From Soana Island to Spider Monkeys: Top 9 Tours in Punta Cana Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic in the Caribbean offers a tropical escape blending outdoor adventure, cultural enrichment and culinary discoveries. Here’s a list of absolute musts to do in Punta Cana with kids, or without for your trip.

Top 9 Tours in Punta Cana Dominican Republic

Take a Cruise to Saona Island 

Go Snorkeling

Feed a Spider Monkey

Learn about The Dominican Republic’s Chocolate and Coffee 

Learn About Sugar Cane Plantations

Watch Cigar Rolling

Sample DR Rum

Zipline Though the Treetops

Take a Day Trip to Santo Domingo 

Why Visit Punta Cana

With over 1,000 miles of coastline and some of the prettiest beaches in North America, the Dominican Republic is a popular beach destination. With convenient flights from the U.S. and Canada, Punta Cana is one of the most popular areas in the Dominican Republic.

Most resorts in the Punta Cana area are all-inclusive resorts. Travelers will find everything from luxurious and laid-back adult all-inclusive resorts to family resorts with water parks.

Some resorts are divided into an adults-only side with an adjoining family side, each with separate restaurants, pools and gathering places. Other resorts offer buildings dedicated to adults or families.

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Cruise to Saona Island

As a part of the Parque National del Este, Isla Saona, or Saona Island, offers an undeveloped paradise. Only about 100 people live there, and the beach offers wide white sand beaches with a few open-air huts and lots of lounge chairs.

First, depart from the coastal town of Bayahibe on a catamaran. Along the way, you’ll get an overview of the area and unspoiled views of the Parque National del Este.

Then, stop at a saltwater swimming area. As a natural shallow area, enjoy swimming, floating or standing in the water right off your boat. You might even find a starfish, though don’t touch or pick it up.

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After swimming in the natural swimming area, your cruise continues on to Saona Island. This area is a protected national park with some of the most beautiful beaches in the Dominican Republic.

After a short walk from the departure point, you can grab a lounge chair on the deep white sand beaches and soak up some rays. The turquoise water is perfect for splashing and wave crashing.

As an undeveloped area, it offers limited services. You’ll find cabanas for changing and restrooms.

During my excursion, I enjoyed a catered Caribbean lunch with grilled meat, roasted or steamed vegetables, rice dishes, pasta salad and tropical fruit. Also available are soda, water and beer with rum punch included in the price. Pina Coladas are additional.

On both legs of the cruise, beer, water, soda and a rum punch are available. Take in the scenery or dance to some island tunes. For my excursion, I used Scuba Caribe.

Go Snorkeling 

If you take a scenic cruise, some offer snorkeling and have snorkeling gear on the boat. For avid snorkelers, consider taking a dedicated snorkeling excursion.

There are several offered, like family-friendly trips to sand bars, perfect for first-timers. Another option is an adults-only snorkel trip with cocktails included. There are even SCUBA Doo underwater scooter trips in Punta Cana.

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Feed a Spider Monkey at Monkeyland

So my Mom wouldn’t buy me a monkey as a kid. Since I still wanted to play with a monkey, I was beyond excited when I learned I could feed monkeys in the Dominican Republic.

At first, I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t want to see unhappy little monkey faces. I’m too much of a kind-hearted animal lover for that.

To my delight, I found two families of tiny, curious two-pound Spider monkeys that swung from limb to limb in their five-acre sanctuary in the rainforest of the Dominican Republic. At night, the monkey family sleeps in a large protective house, keeping them safe.

After a quick briefing, I walked through the door of the monkey compound. Down a few steps and into a grove of trees where the monkey guide handed me a bowl of cut-up tropical fruit, nuts and sunflower seeds. Seriously, I would feed the nutritious snacks to my three kids.

Without prompting, the monkeys jumped onto my head with tiny, velvety feet and ran along my shoulders and arms to grab their treats. The monkeys perched on top of my head to nibble their fruit. I wanted to grab one and stuff it in my bag to take home, the monkeys were that cute and gentle. I didn’t.

A must-do for the family, Though the monkeys prefer calm-natured people who remain quiet while feeding.

For my visit, I used Dominican Republic Runners Adventures.

Learn about Coffee and Chocolate Production in DR

I’m just your typical coffee-drinking, chocolate-hoarding Mom. The Dominican Republic grows cacao (the beans roasted to make chocolate) and coffee beans, so I wanted to learn more.

