Head to the sparsely inhabited Saona Island on a full-day trip from Punta Cana. Join a small group and visit the town of Mano Juan, home to a turtle conservation area. Then, spend the rest of your day exploring a secret beach as well as Abanico and Palmilla beaches, each with their own charm. Your day trip includes a simple breakfast and a hearty, buffet lunch on the beach.

Learn about turtle conservation from a community leader
Search for starfish and marine life with a provided snorkel
Hassle-free transfers from select locations
A small group means more attention from your guide

What's Included

Lunch
Breakfast
Alcoholic Beverages
Bottled water
Soda/Pop
Use of Snorkeling equipment
Air-conditioned vehicle
Private transportation

Departure & Return

This operator has two meet-up options available. You can either meet at the departure point below or select a location for pick-up.

Departure Point

Bavaro Beach, Bavaro Beach, Punta Cana 23000, Dominican Republic
I can pick you up at your location in Bavaro, Punta Cana, Cabeza de Toro, or Bayahibe Beach.

Pickup Details

Possible departure locations

View departure locations

Departure Time

6:00 AM

Return Details

This activity will end right where it started.

Please Note

You can be pick up at your hotel, apartment, condominium in the areas of Punta Cana, Bavaro, Cabeza de Toro and Bayahibe Port.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Infant seats available
Not recommended for travelers with back problems

Not recommended for pregnant travelers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

about cancellations

Frequently Asked Questions

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.

Q:What is the policy on sanitization during Full-Day Small-Group Saona Island Tour?

A:The policy on sanitization is:

Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized

Q:What measures are being taken to ensure staff health & safety during Full-Day Small-Group Saona Island Tour?

A:The policies on staff health & safety are:

Guides required to regularly wash hands
Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

134 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers

Showing 1-10 of 134 reviews

Best experience ever

Bulat_G, Jul 2022

One of the best trips we’ve ever had. Natalia went above and beyond in making us have the best experience possible. We learnt a lot about lives of people on Saona island, held sea stars, had a speedy ride on a boat with water splashing us, had homemade breakfast and lunch with fresh juice, went snorkelling and even tried freshly harvested sugarcane! And every single thing we had was simply the best. I can’t recommend this trip enough. Yes, it’s twice as pricey as a regular trip to Saona but it’s 6 times more loaded with events. Trust me, you won’t regret a single penny.

Timeless experience

AdrianGabriel_D, Jul 2022

This is the only unique tour which allows you to enjoy all the best parts of Saona Island. We made activities together but we also had a lot of time to enjoy the beach ourselves. We had swim with star fishes, we saw the Dominican culture and the turtle sanctuary, we went snorkelling, we saw a lot of different beaches and the natural swimming pool. The guides were great and they made sure everyone was enjoying the tour, they even stopped on the road to buy for us Dominican food and sugar cane so we can see all the parts of the Dominican culture. You could see how passioned of their job the guides were and that made this experience authentic. Food and drink were also great, especially the cocktails with the natural passion fruit juice. If you choose for any other tours with big groups you will lose 5 hours on the transportation and you will enjoy the beach only for 45 minutes, but at this tour the transportation was less than 1 hours and we enjoyed the place the whole day. We trully recommend you this tour if you want to have a timeless experience with some amazing passioned people! - Alexandra and Gabriel

A Can't Miss Excursion while visiting the Dominican Republic

Karl_S, Jun 2022

The owners (husband and wife) were our guides and you could tell that they take a tremendous amount of pride in doing this trip and anything that they arrange. They were very prompt to pick us up and kept us informed very well throughout the day as to how much time we had at each stop and what to expect with each of the amazing places that we were visiting. We never felt rushed at any of the locations around Saona Island and very much enjoyed the beaches, food, and drinks. The highlight of the tour for us was meeting the inspirational operator of the turtle sanctuary, Negro, and learning of his contribution to the ecology of that area as well as how widespread his impact has been. We also loved seeing the starfish in the natural pool as well as getting a chance to do some nice snorkeling at the end of the day.

Perfection and paradise!

