Overall, we totally recommend this tour! You definitely will get dirty, so wear clothes you plan on throwing away bring a bandana and wear a bathing suit underneath and bring a towel. But it is really fun getting splashed with mud! Our English tour was quite small, only us, the tour guide, and one other family, so youll most likely get your own dune buggy which is great! Throughout the tour we stopped a few times where our tour guide, Mark, told us about the real Dominican Republic that tourists dont normally see. It was so interesting and he is so knowledgeable and funny! It is a must that you drive stick shift and well. Also, on the first part of the tour, the roads are very bumpy so if youre sensitive to that, beware. In a nutshell, this tour is a must and we had so much fun!
Review by: scomella, April 2018
Great experience and revealing look at residents' life in the DR. The guide Charlie was a little cranky and obsessed about his dune buggies BMWs they are not, but overall it was a blast, fun, interesting, and really beautiful. Bring bandannas for your face, candy for the kids along the way, and if you mind mud in all your crevices, it's not the adventure for you!
Review by: Elizabeth C, April 2018
We had the BEST day with Mark. He not only provided us with a safe adventure through the Dominican Republic, but he also taught us so much about the people and the country. It was a perfect trip for my 7 year old as well. It was beautiful, fun and truly a wonderful day. Thank you Mark!!!! We have great memories. Way better than any other dune buggy excursion. Others at our hotel complained about their trip and were very jealous of the small number and personal attention we received. Do not look any further!
Review by: Alisha W, April 2018
This was an amazing tour. The tour driver was so knowledgeable and we learned a lot and saw A LOT of different scenery. Really really enjoyed this excursion. I would do it again. The only thing that I wish was that the seats were movable so for short people like me it would be easier to drive. Oh and you get VERY muddy on this trip LOL. Don't plan to wear those clothes again on your vacation.
Review by: Andrea B, March 2018
As one of the group members stated this trip is really for the boys. I booked this trip for my group - first, do not book an odd number of people, they will not let you rent a solo buggy so someone will be in half to ride in the back. Next, they make you wear eyewear that will not allow for you to wear your sunglasses, on a nice bright day, in which our was, a couple of us had headaches by the end of the trip. They made a stop in a field and told the girls to squat in once place and the boys could relieve themselves in another area? The girls were not impressed by this at all, and we are not girly girls but we have some standards. Then they said we would be taken to a place with real facilities - not so much - it had a toilet with no seat, and did not flush. The guide was always telling us to keep up and became a jerk about it at one point with 2 of the drivers - this man has driven these roads for 20 years and knows them by heart and it is our instinct to slow down when we see a hold the size of a small swimming pool in the road but - no keep pace and hit it hard. But what really got my goat was that they were all safety first at the meeting before we left and then on the way home were drove on the Highway for several miles with no windshields and if a rock had come up and hit someone it could have done some real damage, next if it had rained that would have hurt like heck and it is pretty common knowledge our guide even admitted to this that drinking and driving is accepted practice in the DR. So with all of this in mind I could not understand for the life of me and my friends why they thought taking us on the highway driving 45 miles per hour was such a good idea if safety was their first concern? All in all it if you take this trip you could be one bad turn away from a real sh.t show. I am not a over reactor, really I'm not, had we stayed on the back dirt roads I would have been fine, but the minute we hit the Highway for miles, I just saw all of the things that could have gone so wrong and the last thing I wanted it for any of my friends to end up in a DR hospital.
Review by: Kelsie A, January 2018
This tour was absolutely amazing! We almost had to cancel because my father got terribly carsick on a separate excursion and was wary of heading out of the resort, but we are so glad we didn't! Angela made sure to personally reach out to us before the tour to confirm reservations and offer any help she had to provide. We were picked up right on time at our resort in a van and then took the relatively short and very peaceful! drive to the operation's base where we separated into two groups based on which language we spoke. From there we went through some instructions with our guide, Daniel, and were put into our buggies. Our group had three separate buggies, one for each couple, and Daniel was great. He made sure to rotate the order in which we followed him and took a lot of wonderful photos. The tour started out in the rain but it didn't hamper our experience at all -- in fact I think it enhanced it! We stopped by a local market where Daniel explained what happened there and gave us some facts about the locals and their lives. Here we tried the coffee which is AWESOME! and chocolate. We got to drive for quite a long time before stopping at another market, this time in town, where we had drinks and snacks. Our last stop was at the beach in Macao I think. Some locals tried to come up to us to sell us photos with animals and Daniel stepped in to fend them off when they got a little persistent. He made us feel extremely welcome, the tour was absolutely fantastic, the people that were on the tour with us were great too -- this was basically the highlight of the trip and we are so glad we ended up going.
Review by: Jacqui W, January 2018
Fantastic, Great, Brilliant, Wonderful - what can we say... A most enjoyable day out with the best guide and lots of lovely places to visit._br/_ We would do this again and again, it was a great day out...
Review by: Matt P, January 2018
We did the half day tour with Daniel as our guide. We had a wide range of ages from 75 to 12. We had a great time getting muddy and l arming about DR culture. The staff was great. This was low stress / high reward outing. I highly recommend this adventure!
Review by: brittany h, December 2017
So much fun! Ralf was an amazing guide! You get very dirty but it's worth it!
