Saona Island Excursion by Catamaran and Speedboat
Dominican Republic
- 10 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Visit Saona Island via speedboat or catamaran during this full-day excursion from Punta Cana. Explore the protected natural park on the island after a stop at a natural swimming hole in the ocean. Eat a buffet-style barbecue lunch, enjoy drinks from an open bar, then return to shore by boat. Round-trip transportation from Punta Cana hotels is included.
- Visit Saona Island for the day by catamaran or speedboat
- Eat a traditional Dominican-style barbecue lunch and enjoy access to an open bar
- Stop at a stunning natural pool to relax and cool off
- Relax with hassle-free hotel transfers from Punta Cana
What's Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Buffet lunch with BBQ; vegetarian option available
- Drinks (local rum, beer, soft drinks, water)
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Transport by catamaran or speedboat
- Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
- DVD (available to purchase)
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Operating hours.7:30 am
Itinerary
After you’ve been collected from your hotel in Punta Cana or meet your guide and group at the meeting point, you’ll board a catamaran or speedboat destined for the unspoiled Saona Island.
On the way, make a stop at a natural pool in the ocean to swim to look for starfish.
Once you arrive at the island paradise, you’ll be able to choose how you want to spend the day: relax on loungers, sip drinks from the open bar, swim in the warm water and look for starfish on the ocean floor; enjoy dance lessons; or try your hand at volleyball.
Before returning to the mainland, you’ll enjoy a barbecue, buffet-style lunch.
The tour ends with drop-off at your Punta Cana hotel.
On the way, make a stop at a natural pool in the ocean to swim to look for starfish.
Once you arrive at the island paradise, you’ll be able to choose how you want to spend the day: relax on loungers, sip drinks from the open bar, swim in the warm water and look for starfish on the ocean floor; enjoy dance lessons; or try your hand at volleyball.
Before returning to the mainland, you’ll enjoy a barbecue, buffet-style lunch.
The tour ends with drop-off at your Punta Cana hotel.
1
Bayahibe
3 hours • Admission Ticket Free
2
Saona Island
3 hours • Admission Ticket Free
3
Sol Cana Tours
3 hours • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- May be operated by a multilingual guide
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 150 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Anonymous
We were picked up at our hotel (7:40am), communicated through WhatsApp (highly recommend you download this app before you travel- they use it a lot to communicate), we did the speedboat to the island an catamaran back. They supplied us with several drinks (a rum liquor & coke and also had sprite or water), lunch on the island (pork, chicken, rice/beans, fresh fruit, pasta salad, spaghetti, bread)- it was all SO good!! Vendors on the beach to buy souvenirs, fresh pineapple drinks (with and w/o alcohol- $10 each), music playing, dancing… just a fun experience all around!! The water was so clear/blue and white sands.. would definitely do it again! **we were dropped back off at our hotel around 6:30pm.. our driver Antonio (excursions director at Sol Cana Tours) was very nice and friendly. Funny, likes to sing and listen to great music while commuting! I cannot remember the bars of our actual excursions leaders, but they were all so nice and made us feel safe.
Reviews
3.7
based on 199 reviews
Anonymous, Apr 2026
We were picked up at our hotel (7:40am), communicated through WhatsApp (highly recommend you download this app before you travel- they use it a lot to communicate), we did the speedboat to the island an catamaran back. They supplied us with several drinks (a rum liquor & coke and also had sprite or water), lunch on the island (pork, chicken, rice/beans, fresh fruit, pasta salad, spaghetti, bread)- it was all SO good!! Vendors on the beach to buy souvenirs, fresh pineapple drinks (with and w/o alcohol- $10 each), music playing, dancing… just a fun experience all around!! The water was so clear/blue and white sands.. would definitely do it again! **we were dropped back off at our hotel around 6:30pm.. our driver Antonio (excursions director at Sol Cana Tours) was very nice and friendly. Funny, likes to sing and listen to great music while commuting! I cannot remember the bars of our actual excursions leaders, but they were all so nice and made us feel safe.
Jennifer_S, Nov 2025
Terrible experience was over an hour late being picked up from hotel, the van had no step up into it and no railing to hold onto I hurt my knee and another passenger fell! We stopped along the way and waited for the driver to get food while we just sat in the van waiting, arrived at the location to board the boat with no seating and no shade as we stood there and waited for an hour while buses and vans who were just arriving were loading before us.. we finally board the boat and they start pushing liquor and coke that was the only options that is not how it was advertised there is no bottled water they will pour you a cup of water from a filthy Gatorade jug so who knows when it’s been cleaned if ever? So if you want water or anything else to drink bring your own water!
