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Saona Island Full Day Excursion from Punta Cana + Catamaran Party

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Saona Island Full Day Excursion from Punta Cana in Catamaran

9 hours
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

What's Included

Pick up and drop off at your hotel
Lunch
Rum and soft drinks
Stop at the natural pool
Visit the island of Saona
Speedboat and Catamaran to Isla Saona

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

08:00 AM

Pickup details

Pickup is from the hotel's main lobby or a specific meeting point depending on your location; If you are staying in an apartment or Airbnb, we will specify the closest meeting point

What To Expect

Isla Saona

2 hours 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Infant seats available

Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 60 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.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Aida_M

My girls and I were in the Dominican Republic for only a few days so we wanted to pick an excursion wisely. We picked this one because it was an all day experience, we were not let down. When booked, I had some questions and the booking team was very responsive. We were a little confused at first because we transferred a few buses, so be aware of that but we got to where we needed to be at a timely manner. So the time that’s mentioned here includes commute. Everyone we interacted with was super friendly and we really enjoyed the natural pool stop and the 2-3 hours at the beach. The environment made it easy to make friends and get comfortable. The tour guides want to make sure you have a good time, we were well fed upon getting to the island. I would recommend bringing cash for tip. The tour guides play a huge role in the experience. Also WhatsApp is what is used to communicate out here. #FamiliaTony (our tour guide)

Reviews

4.0

55 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 55 reviews

Unprofessional no formal count of ppl on the boat. My friend & got left on the beach.

shalonda_t, Mar 2024

My friend and I got left on the beach. No formal count of ppl on the boat at all. To know how many people should be present. Someone did returned back to pick us up. We kept asking the tour guy is it time to go he said no. We were the only two black girls. I don't know who realize 😕 we where missing, but that could have turned into a nightmare Thank God it didn't

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Greetings, After a long investigation with our staff about your case, we have the information that you left the place far from your group within the radius that you should be, when leaving, as our team did not see you, we left another boat in charge to When you arrived you could leave with him without problem, it was a mistake on both of your part but in the end it was solved. We apologize and we will try to prevent it from happening again. Thanks for your comments.

Unhygienic place to eat on island

constantin_b, Feb 2024

Unhygienic place to eat on the island. They also ran out of plates . Terrible food. I do not recommend eating on the island. I recommend taking a package with food from the hotel

Organized Chaos, Long Day but it is Gorgeous

Taylor_H, Feb 2024

This tour is organized chaos. Make sure you eat a big breakfast and pack snacks. We were on this tour a total of 12 hours. The ride there was almost 3 hours, on which we were taken in a van to other resorts to pick up other guests, and we also made 3 other random stops to two gas stations and one was even the side of the highway. On these stops, some passengers were exchanged which was worrisome. The language barrier is an issue as they don't really communicate whats happening so the stops are unnerving. When we finally arrived to the marina, we were swarmed with people selling things and were given wristbands. Again, it was hard to figure out who was leading the tour as they were all in plain clothes. We were somewhat kept in a group then waited for at least 30 more minutes near the shops and on the beach with no explanation, and finally ushered onto a speed boat. Once on board, it was a 30 minute ride to the natural swimming area. the experience then was amazing. The natural swimming area is gorgeous, we stayed for 45 mins, and Saona Island was even more so (we stayed from 12:30 to 2:30) The food was also very good especially since you're starving from the journey. Then you take a boat from Saona to the catamaran, which is very nice and fun as well. The ride back to the marina is around 1.5 hours. Once there, we again waited in a group and I have no idea how but we found our same driver from the morning and people who were in the van with us. There were no random stops to exchange passengers on the way back, so the ride was closer to 2 hours. The worst part was: One of the tour guides was with us in the transport van on the way back lost his “vape” in the car and thought that we had stolen it. He even asked us to search our bag, which we obliged as we just wanted to get home safe, but it was quite insulting and unnerving. Overall, the ride there was chaotic and stressful as we were scared we were going to be switched to different vehicles. HOWEVER: the natural pool and Saona was gorgeous and relaxing so if youre okay with not really knowing whats going on for the transport there and back, I would recommend going on the Saona but maybe with a different operator. We got there and back in one piece but there were definitely scary moments along the way. The beauty of the pool, catalmaran and Saona was almost worth it, but I dont think I personally would go on this tour again with the same operator.

10/10

98cftj4g64, Dec 2023

The boat, meeting new people and exploring a new island. The photographers also took some incredible photos.

This was excellent

Jose_C, Oct 2023

It was exactly what the add said it would be. Customer service was also excellent. Driver was running a few minutes late for the pickup but we got a message notifying us and kept us updated. True paradise and would recomend. If you come to the D.R this is a must.

Fun!

Sheila_M, Oct 2023

The staff was awesome, the water was so beautiful and the food on the island was very good. We would definitely do this tour again.

