · from $74

Travel from Punta Cana to Santo Domingo for a 10-hour guided day with hotel pickup, Los Tres Ojos cenotes, the Colonial Zone, major monuments, museum tickets, and buffet lunch. Guides may speak English, Spanish, French, Italian, or Portuguese. Willy is one guide named in recent departures.

“Aucune nouvelle la veille à 18h30, nous avons du les contacter pour avoir une heure de prise en charge annoncé à 7h20. Le lendemain personne n'était là à cette heure là. Le chauffeur est arrivé a 8h10 sans aucune explication et ne parlait ni français et très mal anglais. Après une dizaine de minutes de transport avec le chauffeur celui-ci s'arrête a une station essence et nous dit de descendre et s'en va. C'est à ce moment qu'un autre guide inconnu nous dit de monter dans un autre car. Départ réel se passe donc vers 9h10 (pour une heure annoncée a 7h20..). La plupart des visites se font dans descendre…”

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8.From Santo Domingo: Saona Island Day Trip w/ Lunch & Drinks

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 83 reviews · 12 hours · from $95

Travel from Columbus Park in Santo Domingo to Bayahibe, then reach Saona Island by speedboat. Swim at the Blue Lagoon, visit the starfish sanctuary, enjoy a beach buffet, and return by party catamaran with drinks and dancing. English and Spanish guides lead the day.

“j'ai beaucoup aimé le catamaran , les animateurs , les boissons à volonté, la musique: tout est fait pour rencontrer de nouvelles personnes. concernant l'amélioration : la nourriture et l'absence de douche sur l'île de Sanoa. éviter les massages proposés par les dames sur la plage ( elles mentent sur la durée du massage : huile de très mauvaise qualité ; ça m'a brûlé Le dos.”

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9.From Punta Cana: Samana Full Day Trip by Bus and Boat

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 63 reviews · 12 hours · from $135

This 12-hour trip links Punta Cana with Samaná by bus and boat, then takes you by safari truck and horse to El Limón Waterfall. You will sample plantation fruit, eat a Dominican buffet, swim at Cayo Levantado, and return with transport, drinks, and a guide in your chosen language.

“The trip was overrated in my personal point of view. We shared our hotel address 5 times via email and there was no answer reg the pickup hour and point. Or better, they answered the day after the tour took place. The guide did not explain anything during the journey. There were multiple tours, meeting on the same place with zero organisation. Due to this, the place was overcrowded and it was really difficult to follow our group and enjoy the activity. Additionally, there was no barra libre and lunch was done in 20 min. Places are beautiful but the tour was not so good, hence I do not recommend…”

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10.Samana: Cayo Levantado Day Trip by Boat

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 35 reviews · 7 hours · from $28Best value

Meet Moto Marina Tours at its private Samaná dock for a boat ride to Cayo Levantado, also called Bacardi Island. You get about six and a half hours for swimming, beach time, photos, shopping, and waterfront food before returning around 4:30 PM. English and Spanish guiding are available.

“Great and safe ride to a beautiful island to spend the day on a gorgeous beach. Would recommend the company for this service.”

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11.Punta Cana: Dominican Flavors Guided Day Trip

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

From Punta Cana, visit the Vega Fina cigar factory, Chocopunto chocolate workshop, Cave of Wonders, and Barceló rum center. You will see production demonstrations, sample cocoa products and spirits, and learn about Dominican traditions with a multilingual guide. Allow extra patience for pickup and transfers.

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

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12.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 with guide José or another bilingual guide, visiting Los Tres Ojos, the Colonial Zone, cathedral, Pantheon, Alcázar de Colón, Larimar shop, and the Malecón. Lunch and round-trip transport are included, but French guide service may not be available.

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

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

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

Spend about nine and a half hours traveling from Punta Cana to Saona Island, with a swim at the Natural Pools, a floating bar, and time at Playatao Beach. Your $75 includes lunch, drinks, beach access, and a table for your couple or family. Junior offers especially thoughtful help to solo visitors and people with limited mobility.

“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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