Punta Cana boasts some of the most beautiful beaches in the Dominica Republic and the Caribbean. The best things to do in Punta Cana range from inland to the water attractions. This place in the Caribbean is a paradise of attractive activities for visitors of all ages and tastes. Though there are several attractions, the following are the true reasons to visit Punta Cana.
Things to Do in Punta Cana
Altos de Chavon
Sculpted of stone, Altos de Chavon is a replica of a 16th-century Mediterranean village. Jose Antonio Caro, an Italian master, designed it, and the local artisans crafted every detail. It took over six years to complete until its opening in 1982. The architecture of this village gives you a delightful medieval feel.
The St. Stanislaus Church in the village is a popular wedding site with its fascinating 5000-seat amphitheater. It is in the Dominican Republic and has stunning views over the Chavon River. The Archaeological Museum boasts collections of local culture. The place offers delicious regional cuisine and different activities at night.
This village serves as a cultural hub for locals and tourists alike. The Cobblestone streets of Altos de Chavon house pottery, silk weaving, and boutiques. The village’s art gallery boasts works of notable Dominican masters and artists from around the world.
The iconic Altos de Chavon School of Design is affiliated with the Parsons School of Design in New York. Altos de Chavon is located 73 km from Punta Cana and is a must-visit during your Caribbean tour.
Basilica Catedral Nuestra Senora de la Altagracia
This unique church includes a modern facade with a nearly 230-foot-high tower located about 30 miles to the west of Punta Cana. This church is one of the most important religious sites in Punta Cana, and it does not have an entry fee. Its fantastic exterior, interior, and 16th-century painting of the Virgin Mary are unique attractions in Punta.
You can easily reach this historical place in Punta Cana by bus or taxi. Sunday is the busiest day, so plan your tour of Basilica Catedral Nuestra Senora de la Altagracia accordingly, as the hours vary on different days.
Altagracia Museum
This museum is adjacent to Basilica Catedral Nuestra Senora de la Altagracia, exhibiting a collection of paintings and gold jewelry from the 17th to 20th centuries. This place offers the religious and cultural backgrounds of the Dominican Republic.
Altagracia Museum has six exhibition rooms with worth-watching objects. Different objects relating to religious life have been placed in the museum, including various offerings to the Virgin.
One of its rooms called the Treasure Room, exhibits the jewelry made by the local goldsmiths during the 17th to 20th centuries. Different cultural activities are organized in the Altagracia Museum , where everyone can participate freely.
Deep-sea fishing
Punta Cana is a popular deep-sea fishing destination in the Dominican Republic. Besides Puerto Plata and Samana, Punta Cana offers sports such as deep-sea fishing. You can quickly hook barracuda, mahi mahi, marlin, and many others during this exotic adventure. The blue and white marlin and sailfish are in great numbers from many miles from the shores of Punta Cana.
Punta Cana offers fishing charters with guided and trained professionals at affordable rates. During the summer, Punta Cana is a busy place for fishing, so book your chart several months in advance during the winter.
You can quickly hook a fish in the deep sea. In addition, Punta Cana is a famous place for fishing tournaments in the Caribbean. You can enjoy lively music on the beach and fresh catch-cooked fish.
Bavaro Adventure Park
Bavaro Adventure Park Punta Cana is a natural theme park with a sustainable ecological environment. The park stretches over 44 hectares and offers nature-friendly and sustainable attractions like climbing, zipline, bungee trampoline, and mountain bike track. The families will enjoy the outdoor Jurassic Park of Punta Cana, which has many animatronic dinosaurs in Bavaro Adventure Park.
The park also houses souvenir shops, resting places, playing areas for children, and bathrooms. The local cuisine is offered at the restaurant in this park. You can see many hydration points. The park offers many tours to enjoy zipline, mega Splash, Buggy ride, waterfall pool experience, horseback riding, and Polaris ATV.
Springs and Cenotes
There are many breathtaking cenotes and springs in Punta Cana with emerald, turquoise waters. These refreshing springs and cenotes offer the best swimming experience in Punta Cana. These freshwater escapes can be reached after an easy hike through the rainforest. In the heart of lush green hills, the natural pools are open the entire year.
Ojos Indigenas
This natural water reserve is at the Punta Cana Resort & Club complex. You hike on shaded trails, enjoying the pleasant wind through the forest to reach this place. There is a series of 12 sparkling lagoons.
Almost all the lagoons are swimmable, and the scattered natural surroundings make them spectacular. Ojos Indigenas is an iconic natural swimming pool with a wooden deck and diving platform. You need an entrance ticket for Ojos Indigenas.
