8 Day Trips from Punta Cana 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 $55Best value

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 Bus though was a bit outdated, but AC worked fine so it got the job done.”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.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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7.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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8.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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