Kiran_S, Jun 2022

This experience was one of the best excursions I've ever been on. Melvin and Nathalie are amazing. They take a small, intimate group to Soana early in the morning so we avoid the party crowds later (which meant that we had a part of the island all to ourselves for some time!), they give delicious, authentic Caribbean food for lunch, and they are extremely ethical in their approach and show genuine care for nature and the environment. The turtle conservation aspect was incredible, it was so nice to see what the local community does to preserve and protect the species there. The helmsmen who drove the boat are lovely too, they were very supportive and knew all the best places to take us, e.g. to spot the starfish and where to snorkel. Overall an amazing experience and did not have even one negative aspect to it, would definitely recommend it, was worth way more than what we paid for!

Highly recommend this trip

Aniyah_m, Jun 2022

We had a great trip, we were debating between this and the classic soana island trip, but decided for this one due to the more personal experience, glad we decided to go for this one. We had an amazing trip and I loved that Melvin took pictures for us during the trip and air dropped them to us afterwards, rather than us charged an extortionate price for the pictures like other trips in DR

The island is just...

Rhonda_C, Jun 2022

The island is just absolutely beautiful. Pictures don’t do it justice. Natalia and Melvin were amazing tour guys. Very personal tour. Wish we had the time to do it again tomorrow. Highly recommend the small group tour. Just perfect

1 traveler found this review helpful

Memorable

Angel_C, Jun 2022

Little confusing with the location of the pickup point my wife and I stayed at the trs truquesa and waited at the lobby of the palladium spa and resort according to our itinerary pickup was supposed to be in front of the casino but after a few messages back and forth via what's app we were on our way our tour guide Melvin was amazing and very passionate and knowledgeable about his heritage and gave us plus the rest of our group 9 total a history lesson on how the Dominican Republic has come to be where it is today the ride on the speed boat was awesome little bumpy at times but expected so caution if one has bad back problems beautiful view of the ocean and the different islands breakfast and lunch was not disappointed thumbs-up small groups is the way to go my wife and I want to thank Melvin and his crew for a job well done Definitely will do again

One of a kind Saona Island experience!

LaTrease_Q, Jun 2022

I chose this tour based on the excellent reviews, and I am sooo glad that I did. This excursion was one of the best I have ever done and was WELL WORTH the money. We really enjoyed ourselves and would definitely do this tour again. Melvin our tour operator was fantastic!!! His knowledge of the island was immeasurable. He went out of his way to ensure that our group was comfortable and taken care of. The buffet lunch that he made personally for us was the best meal that we had while in the D.R. Having the small group also allowed us to visit four beaches & a snorkeling location. Additionally, it also made for a shorter commute to & from because of the limited amount of people for pick-ups and drop-offs. Melvin is the epitome of all that the Dominican Republic has to offer to its visitors. Don't be swayed by the cheaper Saona Island tours as they don't compare to the more intimate nature of this small-group tour.

Stunning Saona Island

Susan_J, Jun 2022

The whole experience was amazing! The island is beautiful and Natahlia, our guide, went above and beyond to make sure everyone was having a great time!!

5 Stars

Alex_M, Jun 2022

Absolutely amazing!!! What a fun excursion & amazing people. Best part of our trip to DR. So many stops at amazing places and earlier than anyone :)

Response from Host, Jun 2022

Good morning Alex Thanks for leave your reviews, thank you. Any other time in the island feel free to contact us., Best regards Melvin Duran

Great Island Tour!

Ashley_R, Jun 2022

Melvin & his team were amazing! Melvin was very informative on the history of DR and Saona Island. He provided us with breakfast & a hot lunch. He also stopped at other parts of the island so that we could go experience the culture. 10/10 - definitely recommend!

Response from Host, Jun 2022

Dear Ashley Was very nice to meet you, as I promises you, it was a very good decision to wake up more early and enjoy the beaches not to crowed. Best regards Melvin Duran

Great Experience

Dale_I, Jun 2022

we had a great trip. this was our second time at Saona and we enjoyed this trip much more. only complaint, not sure if this is always the case but, the speed boat going to Saona was extremely bumpy. we are both pretty beat up physically from it. other than that, it was great. never felt rushed and spent enough time in each stop. we were back at our resort by 5-6.

Response from Host, Jun 2022

Good morning Dale Thanks for leave your reviews. Sometimes the Carribean Sea can be bumpy but most of the times is more quiet and peaceful than the day you went on the excursion. It's great to see that you enjoy the excursion and the services we provides. Thanks again for leave your review, was very nice to meet you and we hope the next you visit the Dominican Republic we can see you again in our excursion and we hope the boat ride be more calm, big hug. Best regards Melvin Duran

1 traveler found this review helpful

Love the trip...

