With over 50 kilometres of fine white sand and one of the longest coastlines in the Caribbean, Punta Cana is an idyllic destination that delights all the senses, offering rest and relaxation as well as adventure, history, exquisite gastronomy and sports.
Punta Cana boasts 11 Blue Flag beaches, a certification awarded since 1987 by the European Foundation for Environmental Education, attesting to work carried out to preserve a remarkable natural environment and support for sustainable tourism.
Situated in the east of the Dominican Republic, the Punta Cana area is also where the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean meet, with an average temperature of 26 degrees, inviting visitors to swim in its crystal clear waters and divers to enjoy it to the fullest.
Punta Cana also has the airport with the highest number of connections in the Caribbean and Central America, Punta Cana International Airport, which receives close to 64% of the flights arriving in the country, demonstrating the strength of the destination.
In Punta Cana, the best rest and relaxation is guaranteed with something for all tastes and the option of all-inclusive resorts, as well as a wellness area with the best spas in the Dominican Republic.
- Playa Bávaro: one of Punta Cana’s jewels
- Playa Macao: an unspoilt public area
- Saona Island: getting to know the wildlife of the Caribbean
- Catalina island, a coral reef paradise
- Los Haitises National Park: vast mangrove swamps
- Altos de Chavón: a slice of the sixteenth-century
- Hoyo Azul, a freshwater cenote in a unique setting
- Theme parks in Punta Cana
- Santo Domingo: History and contemporaneity in the caribbean
Magnificent sunrises and sunsets and all kinds of adventures await visitors to Punta Cana, because, in addition to stunning beaches, it offers freshwater lagoons, cave expeditions, tours of plantations, Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia basilica, churches, museums, cigar factories and rum tastings.
For foodies, Punta Cana awaits with its creole cuisine, a mixture of Taino, Spanish and African food, in which plantain in different ways plays a key role, as well as the Dominican flag, based on rice and beans, and a range of seafood and fish dishes and desserts made using coconut, which comes from the many palm trees dotted around the area.
In terms of sport, Punta Cana offers a wide range of water sports, such as diving, snorkelling, surfing, fishing, kitesurfing and windsurfing, as well as golf, with the best attractively-designed golf courses, tennis courts, gyms and others sports facilities.
Playa Bávaro: one of Punta Cana’s jewels
Playa Bávaro was declared one of the best beaches in the world by Unesco and is highly regarded internationally.
This beach is one of Punta Cana’s most treasured jewels, lined with rows and rows of coconut trees that provide shade for visitors as well as supplying the fruit used to make popular tropical drinks.
Originally conceived as a dormitory town for those working in Punta Cana, Bávaro, which leads to the beach of the same name, has been transformed by hotel development, much of it from Spanish investment, and now offers different attractions for tourists such as Manatí Park, a large theme park, swimming with dolphin experiences and various water activities.
Playa Macao: an unspoilt public area
Punta Cana is also home to the incredibly beautiful Playa Macao, surrounded by an idyllic landscape and boasting soft sand, which doesn’t belong to any hotel complex so visitors can choose wherever they want to enjoy this lovely area.
Saona Island: getting to know the wildlife of the Caribbean
Saona Island is a protected area where building is not permitted, allowing visitors to familiarise themselves with Caribbean wildlife, a large group of manatees, turtles, dolphins, fish, birds and whales, among other species.
Saona Island is home to various caves and caverns, with a large number of indigenous relics for those who enjoy history and ancestry, as well as beaches with soft sand and crystalline waters in different shades of blue depending on the sun’s rays.
Catalina island, a coral reef paradise
As the arrival point for various cruise ships, fans of water sports such as diving and snorkelling will find everything they dream of on Catalina Island. The island is surrounded by a vast world of coral and also boasts a ‘Living Sea Museum’, in addition to the Captain Kidd shipwreck, which was discovered 300 years after it sank, at a depth of 21 metres, in an adjacent area.
Los Haitises National Park: vast mangrove swamps
A heavenly, must-do excursion from Punta Cana, Los Haitises National Park, ‘mountainous land’ in Taino language, is a whole world waiting to be discovered for fans of ecology and caves. Spanning an area of 830 square kilometres, biologists, ecologists, nature lovers and everyone else will find a vast range of mangrove swamps in the park. Visitors to Punta Cana cannot miss the beauty of this remote paradise, which can only be reached by boat.
Altos de Chavón: a slice of the sixteenth-century
Altos de Chavón is a recreation of a sixteenth-century Mediterranean village built as late as 1976. It is home to a Greek-style open-air amphitheatre with capacity for 5,000 people, hosting various artists since its inauguration, which was attended by Frank Sinatra.
In Altos de Chavón history and culture is complemented by a range of shops, jewellers, handicrafts, bars, restaurants and excellent views of the Chavón river and the Dye Fore golf course, the masterpiece of Pete Dye, the great American designer.
Hoyo Azul, a freshwater cenote in a unique setting
The Hoyo Azul cenote is situated at the foot of a 75-metre cliff, inside a rock cavity, and has a depth of 14 metres. Its freshwater, which comes from an underground river, can be swum in by visitors in a unique setting that was once considered a sacred place.
The way to get to the Hoyo Azul is thrilling: you must cross a hanging bridge set amidst lush greenery and an orchid garden. Once there, you can decide whether you want to jump into the stunning turquoise water or take the stairs down to the natural pool.
Theme parks in Punta Cana
Punta Cana is home to various theme parks and amusement parks of different kinds, such as the Pirates of the Caribbean experience at Caribbean Buccaneers, swimming with dolphins at Dolphin Explorer or at Dolphin Island Park, and seeing monkeys in their habitats at Monkey Jungle and Monkeyland.
Manatí Park, the home of tropical species, and places such as Ocean World Adventure Park, Rad Park and Seaquarium offer countless water activities, whether you want to do sports or learn about the Caribbean’s incredible biodiversity.
On dry land, you can enjoy adventures on mountain bikes or using flight simulators, a climbing garden, paintball, bungee jumping and Segway circuits at Bávaro Adventure Park, while Fun City offers three go-karting circuits with different speeds.
Santo Domingo: History and contemporaneity in the caribbean
Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, boasts a perfect blend of history and modernity in the Caribbean, which is evident in its buildings, museums and Colonial City, declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1990, along with art galleries, shopping centres and lively nightlife.
The Colonial City, situated just three hours by road from Punta Cana, offers visitors a network of narrow streets that hide secrets from the sixteenth to the early twentieth centuries and which can be explored in 45 minutes on the Chu Chu Colonial train, by foot or by bike.