The food on the island was bland with no flavor and not many options I would not consider this all inclusive! While the island be prepared to be eaten alive by bugs it quite filthy and be harassed by people trying to sell you anything and everything.. this was not a relaxing experience.. I have traveled many places all over the world and I’ve never experienced such a terrible tour before.
We leave the island after barely 2 hrs there even though it was advertised to be 3 but honestly it was so awful I just wanted to get back to the hotel.. we make the long obnoxiously loud crowded like cattle catamaran ride back to Bayahibe get unloaded and you guessed it we just wait yet again for 25-30 minutes because even though every other boat unloading had their van/bus there ready to load passengers ours was not! Finally it arrives we load up and start to make our way back. We make it about 20 minutes into the drive and we get a flat tire the driver jumps out and basically puts a bandaid on the tire with fix a flat type of a deal.. and continues driving recklessly the duration of the drive as we swerve all over the place I really thought we were going to wreck. We make a stop to drop off two passengers to switch into a different van who were heading to a different location at this point everyone is exhausted and irritated by the way this tour has gone! We then wait at this stop for the two tour guides to go get food at a restaurant yet again!!
We begin on our drive for about 15 minutes to make yet another stop the driver stops to get gas by this point all the passengers are angry and frustrated because getting gas food etc all could have and should have been done while we were at the island.. the way this tour was handled was terrible I highly recommend you reconsider unless you want to ruin an entire day of your vacation. Based on reaching out to Viator with the horrible experience everyone in our group had and they blatantly do not care I will never use them or any of their companies ever again. It’s outrageous to me the lack of concern for the actual safety of passengers on a tour they are operating and selling is crazy.. I did reach out to Viator I felt the wreck-less endangerment of everyone in the van we all deserved compensation for this nightmare of a trip! They basically emailed back and said the tour operator sol Cana tour felt we don’t deserve a refund and it’s up to them.. so this makes it clear no matter what danger or harm comes to anyone on a Viator sponsored tour they do not care. So let the be a warning to anyone who is considering suing Viator or sol Cana
Michelle_R, Nov 2024
We bought the photos from the photographer on the boat and they were sent but when we got back to the resort they are gone. Nowhere to be found🤷♀️
Sarah_W, Jul 2024
Terrible experience. The tour guide changed our plans without communicating. No speed boat and took 3 hours longer than planned on a party boat.
Response from Host, Jul 2024
Hi dear client.
Sorry, it looks like this excursion was not done with us (Sol Cana Tours). Please check which company you booked it with, as well as which was the company that did your excursion.
I hope you can solve it with them.
Wayne_M, Jan 2023
so the only reason we booked this was because of the reviews which were very good. so was very surprised when we were at the hotel lobby meeting point 7:30am as requested. 10,20,30 minz go by no sign of driver and no replies on the app I had to Google the company to get a contact number. only to be told they had a issue with the hotel. I spoke with the hotel and this was not ture infact they were also worried we had been waiting for so long. then was told the driver would be with us in 20 mins after a hour and a half of waiting so by the time he arrived 25 mins later I was annoyed.. no apology from the driver or company just got on with it.. then to top it off on the way to the destination the driver stops off at his HOUSE to pick up medication for depression ( his words) so we spent 10mins doing that.
then we spent the rest of the day basically being rushed trough the tour. far from relaxing. spent just over a hour on sanoa Island before being rushed off to head back so literally spent the day travelling. the Island was beautiful. I then tried to get a partial refund as we spent a decent amount of money only to be told no.
lol so best advice book though your hotel will be much more organised.
Iliuta_B, Aug 2021
The tour is fragmented in many car-boat transfers witch took 10 hours from the 13h that had the entire trip, really exhausting in our opinion. Take money for drinks/food with you, because the first water, in our case, it was received after 4 hours, at the first boat transfer. The imposed time to the natural pool was only 45 min and for Saona only 2h, too less for relaxing and taking photos. The natural pool is nice but Saona is really beautiful. The food was poor but eatable. On the way back we were crowded on a catamaran (~70-80people) with very good animation but the music was very loud and we ended up taking pills for headaches. For people who likes alcohol and parties could be fun, but in my case I would never repeat the experience this way. If the nature is important for you then I strongly recommend to take a private transfer to the harbor and from there, again, a taxy boat in order to spend more time to Saona.