Alejandro_S, Jun 2022

Love the trip Melvin made it very interesting Beach el toro amazing Breakfast and lunch were great My favorite part was the natural pool Maybe in the future we should spend more time there That place is amazing Boat crew very knowledgeable A boat with 2 engines would be better But everything was great Thanks to Melvin and his crew Highly recommend

Response from Host, Jun 2022

Good morning Alejandro Thanks for leave your review. Was very nice to meet you and your travel partner. The next time you visited us we will stay more time at the natural swimming pool of palmilla beach, we understand why the people never want to leave this place. All the best wishes., Melvin Duran

1 traveler found this review helpful

Best trip out there

SelinMelanie_A, Jun 2022

We had an excellent day on this trip to Saona. Melvin and his crew were very kind and Melvin taught us many things about the culture and the history of D. R.. It's so worth to go on this small group trip rather than sharing the boat with 70 people. We highly recommend this trip. Thank you for everything!

Response from Host, Jun 2022

Dear Selin Was nice to meet you, thanks for leave your review, I really appreciate it. Best regards Melvin Duran

2 travelers found this review helpful

FANTASTIC!!

Curt_J, May 2022

Melvins small group tour was excellent. He is warm and kind. We loved listening to his vast knowledge of the Dominican Republic. He takes you to a private beach, sandbar with giant starfish and a turtle preserve run by a local man. Lunch is at the popular crowded area of Soana Island but we had our own reserved location and left at the peak of the loud crowded boats. The water at Soana island beaches is unreal beautiful. The day was relaxing and enlightening. Melvins personal touch made the trip magnificent. The boat is simple and comfortable. The boat ride is about an hour and the sea is often choppy. We loved it but perhaps some people this might be too much bouncing. Book this tour you will love it. Melvin takes photos for you and air drops directly to your phone, he is the best!

1 traveler found this review helpful

BEST TOUR GUIDE EVER! Best tour I’ve ever experienced

Kristopher_T, May 2022

Melvin provided the most memorable tour that I’ve ever taken. Very personable, detailed and well-planned excursions. Food was excellent, we were the first to arrive at each beach stop and Melvin took care of each detail. SIMPLY AMAZING! Hats off to Melvin and his well-coordinated team.

1 traveler found this review helpful

Take this tour

Michael_S, May 2022

Take this tour!!! Melvin (our tour guide), is an exceptional tour guide and a great cook as well. Small group gives a personal feel to the tour and the schedule kept us away from the large crowds. Melvin gave a very insightful lesson on the history and current state of the country along with some local culture to make this an outstanding day.

1 traveler found this review helpful

Highlight of my vacation

Dominic_A, May 2022

I had a very good time, Melvin is a really knowledgeable guy teaches you a lil bit about the history of the island, very nice guy man if you want to be with a small group and have a good time look no more this is as good as it’s gunna get🔥

If you want to go on an excursion, don’t use them.

SHANNON_S, May 2022

They emailed me to cancel at 6:30pm the night before our excursion the following morning. They had asked for our room number to get into the resort and everything, then they claimed they had no availability for us for the next 3 days, however they didn’t have a problem taking our money. Currently still waiting on the refund.

Response from Host, May 2022

Good morning Shannon We don’t manage the time of your refund, if the wheather is bad or if we don’t have enough people, then, we need to canceled and you receive a full refund of your money, that’s the best we can do, because we don’t take anyone money because we don’t manage cancellation policy all that is controlling by the platform. We canceled at a good time for you to book another excursion, we very sorry for the inconvenience, we will love to have you in the excursion but with only 2 people we can’t do it there’s a minimum of 6 people need it to do the excursion. Best regards Melvin Duran

2 travelers found this review helpful

Great trip!

Malia_W, May 2022

From start to finish this was an amazing trip. We start early to enjoy the experience on a more personal level with a smaller group. Everyone was friendly and inviting like family. Food was great and beaches beautiful. Would definitely recommend and do again.

Response from Host, May 2022

Good morning Malia Was very nice to meet you, any other time in the island just let us know, it's great to see that you enjoy the excursion, thanks for wake up early, as you saw was worth it., Best regards Melvin Duran

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Questions?

Product code: 303970P2

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