The tour was amazing my...

suzannetta_d, Aug 2023

The tour was amazing my partner and I had lot of fun.. the water is pretty 😍 the vybz on the boat was lit (excellent) our only challenge was the communication barrier.

This was my 2nd time...

Chris_E, Dec 2022

This was my 2nd time visiting. Saona is an absolutely beautiful Caribbean beach and I highly recommend visiting it (and Catalina!) if you have the opportunity, this is a must-do activity for anyone visiting the La Ramona or Punta Cana areas! It is well worth the time and cost to get there! The guides on this trip were friendly, the photographer was fun to work with and like I said, the natural beauty is amazing. The natural pool was fun to visit and the food on the island was good. We took the speedboat to the island and the catamaran back. That said, there were a few big drawbacks on this particular excursion that keep me from recommending this particular tour company. First off - and it is possible it could be specific to the trip I was on (I don't think so because multiple boats seem to have all gotten out there about the same time), we arrived sometime between 12:15 and 12:30 and had to leave at 2:25pm. So if you do the math, we barely got 2 hours on the island, not 3. It felt very fast with not a lot of time to relax. It is pretty typical for all of the excursions in the DR to run on 'island time' with a lot of waiting, etc, but we did spend a considerable amount of time waiting for transportation at several places and a lot of time at a souvenir shop that it is hard to feel when we only got 2 hours on the island that didn't cut into the time we theoretically should have had on the beach. The beach is divided into sections with each tour company using their section of the beach, their own beach chairs, with their own bathrooms and the other tour companies get upset if you cross into other sections or use their facilities, so your choice of tour company matters. The section we were in was crowed and the facilities were pretty run down for this being as popular of a location as it is. I did do the excursion on a Saturday, so that may have contributed to the crowding, I'm not sure. I travel lot in developing countries, so I'm very used to poorly maintained bathrooms, but I have to say this bathroom was exceptionally bad. There was no running water in either the sinks or the toilets, so no way to flush the toilets. The urinals on the mens side were missing entirely (just holes in the wall to the outside) and the floor had a half inch of standing liquid you had to walk to to get to any of the toilets. In my opinion it just wasn't an acceptable level of maintance for this size and cost of tour. For those reasons alone, I would encourage my friends or family to consider a different tour company to go to Saona Island, but please don't let my review discourage you from visiting the island, even if you take this tour. You won't regret visiting and overall I still enjoyed the experience, I would just have preferred to get more time on the island, less crowding (as in other sections) and have usable facilities which you can hopefully find from a different tour company.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

We appreciate your comments and suggestions, we apologize for any inconvenience caused. We'll work on it to improve and give you a better services. Once again I offer my sincere apologies. Thank you!

Beautiful island, Unorganized mess

Brittany_D, Dec 2022

We were picked up at our resort at 6:55AM. After an hour of driving to different resorts and picking NO ONE up, we made it to the meeting point, which was a gas station. Here we waited about 30 minutes to be crammed into a small bus full of people. On the way we stopped at a gift shop, that was out of the way and packed with other tours and not pleasant. After 3 hours we finally boarded the speed boat out to Saona. This part of the tour was fine. The boat rides were fun, the Natural pools and the island were beautiful. Our biggest issue was that the description says 3 hours on the island & we only got 2 hours. Another issue we had was that on the catamaran one of the ladies comes around and puts hats on your head. Then a few minutes later another lady walks around asking everyone for a $5 tip for the hat. They dont ask if you want the hat, they just put it on your head and demand money. As other reviews stated, the open bar includes hot rum, coke, sprite,and water. The trip back was also miserable. It took almost 3 hrs to get back to our resort. It was an unorganized mess. We stopped multiple times on the side of the road to swap people between busses. This is an ALL day excursion. We left our resort at 655AM and didn't return until almost 8PM. While the island was fun, I would NOT recommend these tours unless you are on the south side of the island.

Response from Host, Dec 2022

I regret all the inconvinience, Thanks for your feeback.

Misleading description and not worth the money. There are better excursions to choose from.