Review by: Carol G, December 2017
Loved this tour, such good fun take old clothes as you will get covered in mud from head to toe, we stopped at a small village which was interesting to see how the locals live. We ended up on a beautiful beach. Was good to see outside the resort, we would do this tour again.
Review by: Jennifer A, December 2017
This experience was more than I expected! The tour guide was great and it was perfect. It had amazing views and it had few people on the tour which made it very enjoyable! I would Highly recommend this excursion to anyone looking for a FUN day! BUMPY , but FUN! Muddy too! : I went with my son who is SIX, my husband, and Myself. THUMBS UP!
Review by: keithno1, September 2017
Our buggy broke down half way through the tour and our host Ralph was rude and arrogant! We will never book with them. Not recommended unless you don't mind arrogant tour guides!
Review by: Aieshya D, September 2017
This trip was legit awesome. The perfect way to experience the island and the people. Could not be any happier. Driving stick is the only way to buggy. Also, the best way to get dirty. My wife and I LOVED IT!
Review by: Chasity M, August 2017
Our guide Staniel was the best tour guide ever! Very kind and fun! Be prepared to get EXTREMELY DIRTY!!
Review by: David U, August 2017
Best thing we did in the DR! Awesome and fun way to see the country! We had tons of mud due to atypical rainy spell. Bring bandanas to cover your face and hair. Goggles are provided. Wear clothes to throw away! Bring candy to give to the kids- you will see lots of them running to you. Great time!
Review by: Danny G, July 2017
This excursion was amazing. Got the chance to really explore the countryside and meet lots of wonderful people along the way. Our guide Daniel was awesome and super accommodating and very knowledgeable regarding the area and more importantly, the culture. The tour ends with a breathtaking view and Dip in Macao Beach. The beach was pristine and everything you hoped it would be. I would definitely recommend this trip and oh, prepare to get dirty!
Review by: Melissa G, July 2017
This was the best experience my husband and I had while visiting the Dominican and Punta Cana! Charly and his team are amazing!! Not only are you going off-roading and getting covered in God's earth, you get an amazing learning experience on the lifestyle and culture that you are visiting. This is as close to a one on one tour than any other Dune Buggy Adventure. 6 dune buggy maximum so no long lines to followlike the one we saw. It is you and up to 2 more buggies and the Leader!! AMAZING_br/_ Definitely bring disposable clothing, bandannas and some candy to throw while you are going through the village. You will not regret signing up for this excursion. THANK YOU CHARLY!!!
Review by: Richard G, July 2017
Picked up by owner operator, great conversations to and from, very informative. Buggy's were as I expected well kept, ran great._br/_ Our tour guide Ralf was excellent, Loves the country, Very informative about the Dominican Republic, the land, culture and everything around that we saw._br/_ Our excursion was roughly 30mi Round trip I believe. Stopping at a locals house/business in the rural country and were treated to a cup of great coffee and a chocolate treat. Drove through an abandoned limestone quarrysoon to be reopened I was toldstopped briefly to rest then on thru a couple small villages/towns stopping in a town for a snack/refreshment talked about the local goings on. After resting we drove down the highway to a beach where we jumped in a washed off the mud as it had rained that morning. Then back to the buggy barn where we got a CD of all the pictures Ralf took on the way.
Review by: Trent C, June 2017
Please do not be alarmed by the location of the starting location. The staff is very friendly and professional. Make sure you wear clothes that you won't mind getting soaked with mud, because there is plenty of it! The trip is exactly as advertised, no surprise detours or unexpected changes. Photos are allowed, but don't feel like you need to take pictures. Our tour guide Daniel took nearly 200 photos during our tour and are for sale for only 20USD. Make sure you are familiar with driving a stick shift. The buggies are fairly forgiving when it comes to starting and shifting, but they will stall if you don't know what you are doing.
Review by: Ilya K, June 2017
We came to Punta Cana over 5 years ago and did this excursion. We got literally covered in wet mud and had a glorious time! And we came back again this year and brought friends! I love this excursion. It is so much fun! But be prepared to get DIRTY! Don't be a cry baby if you get mud, dirt, dust or cow poop splattered all over yourself. Your clothes are ruined, throw them away. Wear a bandana to cover your face. Bring a waterproof camera. You can bring a backpack of other stuff, and they can be kept in a safe and dry box in the back of the buggy.Our guide this time around was Daniel, who is super sweet and very insightful, and he's from Switzerland. On this excursion, you really get to explore the rural areas of Punta Cana. You drive through dense and lush green areas with wet dirt roads, you get to visit a small local grocer and see where they keep the roosters for cock-fighting. You get to taste some local coffee and chocolates, and snack on some cheese, ham and crackers. You also get to drive through actual paved roads at a higher speed and stop at a local beach to wash up and chill out. This year, the roads were less muddy so we got mostly covered in dust. Except for one really big wet puddle that was just enough to get everyone really nice and filthy. Our group consisted of 2 guides. One guide took two buggies and Daniel (our guide) was in charge of 3 buggies. So the groups are quite small and intimate. When we did this excursion five years ago, there was hardly any other companies doing buggy tours. Now there are like a dozen. Xtreme is the original and they take meticulous care of their buggies. They are privately owned and funded and give you the authentic feel of driving a real dune buggy. Avoid the bright shiny new buggies from companies that have fleets of over a dozen cars. Stick with the original!!!
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