Cabarete

Top Cabarete activities

Cabarete trip ideas

Full-Day Tour to Punta Rucia and Cayo Arena with Snorkeling

Name: Full-Day Tour to Punta Rucia and Cayo Arena with Snorkeling
Brand: Eric Tours International
SKU: 69492P3
Price: 89.00 USD
Rating: 4.0 (19 reviews)

Cabarete, Dominican Republic

9 to 11 hours
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Explore our promoted experiences

Cabarete, Dominican Republic

Puerto Plata airport to Cabarete

from $50.00

Per group

Cabarete, Dominican Republic

Puerto Plata Airport Transfer to Sosua

from $60.00

Per group

Cabarete, Dominican Republic

taxi sosua / to airport to puerto plata

from $30.00

Per group

Viator earns higher commissions on experiences featured here

Overview

Experience life on a beautiful, deserted, tropical island during this full-day, guided tour that includes stops in Monte Cristi and a Dominican marketplace. Set off over the waves on a speedboat bound for the white sand beaches and turquoise blue waters of Cayo Arena. Snorkel to see the coral reef, swim in the sun, and enjoy refreshments on the island’s beach before heading to Monte Cristi National Park.

Ride a speedboat to a small, secluded tropical island
Enjoy free time on the island to swim, snorkel, lay on the beach
Includes transportation, entrance fees, lunch, and equipment

What's Included

National Park fees
Lunch
Local guide
Hotel pickup
Use of Snorkeling equipment
Soda/Pop

Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
DVD (available to purchase)
Drinks with the lunch not included

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

07:00 AM

What To Expect

Eric Tours International (Pass By)

Cabarete

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Sosua

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Puerto Plata

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Playa Ensenada

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Paradise Island & The Mangroves (Cayo Arena)

3 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Punta Rucia

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Puerto Plata Province

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
Infants must sit on laps

No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Rebecca_G

What a great day! Great communication before the trip, during and after. Great price for a great full day! Bus ride was fine, boat ride was amazing, views and experience was breathtaking. Staff was friendly and helpful with our 5 and 9 year old who have now declared Puerto Plata their favorite place in the world 😉 would book through them again and again! Great for a great trip, full of knowledge, history and for always making us feel safe.

Reviews

4.0

19 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 19 reviews

Thanks for the great time

Koralie_N, Jan 2024

The trip was nice. Did snorkeling for more than a hour. The island is pretty crowded but that's to expect in such a tourist place. Food was good

We really enjoyed this...

Kristi_B, Apr 2023

We really enjoyed this tour. The island is beautiful. The water was nice and we saw lots of fish when snorkeling.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thank you for taking the time out to leave a review! Glad to hear that you enjoyed the Full-Day tour to Punta Rucia and Cayo Arena.

HORRIBLE ! DON'T WAIST YOUR TIME !

Sandrine_K, Apr 2023

This trip was terrible! We spent 8 hours on a bus for a 2 hours visit on a very crowded tiny sand bar where we could not use a towel to lay on. I don't know if this is usual or not but the weather was extremely windy, so I was cold and did not even feel like getting in the water to snorkel. At one point it stared to rain and everyone was trying to fit under the tiny huts. The lunch was okay and then we stopped at a shop where we had already stopped on a previous excursion 2 days prior. I would not do this excursion again if you paid me! We waisted valuable time on our vacation and I came back car sick and with a broken back.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

I appreciate feedback. It is not always windy, it can happen once in awhile that we have strong winds. Because of the weather conditions you spent only 2 hours on the island. Regarding the bus ride, depends on where you are staying at Cabarete is the first pickup location.

it was great..beach was...

Sonziry_G, Feb 2023

it was great..beach was beautiful. Boat ride was a little scary for me but it was safe. I would have wanted to be a little warmer but the entire experience was good.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us!

Beyond Amazing and I would pay way more for this tour!

Angela_G, Aug 2022

This tour was beyond amazing! It started out with a gentleman picking us up directly at our resort in a private vehicle to drop us off at another resort the Senator to catch a bus ride. The bus ride was amazing we went through all these small villages. We felt really safe. Going through one town we got to see someone shoot a pig in the head and tie a rope around the neck and drag the pig to the house (probably for dinner). It was really neat to see the authentic way the Dominican people live. We got to the ocean where there were little boats waiting to cruise us on the ocean and our driver was very experienced! He did every wave and bump perfectly and it never felt unsafe. I was a little nervous being on a small boat on the ocean as I have never done it before but the way he handled that boat eased my mind. The island was beautiful and the fish were amazing and the water was super clear and the water was shallow enough to swim and not struggle with any ocean waves or currents. If you are an inexperienced swimmer this is for you as well as experienced swimmers as the water can get deeper outside the coral. On the way back the water was choppy due to a storm brewing but for safety, they took us through the mangroves and he maneuvered that boat so well around all the trees without hitting any. I have never been through mangroves on a small boat and with such precision. It was so amazing and definitely memorable.