In addition to the natural swimming pool, the Punta Cana Resort & Club is home to almost 100 birds, 160 insects, and 500 plant species. This park also boasts a botanical and fruit garden and an iguana farm.
Hoyo Azul
The cenote Hoyo Azul, or Blue Hole, is located at Scape Park, Cap Cana. This natural, refreshing swimming pool is surrounded by lush forest and scenic plantations. The pool is around 45 deep and sits on a 246-foot-tall limestone cliff covered with plantations. Visitors can hike past a myriad and cross a suspension bridge to reach the cenote and enjoy the turquoise waters of Hoyo Azul.
Cenote Indigena Las Ondas
Las Ondas is also located inside Scape Park and sits in an underground cavern showing only a silver ray of sunlight. The magical freshwater of this cenote gives visitors a refreshing experience.
Paradise explorers follow a trail through the forest to reach this destination. Its steep wooden staircase takes you to the magical waters of the cave. The surrounding of this cenote resembles a private spa or a luxury pool with refreshing waters.
Scape Park
Scape Park is a massive, lush space in Cape Cana and is popular among families and tourists worldwide. The park’s natural setting offers many outdoor adventurous activities and a lifetime experience.
These activities are the best things to do in Punta Cana, including the paradisical swimming cenotes of Hoyo Azul and Las Ondas with their refreshing turquoise waters. The Scape Park offers several attractions in Punta Cana for adventure buffs and nature lovers alike. The following are attractions of Scape Park Punta Cana:
Cultural route: This route offers the opportunity to experience nature and local culture in the form of replica homes of African slaves, Dominican farmers, Spanish conquerors, and Taino Indians.
El Rancho is a farm-like place where you can watch and interact with goats, horses, ponies, and other farm animals.
Iguabonita Cave: an extraordinary geological underground formation of chambers and tunnels. To visit Iguabonita caves is a lifetime experience.
Parrot Island: You can watch plenty of Macaw, one of the most intelligent birds that have lived for over 80 years. Watching Macaw is a relaxing experience in Punta Cana.
Monkey Island is home to squirrel and capuchin monkeys, who live in a natural habitat. These brave animals play, jump, and climb before visitors.
Saltos Azules: include adventure activities such as jumping from Mabe rope, sore the swing, monkey bar, and zip. Similarly, riding on speedy and splashing hammocks in turquoise waters is an amazing experience.
Eco Adventure Zipline: this activity is one of the best things to do in Punta Cana. The circuit of eight zip lines gives you a unique experience of flying through a canopy of trees.
Iguana land: The Scape Park also provides an opportunity for close encounters with rhinoceros iguanas. This reptile species is only found in this tropical land. You can learn new things from the trained handlers at Scape Park.
Cliffhangers: you can experience the excitement of rappell down the famous Farallon cliffs in Scape Park.
Cave swim: This is a soothing and mystical experience of swimming in an underground spring in the refreshing waters of ancient caves.
Sunshine Cruise: This is an optional tour that gives you a real feel of the Caribbean. This Cruise tour along the coastline of Cap Cana also includes a snorkeling experience at the reef of Bucaneros. You can get details of tours to enjoy the attractions in Scape Park Punta Cana.
Ziplines
Punta Cana is a famous destination for adventure seekers who love ziplining experiences. You can enjoy an adventurous Mega Splash zip line circuit. The ziplines in Punta Cana parks are nature-friendly, secure, and sustainable.
You can safely soar past the towering trees on secure double ziplines in the Anamuya forest. The double steel parallel cable with seme-automatic braking is supported with 12 treetop platforms.
All this enables you to soar at a speed of 65 km per hour. Visitors can take the zipline experience at Anamuya Jungle, Bavaro Adventure Park, and Scape Park in Punta Cana.
Surfing on Macao Beach
One of the reasons to visit the Caribbean or Dominican Republic is surfing. The ideal weather makes surfing in Punta Cana easy, even for beginners. Macao Beach Punta Cana invites surfers of all levels to enjoy surfing in turquoise waters with constant waves.
The beach offers surf camps and schools where you can get individual, group, and private lessons on surfing. Surf lovers can rent high-quality long and short boards, foam boards, and soft tops for a thrilling experience.
ChocoMuseo Punta Cana
Punta Cana offers the finest chocolates from Central and South America. Chocomuseo is a famous place inside the Mundo Autentico shopping complex in Punta Cana. Chocolate lovers visit this museum-style shop to enjoy the finest chocolate tasting and learn the history of renowned Dominican chocolate, one of the Dominican Republic’s top exports.
