Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic trip ideas

Small Group: Saona Island Full Day Tour

Dominican Republic

9 hours
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Head to the sparsely inhabited Saona Island on a full-day trip from Punta Cana. Join a small group and visit the town of Mano Juan, home to a turtle conservation area. Then, spend the rest of your day exploring a secret beach as well as Abanico and Palmilla beaches, each with its own charm. Your day trip includes a simple breakfast and a hearty, buffet lunch on the beach.

Learn about turtle conservation from a community leader
Search for starfish and marine life with a provided snorkel
Hassle-free transfers from select locations
A small group means more attention from your guide

What's Included

Lunch
Breakfast
Alcoholic Beverages
Bottled water
Soda/Pop
Use of Snorkeling equipment
Air-conditioned vehicle

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

Bavaro Beach, 23000 Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
I can pick you up at your location in Bavaro, Punta Cana, Cabeza de Toro, Uvero Alto, Cap Cana or Bayahibe Beach.

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

06:00 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

You can be pick up at your hotel, apartment, condominium in the areas of Punta Cana, Bavaro, Cabeza de Toro, Uvero Alto, Cap Cana and Bayahibe Port.

What To Expect

For this Saona Island small-group tour either head directly to the meeting point on Bavaro Beach, or if you’ve requested pickup, get picked up from your Punta Cana location. This tour has a maximum of 12 travelers for an intimate full-day experience.

First your group makes your way to Mano Juan, home to a turtle conservation area. Breakfast is included, too. After a short time in Mano Juan, continue to a secret beach for stunning views and a swim.

Next, visit Abanico Beach on Saona Island for a delicious lunch buffet and free time to spend on the beach as you please.

Lastly, visit Palmilla Beach, where you can search for starfish before making your way back to Punta Cana for drop-off.

Isla Saona

4 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Parque Nacional del Este

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Saona Island

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers

No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travelers can participate
0-3 not allow
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 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

Kasalaini_T

AMAZING DAY! Melvin was our tour guide and he was honestly the best! Melvin was very informative about his home country and passionate about teaching us about the history of Dominican Republic which I loved! And the whole day trip to Saona was beautiful! Beautiful country and beautiful people!! You can tell he really cares for the tourist that come and visit Dominican Republic overall top guy! Thank you for the amazing day

Reviews

5.0

767 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 767 reviews

Great beaches and staff!

Joshua_M, May 2024

We an amazing time on the trip and our guide was top notch and very passionate about his job and the positive impact the tour has on local communities!

Fun and beautiful excursion

Angie_M, May 2024

Melvin was a great tour guide. An absolute beautiful excursion. Highly recommended. Probably one of the most beautiful beaches that I have ever stepped foot on.

Great time

Jeremy_M, May 2024

The people make the difference, best people best experience. You really get what you pay for, so much better than the group trip. The few hours early in the morning are so worth the private experience.

You don’t want to miss this one!!!

Marlene_M, May 2024

This was by far one of our favorite excursions!! I had researched and this excursion had so many recommendations and they were right! Melvin and his team did not disappoint! It is very evident the love Melvin has for his country, people, and the environment! The beaches were absolutely beautiful and the food was amazing! It was so worth getting up early for! We beat the crowds at each stop and Melvin had chairs reserved for us at our last beach we stopped at for lunch! The pick up at our resort was seamless! I 100% recommend this excursion!!!

The most excellent experience

Shakeel_J, Apr 2024

Melvin and his crew were beyond incredible from the pick up to the drop off. The island was beautiful and he does really give you a personalised and private experience with the early arrival it really feels like the island is all yours. Food and drinks are 10/10. He is completely honest throughout and displays a fantastic knowledge of the country and island with well integrated connections to the locals. It was by far the best experience I have been on in any country.

Best Excursion Ive EVER been on.

Jennifer_M, Apr 2024

Melvin is the most awrsome tour guide Ive ever had on any excursion. He actually CARES about you. Very knowledgable. The lunch provided was better than any food at the resorts. This is the 2nd time I took this excursion and it was as amazing as the 1st, and I most likely will do it again probably everytime I come to Punta Cana. There are cheaper excursion to the same place, but I PROMISE you, this is the way to go. Pay the little extra and you ll get ALOT extra.

Loved it!!!

Christine_S, Apr 2024

Our tour guide, Melvin, was fantastic and we had a great time on this excursion. Melvin gave a great presentation about the history behind the island and the people who live there, as well as the beautiful surroundings. We highly recommend booking this tour!

