Catamaran Cruise to Saona Island from Punta Cana

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Relax on the beach, enjoy the crystalline waters or explore the tropical surrounds on a relaxing catamaran cruise to Saona Island. White sandy beaches, coconut palms, crystal clear turquoise waters and a special Dominican touch makes for an unforgettable day of relaxation during your Caribbean vacation.

Enjoy a lovely scenic bus ride to the dock where you'll board the catamaran and begin your journey. Spend your 3 hours of leisure on the island lounging on the sand, playing beach games, exploring the island or receiving an introduction to Merengue dancing.

Your first stop on the catamaran cruise will be for a cocktail at the amazing 'Natural Pool' lagoon, famous for its abundance of starfish. Continue to Saona Island by speed boat for a barbeque lunch served buffet-style under the shade of palm trees. The rest of the day is up to you - spend a couple hours of leisure on Saona Island swimming, playing volleyball, Merengue dancing or simply relaxing with a drink in hand.

On the return sailing voyage you'll be entertained by the musical crew as you enjoy the unlimited open bar.

USD $88.99

Review by: John W	April 2012
Although we had some rain during the boat rides - it was a great excursion. Make sure you take a change of clothes with you. Take extra $$ to buy from the vendors on the island- like your photographer ($25-$30) and or $20 for a DVD of your trip plus other memorabilia._br/_ The guide had some great Dom. Rep. insights and we enjoyed the history (not his political point of view tho')_br/_ Catamaran party was great!_br/_ Saona beach was fantastic! (best beach ever!)_br/_ We were advised later about the food- do not eat - many get sick._br/_ Speed boat and Blue Lagoon were amazing!! (2nd best part)_br/_ When you are 1st arriving- they say they are taking a 'security' picture...it's really to sell you a bottle of rum with your photo on it- not so impressed with being lied to.

Review by: Lisa K	April 2012
The catamaran ride was perfect. The staff on the boat tried to make sure everyone was having fun including my kids. The island was beautiful. The starfish area had 2 starfish. One was dead I think? and the other someone was holding. There were really no starfish to see like we expected. The biggest issue was the 4 hour bus ride to get there. 1 hour to Bavaro and THREE more to the catamaran dock. We spent more time on a bus than the excursion. You can't change the distances...but I think your tour company tried to hide how long the travel part was and that was very aggravating. Another couple on the trip told us that they asked and were told 1 hr to 1.5 hrs....and they were also on buses for 3 hours. VERY MISLEADING. Also, the photo video guy was a good idea but we didnt want the video. If the pics were avail online we might have ordered pictures.....but didnt want to pay for the whole set of everyone on the trip. Just an idea.

Review by: NEVITA S	March 2012
First of all the drive to and from the resort was extremely long, very tiring especially if you are travelling with young kids. The catamaran was okay not very impressed. The food on the island was terrible. The only part that was enjoyable was the speedboat ride and the starrfish, other than that it was quite boring. It was not worth it. Was up at 6am and got back to our resort at 8:30pm.

Review by: MARTIN B	March 2012
Highly recommnded if it is your first time in Punta Cana. I inquired several reps at the resort of the price of this excursion and Viator beat anyones price by far!!! The excursion you get a great tour of small villages before arriving at the main marina. Bus ride is less than 2 hours but very comfortable. Catamaran cruise was great plenty of rum and water, no beer! You get that at the beach. Lunch was good, beach amazing at saona. Becareful sun burn not so bad wind burn first time!!! Crew very nice. Now with Dominican Rep. the minute you step off the airplane the people will want to sell you something, same here at the excursion. Dont get fulled, constantly: PICTURES, PICTURES, VIDEOOS, HATS, RUM, nothing is complimentary except food and drinks. You can tip but why. Excursion tour personal have the highest income. Overall highly recommend booking with Viator great trip.

Review by: Paula R	January 2012
We tried to cancel due to a change of plans, we were told we couldn't, therefore we gave the trip away! On the day of the cruise, our guests were not picked up on on time, a car was sent to pick them up to met the rest of the group. 10 hour adventure was really 12 hours long!

Review by: Laura E	December 2011
Too many stops at other hotels, too much time wasted instead of staying more at Saona like other tours do. Otherwise the tour leader was good.

Review by: Edward W	October 2011
Having been on island vacations and excursions like this before, it made the long bus ride from/to Punta Cana to the boat area a bit tiresome. Once in the water the trip was wonderful._br/_ Was a bit bummed out there was only one kind of "adult beverage" offered as well.

Review by: Sarah L	October 2011
Despite my lack of love for boats and being on the water - this was an amazing day, and full marks to the team.