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. It is a nice drive where you get to see the local villages and you have one of best corals on the north coast at Cayo Arena. Good to hear that you had an amazing day.

Paradise island/mangroves/cigar shop

Robin_F, Aug 2022

Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the climate and environment (flora and fauna) as we traveled to the boats. We were not bombarded by vendors when we arrived at the dock. We didn't get to see any birds in the mangroves, but our tourguide was able to give a lot of information on it. We got to the island and wow, what a view!! Arrived at high tide and the island was very crowded, but we got to take full advantage of snorkeling, swimming, and snacks. Stopped at a cigar factory and gift shop as well. Thanks for a great trip

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Thank you so much for taking the time out to leave a review regarding your experience with us. Sometimes there is low tide and sometimes a high tide, it's out of our control.

We all had a great time....

Renee_H, Aug 2022

We all had a great time. Snorkeling was amazing. The lunch they provided for us was delicious. The boat ride out to the island was a lot of fun

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Thank you for taking the time out to leave a review. Cayo Arena, Paradise Island has one of the best snorkeling reefs on the north coast. Glad to hear that you enjoyed the tour.

Oscar nunez

Oscar_N, Apr 2022

The callo arena is beautiful the trip ecelent but l di this trips five time in people boats cuts the ride I. The Mangalore check this is not nice for the tour l now the area very well tanks 👍

Response from Host, Apr 2022

Thank you for taking the time out to leave a review. We appreciate your feedback!

Great trip!

Rebecca_G, Feb 2020

Response from Host, Feb 2020

Hello, thank you for leaving such a wonderful review. We are so glad to hear that you enjoyed the Paradise Island tour. It is a very a nice tour with a beautiful scenery. Hope to see you back again!

Such a joke.

HYATTJT84, Feb 2020

This excursion was an absolute joke. Let me tell you why.. 1) We rode an an old, beat up bus. The tour guide was stopping on our way to the sand bar, dropping off book bags to random people. We also had to stop for gas. Not sure why that couldn’t be done before they picked us up 2) The drive was super long. 3) The lunch was garbage. Red beans and rice, random fried pieces of chicken, and we had to pay for our own drinks. I understood I had to pay for my own drinks, but we had to pay for water.. seriously? 4) It took ALL day. We left at 7:40 and didn’t make it back until 6 pm. I just talked to some people that waited with us to do the same excursion yesterday. They paid a little more money and got to see THREE islands, lobster for lunch, and rode on a nice boat. I would have so paid extra for those amenities. I want my money back!!!! Wasted in a day In the DR.

Response from Host, Feb 2020

We are sorry you had a bad experience. I agree that the bus driver should not stop for gas , that should have been done before. 2) in the description of the tour it says that we drive to Punta Rucia, which is quite a drive depending on where you are staying at. 3) The lunch is a Dominican lunch buffet, most of our clients are very happy with the lunch. Regarding the drinks I sent a message as well that the drinks with the lunch is not included. 4) It has always been a full day tour. We also offer a VIP trip with lobster on Viator. Regarding the THREE islands, that has been a completely different tour, around Monte Cristi there are small islands but around Cayo Arena, Paradise Island there are no other islands.

Incredible experience!

Laura_D, Sep 2019

I had a fantastic time on paradise island with my friends. We were picked up in Sosua and were a bit concerned with how long the drive was, at one point we all got a bit car sick. But OH BOY WAS IT WORTH IT. The snorkling is out of this world. We were provided snorkel gear and refreshments on the island. We have a very filling dinner on the way home and made a stop at a local shop. Overall the tour was incredible and I would go back to the DR just to go to paradise island again

Response from Host, Sep 2019

Hello Laura, thank you very much for taking the time to write a review! Paradise Island is the best place for snorkeling on the North Coast, we are so glad to hear that you enjoyed the tour. We look forward to seeing you again.

PARADISE ISLAND

holly252018, Oct 2018

This was a excellent tour. The guides were friendly, funny, and fun to be with.the island was gorgeous, snorkeling was wonderful. The lunch that came with the tour was so good,and plenty to eat.