Lana_C, Sep 2022

Initial pick-up was prompt but from there the excursion was terrible. The bus ride to the marina was over an hour, once we arrived at the marina things were very unorganized, with vendors approaching you from every angel, and it took about an hour for us to depart. The sandbar, photographers and beach was nice but it was not an open bar as they only had hot rum, coke, sprite or water (no ice and no other options). Once we got to the catamaran, things really turned bad. The boat was old & dingy and same drink options....hot rum, coke, sprite or water only. The staff was not friendly and didn't seem like they wanted to be there. There was very inappropriate behavior occurring right in front of the staff, as well as everyone else on the boat - including children, and nothing was said (basically it was a porn video in the making). The same music was played throughout the entire time - Spanish only - absolutely no variety for any other passengers that may not have spoken Spanish. It was very difficult getting onto / off of the catamaran especially for shorter people. When the smaller boat arrived at the catamaran to take us to shore, the driver was drinking a beer and there was an ice chest on board that had bottles of liquor in it (perhaps that should have gone on the catamaran instead). The bus ride back to the hotel was even worse. The bus driver was extremely unfriendly and what should have been about an hour took almost 3 hours as there were stops at numerous hotels. At one of the stops, the bus driver disappeared for about 20 - 30 minutes. While on this 3 hour nightmare, there was an older older on the back row conducting sexual acts on each other. Although not Viator's fault for this, they need to be aware of the behavior that occurs on their buses. The excursion advertisement is extremely misleading as there is no open bar, lunch at the beach was marginal, at best, and the Catamaran Party was only a party for a select few with no accommodations for others by the staff. When most passengers are just sitting there and not having a good time, the staff needs to make some adjustments. We've been on many Catamaran excursions throughout the Caribbean and have always had an excellent time and have left great memories. Unfortunately, this excursion is by far the worst experience we have ever had and left us with memories we would like to forget. Our day started at 7:10 am and ended at approximately 8:30 pm. For parents with children or teenagers, please be advised this is a very long day with unsafe surroundings and inappropriate behavior may occur and be allowed by the staff. We were glad we didn't have children with us and even happier once we arrived back at our hotel.

Response from Host, Sep 2022

Thank you for shared with us your feeback, we'll take into consideration each point to continue improving and provinding the best services as a company. thank you!!

Would not recommend this company

Alyssa_H, Aug 2022

This tour is not for English speaking tourists. The tour company was very unorganized and was not as the description said it would be. However, the island was beautiful but do not recommend going with this company.

Response from Host, Sep 2022

We are sorry that your expierence has not been good, We are trying to improve to provide you a better services. thank you!

Overcrowded and underwhelmed

Jenique_M, Jun 2022

I did nor like this excursion at all. I didn't mind the taking a speedboat and a catamaran back. I love to ride the waves and catch the breeze. There was wat too many translations. Starting with pick up. I was transported from my hotel to another location to then get on another overcrowded bus. No one had on a mask staff or guest as stated on the protocols with the exception of myself. It was very uncomfortable. During the first stop they onlybhad rum and coke. No water. Next we made it to what was suppose to be a pristine beach. Saona. It was anything but. Overcrowded, full of limestone. Getting off of rhe speedboat was dangerous. The tides were so bad people were falling off of the step onto the limestone. The food was not good, and you were constantly bombarded by locals selling items. Not a peaceful space on the beach. 2 1/2 hrs later when it was time to get onto the catamaran we had to get back on a speedboat that transported us in the ocean. And then try to leap from one boat onto the catamaran with no vest. Again dangerous. And again no bottled water. I was so disappointed with this excursion.

So much fun - better than expected

Aida_M, Jun 2022

Wonderful

Faye_d, May 2022

It was a great experience and the whole day was awesome, nice tour guide as well and the drinks and food were delicious!

Response from Host, May 2022

Thank you for your feedback, We are glad you enjoyed your experience with us!

Mal servicio

Norma_M, Mar 2023

Esta actividad tubo buenas y malas cosas . Para empesar punto a favor es q son mui puntuales almenos en nuestro caso. Lo malo que no tienen organización montaban a gente de diferentes actividades y los traían de bus en bus hay un camarógrafo Martín q me pareció un poco irrespetuoso tal ves por ver q solo éramos mujeres , el trataba de explicarte las poses pero también trataba de toquetearte inapropiado así que cuidado si ban en grupo de amigas . Marquen su límite y distancia con el yo entiendo q tratan de ser simpáticos y que ala ves tú lo seas con ellos hasta sierto punto, pero eso no da pie a faltarte al respeto así . Por último al final de la actividad ya todos los trabajadores se muestran frustrados y quieren regresar a sus casas y por ende ya no tienen buen trato con el turista y hasta entre ellos se quejan y reclaman por lo mismo que no hay organisascion y a unos les toca entregar más turistas q a otros . Si puedes conseguir otra agencia sería excelente nosotros escogimos esta por q era lo único disponible por no haber agrandado con tiempo . Así que un típ busca y lee reviews y tómalos en cuenta x q muchos si tienen razón .

La visita a la isla y la...

Jorge_B, Jan 2023

La visita a la isla y la parte el Catamaran muy bien,pero esas actividades eran sobre 5 h como máximo, y estuvimos 12h...el resto ,7h, de desplazamiento,recogiendo a gente de los hoteles y apartamentios ,muy pesado.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Gracias por su comentario, nos disculpamos por los inconvenientes causados. Trabajaremos para mejorar los puntos expuestos. Gracias por hacernos parte de sus vacaciones!!

Superbe excursion !!!

Christophe_G, Oct 2022

Excursion très bien organisé, une très belle expérience magnifique île de Saona avec son retour en musique sur le catamaran sans oublier le rhum à volonté c'était génial !!!!

Response from Host, Nov 2022

Merci de nous avoir choisi!!