Karj, Aug 2021
This excursion was brilliant. My fiancé and I throughly enjoyed ourselves. The best part was it all! Definitely recommended. Thank you!
Response from Host, Aug 2021
Thank you!
it was a great pleasure to have you in our excursion.
thank you!
Sara_P, Mar 2021
Excellent from start to end. Our transportation was punctual, professional and very friendly. Speed boat and catamaran ride felt very safe. Saona beach was absolutely beautiful and relaxing. Food was tasty. Guide was funny and made the whole trip a lot more pleasant. Definitely a must when you’re visiting Punta Cana.
Marino_G, Sep 2020
Despite having to wear a mask & practicing distancing our trip was FABULOUS!!! We didn't go on the catamaran I guess it was due to the virus. It entails dancing & a lot of socializing but nevertheless it was spectacular!!!
Stacey_M, Jul 2020
My son and I were super excited about going on this excursion. We got an email the night before that it had been cancel and that I needed to contact Viator to receive a refund.
Anthony B, Jul 2019
Small boat, old crotchety van, silent host, and no dramamine to be found except for a local shop that charged me $8 a pill. But what else could I do? I was dry heaving the whole trip. Our group only caught two baby mahi mahi. Hardly any interaction with the group and they had the nerve to hit us up at the end for a tip. One other gentleman was sick on the way home, but no water on the van. Thank god I had the sense to bring my own water from the hotel.
The most miserable I have ever been. I also had to request they play music, or I would have ridden in silence the whole trip. Pay more money and upgrade to a more VIP experience. You get what you pay for!
Response from Host, Jul 2019
Hi!
sorry. apparently this review does not correspond to the Saona Island excursion, but to a fishing trip, which is not offered by our company (Sol Cana Tours)
Angela_M, May 2019
We had such a great time with Jack Sparrow!
We had a blast on the catamaran and the island was beautiful. I just wish we had more time on Saona Island itself, it was gorgeous.
And the snorkeling was a good touch to end the trip. I highly recommend this excursion and make sure you get Sparrow!
Rodney_K, Sep 2018
Beautiful simply beautiful I cant say enough about this excursion it was awesome and I would do it again
Sonya B, Jul 2018
The day started at 745 when we were picked up and drove about an hour to a gas station to be transported to another crowded bus which wasnt that big of a deal. Then from there we drove for about another 20 minutes to a rest stop and hung out for 15 minutes which everyone needed a break but everyone was getting a little restless by then. From there about 45 minutes we finally made it to where the boat (which was the catamaran) well once arriving and walking down to the beach we were bombarded with people trying to sell us stuff. A man with iguanas just put them on my son no one asked me or my husband if he could he just did it and once it was over his exact words were
NICOLE Y T, Jul 2018
We had a great time with and the pirate! Lunch was good and the attention from the tour attendants was superb!
Rafael_G, May 2018
Excursion on May 12, 2018. By far the worst excursion I have ever been to. We were picked up from our resort and taken to a gas station to pick up other travelers. We were then taken to the marina where we waited over an hour to board a speedboat. While waiting multiple people asked what we were waiting for and we were always told we were waiting for the guide to pay the taxes for us to board the boat. Once on the boat we were served the cheapest version of Dominican rum I have ever had. The open bar was one of the reasons why we picked this excursion and we were very disappointed. When we asked about having beer instead we where told we had to wait until we got to the island. Once we arrived at the island we were told that beer would not be served until the buffet were ready. We were again disappointed with the food provided. Dominicans are known for flavorful foods and this was mediocre to say the least. The beer served was again the cheapest found in the island Brahma. Everyone knows that Presidente is the national Dominican beer and it was nowhere to be found. For those of the travelers that did have the beer it was only in small amounts as they ran out after a few minutes. When we asked the tour guide about getting more beer he said that they had served all they had and if we had concerns to go online and write a review about it. There was minimal customer service as well. I was truly disappointed in this company and their representatives. They did not take responsibility for being deceitful in their advertisement of this excursion. I would not recommend it or book with them again.