Strongly Recommend

Kasalaini_T, Apr 2024

Perfect day out

Victoria_S, Apr 2024

This was the best excursion I've ever been on, the tour guide was incredible and so knowledgeable. He took the time to make sure everyone had photos at all the beautiful locations and when interacting with the starfish. He also sent the pics so quickly - straight after drop off. The rum was amazing, the lunch was delicious, the scenery was breathtaking Honestly could not have been any better, it was the perfect way to kick off our honeymoon.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Good morning Victoria Thanks for leave your review about our small group saona island experience. Thanks for coming and celebrate with us, really thanks. Best Regards Melvin Durán

Well worth the money!

james_b, Apr 2024

Hands down one of the best tour guides I’ve had. Melvin’s attention to detail and genuine passion for his profession is noteworthy. Our small group of 11 was amazing. I would recommend this to anyone!

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Good morning James Thanks for support us and leave your review about us and our work. We really try to make this day special for everyone. Thanks again for reserve por saona island small group excursion. Best Regards Melvin Duran

A punta Cana MUST

Alexandra_U, Apr 2024

The best group, best scenery, best food, and beaches. My boyfriend’s first time out of the country and he can’t stop talking about this. I’ve taken many tours in different countries and this one is at the top. Melvin was the best tour guide he made it 1000x better.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Good morning Alexandra Thanks for leave your review. It’s our best reward to read your impressions about our saona island small group excursion, really thanks. Best Regards Melvin Durán

BEACH DAY

Andia_J, Apr 2024

The tour was awesome our tour guide Melvin was very attentive and patient and vey nice he knew alot about the island

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Good morning Thanks for reserve our excursion. Was nice to meet you. Best Regards Melvin Durán

Just Book It

Jessica_H, Apr 2024

Best tour guide. Highly recommend. We went and saw so much. Even a little rain didn’t stop us from having a great trip.

Melvin and crew did a...

tvman07, Apr 2024

Melvin and crew did a great job! We were told to ready for pickup at 5:45am and we were picked up at 5:45am. History of the DR was provided as we drove to boat. We left ahead of the other tour companies and had the beaches to ourselves for a good 45 minutes until they started arriving. This was nice. Breakfast, lunch and drinks were all great. Didn’t see any turtles at the sanctuary but good education provided. Spend the extra money and go with this tour. WELL WORTH IT!

Amazing day at Soana Island

Jennifer_S, Apr 2024

Melvin was an awesome tour guide! He was constantly checking in us to make sure we were doing well. The food was awesome, we loved the homemade pineapple and passionfruit juice! The whole staff will make sure you have an experience unlike any other. We got to see a turtle sanctuary in a town other tours don’t go. We had some rain but that never stopped us from a good time! We got to see a sea turtle, hold star fish, and snorkel too! If you’re thinking of booking this excursion do it.

We loved the trip

AlinaBianca_D, Apr 2024

We had an amazing experience thanks to Melvin . He looked after us the entire day , he took us to the nice places around the island where it wasn’t very busy we also had the opportunity to see the starfish which was amazing . Food was good we had a nice bbq by the beach . We recommend Melvin and the rest of the staff .

Amazing tour!

Rattana_K, Apr 2024

The Saona Island tour was amazing, our tour guide Melvin was extremely helpful and educational when it came to describing our trip and the history behind the island and its importance.

Great Experience

Zachary_H, Apr 2024

The turquoise water was beautiful. While it was an early morning, we really appreciated beating the crowd to the first few beaches. So relaxing! The starfish were HUGE! The guides were very nice and did a great job navigating the Caribbean waters. Absolutely worth the price.

Breathtaking

jessica_s, Apr 2024

10/10 experience. The views were breathtaking, everything was well coordinated. The food was amazing! Melvin the tour guys was so knowledgeable and we learned a lot of history! I would recommend anyone to take this your if you wanna go take some beautiful pictures at this beautiful island!

Going to Saona Island - book this tour

Alicia_E, Apr 2024

Melvin and his team put together a unique tour where you get to see and learn so much. Pickup at your hotel, a 10 min interesting history about the region, stop at a gas station for coffee - then drive to the port.This is a speedboat both ways so if you have a hat, make sure it has a tie. First stop, the only village on the island where you have breakfast (sandwiches and juice/soda), see the architecture, and visit the turtle sanctuary (where you may or may not see baby turtles). Then back on the boat. Second stop - a private-feeling beach with light teal shallow water. Beautiful. Drinks are served and you hang there for a while swimming or on the beach. 3rd stop - main beach with facilities. You get there earlier than most of the boats and he has a section with chairs roped off for the group. Another gorgeous beach. Then you have a sit-down Dominican lunch that was delicious. Time for swimming, walking or napping. 4th stop - drive by the mangroves and then onto the starfish! Snorkel around and see starfish. Take photos. 5th stop - a short snorkel where we saw dozens of kinds of fish and even an eel. Recommend bringing your own snorkel.

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