Review by: Suzanne V	October 2011
The boat trip was great but getting to the other side of the island took to long. We spent more time in the bus then on land. The beach was not very nice and the food needs help. Would not take this trip again.

Review by: Lindsay H	August 2011
We had a great time and highly recommend this trip! Be aware, you can buy a video of the trip for $35 and a collection of pictures for $40. You cannot buy any of the pictures seperately. Wonderful time!!!

Review by: Cambria L	July 2011
Beautiful boat ride, beautiful island. Fun atmosphere on the boat. Downside: they don't provide snorkel gear when you get to the island, would have been nice to have that..

Review by: David B	June 2011
Best cruise i've taken...Saona Island is absolutely beautiful a must seen when in Punta Cana.

Review by: Javier T	May 2011
Best trip by far in the Dominican Republic!!! The natural pool is cool and Sanoa Island is beautiful.

Review by: Patrick R	May 2011
It was one of the best days of our trip. It was a long day but well worth it !

Review by: Dachresha H	May 2011
Like most reviews state it was a VERY long day but so worth it!!!! The tour guides were great and very interactive with the tour group... Highly recommend this excursion.

Review by: Kimberly N	May 2011
The Catamaran was great, the speedboat ride was awesome. The water was beautiful and we did swim and see a bunch of star fish. Our guide was knowledgeable. The two downfalls or surprises was that it was almost a 2 hour bus ride each way with no toilet paper in the bathroom, and the only offerings were beer and rum and coke/sprite. Lunch was OK.

Review by: doake	March 2011
From the pick up to the hotel to the drop off at the beach in La Romana after the tour was over, it was such a great day! All the staff were amazing and great fun. The starfish were incredible and Saona Island were beautiful. This is definitely a trip work taking.

Review by: Lisa G	February 2011
Worth doing, yes. We went on the excursion with the expectations that snorkel gear would be provided and that the island would be a soothing, relaxing, environment. We didn't bring towels, but that was our mistake. When you arrive at the island, expect to find around 200-250 people already there, as many other tour companies come to this island. the music will be blasting. we were bummed that we couldn't snorkel, but overall we had a nice time and i'm glad that we went because it was nice to see another part of the country. food was pretty decent, rice, vegatables, chicken, and mahi mahi were served. beverages include soda, water, beer, and rum and cokes. the "natural pools" portion was better than the island. it's actually a large sandbar out in the middle of the bay between saona and the mainland. again, many other tour companies stop here with their load of drunk tourists, but we made the best of it and really soaked in the beauty of standing in 4 feet of water so crystal clear and far from shore. because of my lack of a mask, i didn't find any starfish, but i noticed other people around me who found 1 or 2. if you're doing this tour come fully prepared with your own gear and if you're coming from punta cana, be ready for a solid 2 hour bus ride one way. i really appreciated seeing all of the country side and small towns though. HAVE FUN, MAKE THE BEST OF YOUR VACATION!

Review by: Justin G	February 2011
Long bus ride, and the beach was better at the hotel. I saw one star fish.

Review by: Flavius T	February 2011
The sailing part of this excursion only lasts approximately 2 hours. The remainder of the trip is spent on a ragged-out motor boat that they call a "speed boat" with 20 other people or packed onto a "private island" with about 400 other people. The "included drinks" were limited to Sprite, Coke, water, or one of these fine choices with rum...pretty limited. All-in-all, the tour guide on the bus was very informative and did a great job, the island is beautiful, and the sailboat ride was fun......but you're going to feel like you were cheated out of a lot of money if you don't read the fine print and understand that a large part of the actual trip has nothing to do with sailing or private beaches.

Review by: Bradley J	February 2011
The bus ride to the speed boat from the Excellance Resort hotel was 2 hours. 1 hour in small van where we met up with a larger bus for another hour. 1 hour on the speed boat to island where we stayed for 3 hours, then 1 hour ride back on Catamarn for 2 hour bus ride home. Left hotel at 7 am and was back at 7 pm, long day for only 1 hour Catamaran Cruise.

Review by: mrmachine	January 2011
Now this was a fabulous tour. The bus ride was long to get to the catamaran, but the ride was awesome, the spirit was light and flowing in the glass (cup). The tour guide was animated and fun. Lunch on Saona Island was good and the water was electric blue with delightful white sand. What a great experience. Sadly, the bus ride back was long too. Don't miss this excursion.

Review by: Joanna P	January 2011
Excellent! My family and I had a wonderful time. I would recommend this tour to individuals looking to enjoy crystal clear water. The food was delicious, and the company very friendly and fun.

Review by: Robert M	October 2010
It's a long day, but there's alot to see and do.