Thomas D, Mar 2018
This was my second trip to Punta Cana. I did this excursion to Saona Island last year. It was the best part of my trip. A beautiful beach and the stop at the sandbar for wading and enjoying rum and cokes is great. However, this company was a bit disorganized in loading us on the buses at the initial meeting point and then loading onto the speedboat at the dock. I thought this could have been handled better. I would certainly recommend this as a day trip when in Punta Cana. There are plenty of companies that offer the trip. Shop around for those with the best reviews.
Peter R, Mar 2018
This was the best trip I've ever done! Max the tour guide was so friendly also all the people on the speedboat and catamaran. I especially enjoyed the snorkelling and the amazing beach. I have stopped telling everyone about this trip
patrick_m, Feb 2018
We enjoyed this trip very much. We're a little concerned with some of the reviews talking about the long drive there and the cattle herding of people form vehicle to vehicles. Don't worry about it! This is the most efficient way of getting all the people there from many different hotels. Max is great takes care of everone. Highly recommended!
Belinda G, Feb 2018
The island was great and we enjoyed our trip there on the speed boat. The natural pool was amazing! We wished we had been able to spend more time on the island, but having to take a catamaran back cut down on that time. The catamaran back was a bit full making it a uncomfortable 2.5 hours back.
Athanasios L, Jan 2018
Operator said would pick us up 30-60 mins after 8, they came after 2 hours.
On the return they separated all mini buses according to the hotels, on a field next to the highway with no protection from passing by cars ans full of mosquitoes.
They put us on wrong bus taking us to the hotel very late.
megantoth, Jan 2018
It was a fun excursion, the Snorkeling we didn't see alot of fish, Our Tour guide was great. Loved the pictures that were taken, wish there was more of a variety of rum...overall great trip!
Antonio P, Dec 2017
Pickup is not allowed at most resorts. We had to walk to the front gate to be picked up. We booked two excursions with viator. We had to walk to the front gate for both. The hotels are telling people the trip is not secured properly with insurance but they sell the same excursions just charge more. This excursion was amazing and the ocean spectacular. Food not great.....but I didn't go for the food
Christine B, Nov 2017
This trip was just ok as far as location. I guess I expected more out of it. But, this trip excursion is commercialized and everyone wants to do it. They try to maximize the number of people where I think it would be better enjoyed if less people participated. A little deceiving that there are many startfish to be found. But, in reality, there were none. The crew had 2 that they used for photos. The lunch was good. The beach was very nice. I found the crew to be lazy when it came to drinks on the catamaran. They weren't going around to check on everyone or wait on them. In fact, my husband had to ask for a refill on rum and waited in front of the entire crew before they even looked his way and then he helped himself. I found them not to be helpful in boarding and exiting the different boats. The tour manager, Max, did not personalize the trip. You could tell he has done this many times and just goes through the motions. He needs to show some more enthusiasm and personalizing the trip more.
Mia, Nov 2017
This tour was great! It was by far the best on my vacation, we listened to music on the boat did lots of dancing and met great people! The island water had great snorkeling sites (that wasn't in the middle of the ocean) I really enjoyed that it wasn't in super deep water as I was a new snorkeler
Megan C, Oct 2017
This trip was worth every cent! I had an amazing time. It was beautiful! The tour guide explained everything in English, Spanish and French which was very helpful for all. The Caribbean Sea is beautiful!!
Joyce M, Oct 2017
This was a fun tour. It really is beautiful there. We met some fun people as well. Don't expect to see starfish as they claim. Go for the fun of the boat tour and lovely sandbar. Food buffet was very good as well.
Felicia A, Oct 2017
This was by far my favorite day in Punta Cana! It was a great excursion! So nice to be out on the water! Snorkeling, drinking, playing.... and that catamaran was so much fun! I wanted to do it again! They did great! Definitely a must do!
joseph w, Aug 2017
Was a great trip and a brilliant way to see a bit more of the Dominican Republic.
Saona Island itself is obviously a bit touristy where you go on shore, but a little walk along the coast in either direction will allow you to take some amazing photographs.
The return trip and the place they stop to let you swim and find the starfish is just everything you expect the Carribean to be and the photo opportunities are again amazing.
The staff on both boats were amazing and so friendly and approachable, but I have no doubt copious amounts of the local rum helped!!
Dominique L, Aug 2017
This was the best experience ever! The food was amazing when you get to the Island and the water is breathtaking. Very much worth every dollar!!
From $95.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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