Visiting Chocomuseo is one of the best things to do in Punta Cana, as it offers you to prepare your chocolate from the beans of Dominican cocoa to bar in their workshop. Chocomuseo opens from 9 am to 7 pm, offering a free visit to the chocolate factory and museum.
Don Lucas Cigar Factory
The cigar industry is an identity of the Dominican Republic. The fertile soil of the country produces the best tobacco in the world. Some of the finest Dominican tobaccos, like Romeo y Julieta, La Flor Dominicana, and Arturo Fuente, are internationally prize-winning. You can visit Don Lucas, one of the top cigar factories in Punta Cana and the Dominican Republic.
Established in 1992, Don Lucas Cigar Factory is known as the highest-quality hand-rolled cigar maker. The factory is located in the Mundo Auténtico shopping complex in Punta Cana. This small factory offers free tours for visitors to watch and learn how to roll cigars by hand. An on-site cigar shop at the factory offers to pick up a desired box to take home.
Cueva de Berna
The Cueva (cave) de Berna is one of the natural attractions in Punta Cana. The cave is believed to be 30 million years old, first discovered in 1973, and is now a famous destination among nature buffs. The cave is famous for its amazing rock formation and underground river.
Cueva de Berna is located in the fishing village Boca de Yuma of Cotubanamá National Park, over 65 km south of Punta Cana. This is one of the unique attractions in Punta Cana, an important Taino cave in the Dominican Republic with high numbers of petroglyphs.
Cueva de Berna houses a variety of rock formations, millions of years old stalagmites, stalactites, and columns. Bats and other small birds also reside in this cave. You can explore the cave’s different passages lit by artificial lights. There are many Taino faces carved inside the cave at different places.
The underground river in the Cueva de Berna is the main attraction for visitors. It flows through the cave, creating natural pools and waterfalls inside the cave and creating a serene ambiance for visitors.
You can reach this must-see attraction in Punta Cana by taxi or local bus. The entrance fee is reasonable. A guided tour is recommended here to explore the cave in detail, such tour operators are available in Punta Cana.
Inland safari
During your exploration, you can opt for one of the inland off-road safaris in Punta Cana. They offer an amazing day trip from your lodge to anywhere in Punta Cana, showing the scenic countryside roads in open-air trucks.
You experience the local plantations and farms of cacao trees and sugar cane. You can enjoy the locally made coffee and visit the indigenous communities and schools.
The inland safaris and excursions in Punta Cana include tours with different activities such as horseback riding, zipline, Dominican culture, fruit tasting, and local food. Visitors are shown cigar-making by the craftsmen.
A refreshing swim at Macao Beach is also offered to relax and enjoy the local cuisine. They also indulge visitors in the pure Dominican flavor with a visit to a traditional countryside house and offer a delightful lunch.
Marinarium Park
Marinarium Park is one of the best attractions in Punta Cana and the Dominican Republic. The park has been a famous tourist destination since 2001. In addition to the land excursions, they also offer water excursions and other activities. The Marine Park is 40,000 m2 and offers water attractions to visitors.
During the Marinarium Snorkeling cruise, two deck Catamarans take visitors along the natural reserve of Cabeza de Toro. This catamaran is equipped with a glass bottom and shows spectacular marine life in clear waters. You can enjoy the natural pool of the park with a floating bar.
At the Marinarium Park, you can avail the opportunity to snorkel with nurse sharks and stingrays. Kayaks are another activity to relish in the turquoise waters of Marinarium Park. The party time spent in the park is a lifetime experience. They offer different plans to make your tours memorable.
Nightlife in Punta Cana
The Nightlife in Punta Cana is dynamic and full of fun. You will have pleasant memories of the party places in Punta Cana with you. You can enjoy the best party time spent here with your family, friends, and the people of Punta Cana. The nightlife offers you different disco clubs, bars, casinos, and restaurants to enjoy on your own. Some of the best places for Nightlife in Punta Cana are Coco Bongo , Imagine Cave Disco , ORO Nightclub , and Smoke Room Disco & Lounge.
where to stay in Punta Cana
Punta Cana is a famous destination among the visitors during the whole year. Though Punta Cana offers several hotels and accommodations, you should book a hotel or apartment in advance to make your tour smooth. You can choose from the following recommended all-inclusive accommodations.
Grand Palladium Bávaro Resort & Spa
Natura Park Beach Eco Resort & Spa
Presidential Suites Punta Cana
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