Review by: Anonymous	August 2010
This was a great excursion! The bus ride to the catamaran is REALLY long, so be prepared to pack som food to eat or something to drink. Lunch isn't served for about an hour after you get to the island --- i reccomend doing this one!

Review by: Anonymous	August 2010
Lot s of fun. If you are at Punta cana you have to do this tour. Best tour ever.

Review by: Anonymous	August 2010
Saona Island was definitely worth going to. However, the bus ride there took a lot longer than I would have liked. It was a very long day for the amount of time we actually got to spend on the island.

Review by: Paula M, Canada	June 2010
The trip and and the staff were great. The bus ride is a bit long but it is clean, comfortable and air conditioned . We all enjoyed the lunch we were served on the island. We had a great day.

Review by: Kelly V, Canada	April 2010
Our cruise was actually cancelled for until Wednesday April 21, no one called us so we were glad we checked the day before! This was a very enjoyable day! Our guide gave us a very good review of Dominican culture and made as many stops as was allowed for our "comfort". Our catamaran for the sail back to the mainland was beautiful. The support staff was alot of fun too. The papparazzi as they were called took a video of the day which we purchased! A great souvenir indeed! It was the highlight of our trip for sure!

Review by: Lise B, Canada	April 2010
It was a lot of fun and very beautiful. Bring water and lots of sunscreen. I would recommend. Swimming in crystal blue water with star fish below, feeding the fish bread and then the island swimming and exploring. It was a beautiful day and guide was great.

Review by: Jeff I, Canada	April 2010
We all had a great time. The staff was just wonderful and made sure that you were having fun. Very well organized and well worth it. Thank you.

Review by: Michael O, United States of America	March 2010
Had a great time. Bus ride to event and back took much longer than we expected. I was also under the impression there would be snorkeling and there wasn't. Guide and his staff and boat captains were great. The videographer was great too. Would highly recommend this cruise.

Review by: Liana D, United States of America	March 2010
This trip although a very long day was very much so worth it. Having spent most of the week on the Atlantic side of the island it was a completely different world on the Caribbean Saona island side. Once at the ocean, you take either a motor boat to the island or a catamaran. Both are lots of fun especially with a lively crew - rum and cokes are always in hand thanks to the crew. The island was beautiful with white sand, much hotter as a result but none the less made for some great photos. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and if you had any questions he was quick to make sure they were answered. Came with a videographer who provided constant entertainment. Would advise lots of sunscreen and small bills for tipping of appropriate members.

Review by: Charlene L, United States of America	March 2010
It was a nice catamaran, but the time on the boat was too short and the time on the bus too long.

Review by: Anonymous, Canada	February 2010
The bus time was closer to 3 hours each way and not 1 to 1.5 hours, so too much time on the bus. We were on the island 2.5 hours. We were picked up at 650 am and got back to the hotel at 815 pm...not 630 pm. The island was beautiful though. The food was alright.

Review by: Martin A	February 2010
The return from Saona Island was a little bit chaotic with the risk of getting lost. I was told that in previous tours some people were mistakenly taken to Jamaica.

Review by: Chris H, Canada	January 2010
This was like a trip of a lifetime, we had a great time, the crew was great the facilities were more than adequate. For those of you who are thinking about this trip, do yourself a favor, bring extra cash for things like headbands and tips for the boat crews. When you return from Saona Island, you may have the opportunity to purchase a bottle of rum with your photo on it. The bus we had stopped at a local store that was much better than the local markets at the hotels.

Review by: Dale M, Canada	January 2010
Cruise was a great way to spend the day and get away from the resort. The staff did a great job in getting everyone involved on the island. The vendors were pretty passive and tended to leave people pretty much alone. Lunch was decent, although the lack of any organized line for the buffet meant you had to be prepared to butt in to get at the food. Overall, good value for the money and great way to see the coast from a different perspective.

Review by: Vanessa V, Brazil	January 2010
The spot at the island could be better.

Review by: Bill E, Canada	January 2010
We were disappointed in not seeing any starfish, so it shouldn't be advertised in the tour. We also weren't happy with the food which was served, making for a very long day with no food. The tour guide was very good. He was able to let us know about some of the customs of the country as well as some of the way of life of the people. There was a bit of a mix up on where they dropped us off; we were lucky it was the "sister" resort. We didn't realise it wasn't the resort we were staying at until the tour bus had already left.

Review by: Sandra M, Canada	December 2009
Amazing day! From pickup to drop off, we were thoroughly entertained. Beautiful waters, countryside and island. We will do it again!

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	September 2009
Best experience and fun time!

Review by: Lev G, United States of America	September 2009
A lot of fun, I would recommend it!

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	August 2009
Cruise was fun, fine and dandy. Was not prepared for the long bus ride to the boat, but overall a great time.