My tour operator stopped at a traditional Dominican house owned by Maria for a lesson in agriculture. Her land is covered with different tropical crops that yield year-round, like coffee, cacao and pineapple.

Behind her simple yet colorful house, I walked down to a covered area where Maria works to turn the raw products into my favorite treats. This is one of the best tours in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

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Chocolate Making

First, I sampled the cacao seeds, fresh from the pod and experienced a completely different taste and texture. The seeds reminded me of a tart banana, almost lemony and look nothing like chocolate.

Maria dries the cacao seeds before roasting them. Then, she pounds and sifts the seeds to remove the flavorful nibs.

The nibs are molded and eventually grated with cinnamon and raw sugar for a Dominican cocoa powder. I got the opportunity to taste the fresh cocoa powder—a must-do for the chocolate lover.

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Coffee Production 

Coffee requires fewer steps, and the Christmas red-colored beans dry in the sun for days after they are harvested. Then, they are roasted to a deep chocolate brown before grinding.

Then Maria brewed up some of her coffee for our group.  I sampled hot chocolate, fresh coffee and pineapple from Maria’s trees.

I found cacao and coffee plants, but her land featured tropical flowers, and her chickens ran around eating bugs. Maria’s House is a popular stop to learn more about the cultural heritage of the Dominican Republic.

For my visit, I used Dominican Republic Runners Adventures.

Learning about Sugar Cane and Cigars

As the second largest Caribbean island after Cuba, the Dominican Republic is an important agricultural center. Sugarcane is the largest crop harvested in the Dominican Republic.

For my guided tour, I walked through a field of towering sugar cane plants. Traditionally, oxen drove the sugar cane press that extracted the sugary juice when the stalks were placed between two rollers.

Fortunately, this process has been automated, but the harvest is still done by hand. As part of my tour, I sampled the raw sugar cane juice that’s sweet yet not syrupy. This is one of the best tours in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Cigar Rolling in DR

The Dominican Republic is the largest cigar-producing country in the world. There are several top manufacturers in DR, so I wanted to learn more about how cigars are made.

The tobacco leaves are dried, then fermented and aged. An experienced cigar maker selects two to four inner leaves that are bunched.  With a combination of local and imported tobacco leaves, the cigar maker rolls the cigar with an outdoor leaf.

During a demonstration, you can sample or purchase cigars if you smoke. For my visit to the sugar and cigar plantation, I used Dominican Republic Runners Adventures.

Rum Tasting in DR

During my tour, I learned how sugar cane juice was reduced into molasses. Through a series of boilers where the sugary juice, the water evaporates out to become molasses.

The molasses can be used as a sweetener in baking or over food. If it is fermented, it is one of the main products of rum. The fermenting process produces rum, another important product of the Dominican Republic.

At one of my resorts, it offered a rum tasting. Inquiry if there is one at your resort. Also, duty-free at the airport sells many of the rums made in DR.

Zip line Adventures in Punta Cana

A zip-lining adventure through a rainforest treetop canopy is a popular excursion. The Dominican Republic Runners Adventures runs a zip line park with 12  zip lines connected by 18 platforms for a ride of a lifetime, including flying over a small river.

Certified by the Association of Challenger Course Technology, safety is paramount at Zip Line Adventures. Kids must be 6 years old and 44 pounds to ride, and adults have weight restrictions, too. This is one of the most popular tours in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

A Day Trip to Santo Domingo 

As the capital of the Dominican Republic, Santa Domingo is one of the Caribbean’s oldest cities. Taking a guided day trip to Santo Domingo is culturally enriching, with lots of colonial architecture to see.

The Zona Colonial is the place to go. It has buildings that date to the 1500s, including the cathedral, which was the first built in the New World. The Calle Las Dames is one of the oldest streets and a must.  Other top sites include the Parque Colon and Plaza Espana.

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Disclosure: The tours were provided for review purposes. This post contains affiliate links.

Know Before You Go:

• Release of liability will have to be signed for everyone.
• Kids are welcome, though strollers might be difficult to navigate in the hilly terrain that’s explored during the typical excursion.
• Monkeys are sensitive to insect repellant so it can’t be worn in the monkey compound.
• The Monkeyland tour is not recommended for people with peanut allergies.
• My school-age kids would love the Monkeyland, though it might be intimidating for timid preschoolers or babies.