saona island excursion

VinceD · #1 11-02-2006, 05:02 PM

My wife and I went on the excursion to Saona Island from Punta Cana in October 2006. I can’t remember the name of the company that we went through but I can tell you that we found them on the beach in front of Hotel Carabela. It was just a table with 2 guys sitting there but we asked about their excursions and they were $10 cheaper than the other places. Plus, we were able to book just 2 days in advance when the other companies had already been booked up. Although I was a little nervous, they DID show up exactly when they said they would to pick us up. We rode in a van that fit 11 somewhat comfortably. Two were from the company (a driver and a tour guide, Antonio). The other 9 of us were tourists. We drove from Punta Cana through Higuey. We drove past the cathedral but didn’t stop there. We went down to Bayahibe and waited there for some others to show up. Then, we boarded the catamaran. As soon as we set sail, they started passing around the rum and coke. Half way through the ride, they pulled anyone willing and some unwillingly up to dance merengue. It was fun but a little difficult to dance while the boat tosses back and forth. Then we pulled up to the island. It was incredible! It was straight out of a dream I’ve had. Sandy white beaches with palms on the shore and very few people there at all. We got off and were free to roam around and pick out a spot on the beach. It was like having your own private island. And when you go into the water, it dips down so gradually that you can walk out for what seemed like half a mile with your head still above water. They setup a little bar there and offered free beer, rum, and drinks. We had a nice buffet and then had some more time at the beach. Then we boarded a small speed boat and headed to the natural pool as they call it. I was imagining an area in the middle of the ocean where the sand came up to the surface of the water to form a circular beach with water in the middle. Instead, it was just like the beach we were at before. It was very shallow water far out from the coast. They say that you could see star fish there sometimes but no one saw anything. There were about 3 other boats in the area at the same time as us. Then they passed more rum and coke around and basically performed rituals to worship alcohol. They baptized a couple with rum and sang some songs in Spanish that were pretty ignorant about drinking. Then, back to the speedboat and back to Bayahibe. We got back on our van and drove to Higuey to a souvenir store that actually had pretty good prices compared to Punta Cana and less haggling was needed. Then we drove for what seemed like forever back to our hotel. We were on a detour for part of the way and I don’t know if that was why or if it was just because we took a smaller road to show the country side of DR but it was a long ride and the tour guide didn’t say anything the entire time.

So in summary, I think we kind of got the generic version of the excursion to Saona Island but even so, we enjoyed it. The untainted beauty of the island itself was worth it. We got a little sun burnt even though we tried to put sun screen on often. It’s a long trip and you’re out in the sun a lot. I would recommend it to everyone and it’s up to you whether you get the generic version or a better one.

Vince D

MommC · #2 11-02-2006, 11:18 PM

The better one is pretty much the same as the generic version - just more expensive!
Glad you enjoyed it! It's a great way to spend a day in paradise!

Kaki · #3 11-10-2006, 12:16 AM

"Better" is a relative and personal term. I took one trip to Saona that included a deep water snorkel stop just off the coast of Bayahibe. Some may want that and some may not.

I'm surprised that you didn't see the starfish since there are quite an abundance of them in that "natural pool" area, but the area is quite large too so it's possible that you stopped in the one spot that didn't have any. To your tour guide's credit, I am glad that they didn't go off in search of one that they brought back to you and allowed you to wear on your head or something equally as preposterous. I see too many pictures of that.

I also did a tour with a smaller company which offered a stop at the private part of the island and had us stop at the natural pool http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2...64234328kDRsqq and the mangrove forest http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2...64234328qcaLEJ timed to be before the other tours stopped there. For all of my pictures, we are the only boat and group (9 people) in the pics. http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2...64234328tKLdnK

There are many options, but I think if you can be impressed by an exciting and relaxing set of boat rides and a day on a tropical deserted island paradise, then you'll like Saona. There are a few who feel that in the end the beach is the same as they had in Punta Cana. That would be one honkin' great beach!

Kaki

VinceD · #4 11-10-2006, 12:28 PM

I saw your pics of the star fish. That's so cool! I wish we would have gotten to see them. But I also saw a pic of a man of war jellyfish. I'm glad I didn't see that. I didn't know they had them in DR. The beach in Saona is so much better than Punta Cana. It's just much more natural and peaceful. I hope that they keep it that way. Thanks for sharing your pics.