What a Saona trip includes

How do Saona tours compare on price?

Classic group days with pickup, lunch and an open bar cost the least. Small-group, VIP, cruise-port and luxury catamaran days cost more, and a private speedboat for up to two costs the most.

Every Saona tour on this site, from the lowest price to the highest:

What do the main Punta Cana tours include?

Hotel pickup, the natural pool and a buffet on all three. Paying more than the budget day buys a catamaran show, or more beach time with a smaller group.

The three tours most Punta Cana guests weigh up:

• The budget day: the lowest price on this site. Pickup in Punta Cana or Bávaro, about 3 hours 10 minutes on the island, buffet and open bar.
• The classic day: the most booked. About 3.5 hours on the island, a buffet, an open bar and a catamaran home with a dance show.
• The small group of 20: the dearest of the three. Speedboat both ways, about 4 hours on a beach with reserved loungers, a buffet with seafood and a glass of sparkling wine.

Stepping up from the cheapest day to the small group buys about 50 extra minutes on the sand, a smaller group and no party boat. Worth it if you hate crowds. Not if you came for the rum.

What is included in the price?

Hotel pickup or a meeting point, the boats, the natural pool stop, lunch and drinks on every Saona group tour here. Snorkel gear and park fees vary.

• Transport: hotel pickup on most tours. The luxury catamaran picks up only in Bayahibe and Dominicus; transfers from Punta Cana, Santo Domingo or La Romana cost extra.
• Lunch: a buffet on the beach on the classic tours; lunch on board on the luxury catamaran; lunch in Mano Juan on the cruise-port day and the private boat.
• Drinks: rum, beer and soft drinks on the classic day; an open bar on the catamaran on the budget day.
• Snorkel gear: included on the luxury catamaran, the natural pool tour and the cruise-port day.
• Park fees: the luxury catamaran lists them as included. On other tours the operator handles access, and the French guide Routard notes the national park fee is usually built into organised excursions.

What costs extra on a Saona tour?

Tips, the photo or video package, lobster and premium drinks, and anything you buy from beach vendors.

• Tips: not included on the classic day or most others. Frommer's suggests a tip for guides on Dominican day tours, and a bigger one if they wowed you. Small notes help.
• Photos: a photographer often shoots the day and sells the pictures or a video at the end. The classic day lists photos and video as extra. The private speedboat includes professional photos.
• Lobster and premium drinks: sold as a VIP upgrade on the classic day, and as an upgrade on the luxury catamaran. Lobster is off the menu from 1 March to about June, in the closed season. More in the lobster season post.
• Beach vendors: they work the main beach, and the budget day's listing says they are not part of the tour. Agree the price before anything starts.

A realistic budget for a couple on the classic day: two tickets, a tip for the guide, and cash for a souvenir or a cold coconut. Leave the card in the safe.

The classic day, most booked: speedboat out, about 3.5 hours on the island, buffet and open bar included.

★ 4.4 · 8 hours

Book this → Tour details

Is the national park fee included?

Usually, yes. Saona sits inside Cotubanamá National Park, and the entry fee is normally part of the organised tour price.

Saona is part of Cotubanamá National Park, declared in 1975 as Parque Nacional del Este and renamed in 2014. The luxury catamaran lists park fees as included, and Routard says the fee is generally covered by organised excursions.

If a seller on the beach in Bayahibe quotes you a cheap boat ride, ask whether the park fee, lunch and drinks are in the price before you hand over cash. The tours on this site state their inclusions on the listing.

How much time do you get on the island?

About 3 to 4 hours on the group tours that state it. The small group of 20 gives the most; the day from Santo Domingo gives the least.

Trip length tells you little about what you get, because most of it is road and boat. Here is the time on the island each listing gives:

The luxury catamaran and the VIP and cruise-port days do not fit this list: they spend time on the boat, at a snorkel stop, in Mano Juan or across several beaches. You pay for a calmer day, not for more sand.

What does a private Saona excursion include?

Your own speedboat and crew for a group of up to two, with the transfer, lunch in Mano Juan, an open bar and photos. It costs far more than a group tour.

The private speedboat includes the transfer from Punta Cana or Bayahibe, your own boat and crew, the natural pool, lunch in Mano Juan, a private open bar and professional photos. For a couple, it costs far more than two places on the classic day.

What that buys: the sandbar before the crowds, a route you can bend, and no waiting for a busload of strangers to finish lunch. For a proposal or an anniversary, fair enough. For the beach alone, the small group is closer to the same feeling at a fraction of the price.

When should you book, and do prices change?

Book a few days ahead from December to April, earlier for holidays. Prices shift with the date, and every tour here cancels free up to 24 hours before.

December to April is the dry, busy season, and the popular dates fill first. The 2026-27 high season post has the details. Some listings show a discount against a higher list price; treat the discounted price as the real one and do not rush because of the strike-through.

Book early in your stay if you can. If rough sea cancels your date, the operator refunds or rebooks, and a spare day leaves room to go again.

Frequently asked questions