Punta Cana to Saona

How far is Saona Island from Punta Cana?

About 1 to 1.5 hours by road to Bayahibe, then 35 to 50 minutes by speedboat. Allow 2 to 3 hours each way in total.

Route planners put Punta Cana airport about 68 km and roughly 50 minutes from Bayahibe in a private car. A tour bus is slower, because it stops at several hotels. The listings give 1 to 1.5 hours; the classic day breaks it into three legs of about 30, 15 and 25 minutes.

From Bayahibe, the boat runs east along the coast of Cotubanamá National Park to the island. Saona itself is about 25 km long and 5 km wide, so where you land matters too: the natural pool and the main tour beaches are on the south-west side.

How long is the boat ride to Saona Island?

About 35 to 50 minutes by speedboat from Bayahibe, plus a stop of about 40 minutes at the natural pool. The catamaran back takes about 1.5 hours.

The usual pattern: speedboat out, catamaran back. The Santo Domingo tour gives about 35 minutes by boat to the natural pool. The Bayahibe excursion puts the catamaran departure at 2:35 p.m. for a 1.5-hour party cruise home.

Some tours change this. The small group of 20 uses a speedboat both ways, which shortens the return. The luxury catamaran sails both ways and stops to snorkel on the way. On a rough day the operator may swap boats or reorder the stops. Sit near the back of a speedboat if you get queasy: the front bounces hardest.

How long is the drive from Bávaro, Cap Cana and Uvero Alto?

About 1 to 1.5 hours from Bávaro and Punta Cana. Uvero Alto, at the far north of the resort strip, gets the earliest pickups. Cap Cana guests may meet at a set point instead of a hotel.

Times to Bayahibe by area, with the tours that collect there:

Staying in an Airbnb? The budget day asks Airbnb guests to come to a meeting point. Check your pickup time the evening before; north-coast pickups come first.

Can you go to Saona from La Romana or Santo Domingo?

Yes. Cruise passengers start at the La Romana port, and a daily tour leaves from Calle El Conde in Santo Domingo.

La Romana is about 15 km from Bayahibe, roughly 25 to 35 minutes by road (Bookaway). The Saona Crusoe day meets ship passengers at the Taxi Casa de Campo stand in the cruise port, and the natural pool tour lists drop-offs in La Romana.

Santo Domingo is further: the capital tour gives about 2 hours in a van to Bayahibe, then the boat, about 3 hours on Saona and a catamaran back. It starts in front of the Catedral Primada on Calle El Conde, or in Boca Chica. The natural pool tour also drops off in Juan Dolio.

Saona from the capital: pickup on Calle El Conde, the natural pool, lunch on the island and a catamaran back.

★ 4.0 · 9.5 hours

Book this → Tour details

Where is Saona on the map?

Off the south-east tip of the Dominican Republic, east of Bayahibe, across the Catuano strait from the mainland.

Picture the coast running south and west from Punta Cana to La Romana. Bayahibe sits near the eastern end of that stretch, on the edge of Cotubanamá National Park. Saona lies south-east of Bayahibe, separated from the park's mainland by the Catuano channel. Catuano, at the island's western end, has a naval post; Mano Juan, the village, is on the south coast (Wikipedia).

Open Isla Saona on OpenStreetMap to see it. Tiny Isla Catalinita lies about 3.5 km north of Saona. It is not the same place as Catalina Island, which is off La Romana; see Saona or Catalina.

Can you get to Saona without a tour?

Not easily. Access is by boat, almost always on an organised excursion from Bayahibe, La Romana or Punta Cana.

Routard describes access as almost exclusively by boat on organised excursions. Boat owners in Bayahibe do sell trips directly; ask what the price covers, including the park fee, lunch and drinks, and whether the boat carries life jackets for everyone.

For most visitors from Punta Cana, the tour is simpler and not much dearer: transport, boats, lunch and drinks in one price, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

Can you stay overnight on Saona Island?

Not on any of the tours here. Mano Juan has a few small guesthouses, but you arrange the boat and the stay yourself.

The tours on this site are day trips that return to Bayahibe in the late afternoon. Overnight stays on the island are limited and regulated: Routard mentions a few guesthouses in Mano Juan, and Wikipedia notes small hotels in the village. There are no resorts.

If you want a night there, book the room directly and agree the boat transfer with your host before you go. For everyone else, the day trip is the way to see Saona.

What should you bring on a Saona day trip?

Swimwear, sunscreen, a hat, a towel, water shoes, a dry bag and cash in small notes. Leave valuables at the hotel.

• Wear: swimwear under your clothes, with a light cover-up and sandals or water shoes for the sandbar.
• Sun: sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses. There is little shade on the boats, and the sun is strong all year.
• Towel: bring your own for the boat and the bus.
• Dry bag: for your phone. You wade off the speedboat and into the pool.
• Cash: small notes for tips, photos and vendors.
• Seasickness tablets: if you get queasy on boats.

Frequently asked questions