On my trip to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, I booked the absolute BEST excursion to Saona Island from Santo Domingo. In this blog, you’ll read all about how the excursion went down, from booking, to boarding, to how the day ended, and I’ll give you all of the reasons why booking this excursion is a vacation MUST.

When planning your trip to the Dominican Republic, there are many excursions available for booking on sites such as Viator, Tripadvisor, Expedia, Airbnb, etc. I knew when I was planning my trip that I wanted to have a boat day to Saona Island. Many of which I saw were from Punta Cana to Saona Island, which was not helpful to me as I was planning to stay in Santo Domingo. That’s when I found THE ONLY excursion from Santo Domingo to Saona Island on Airbnb, booked it, and now I’m going to tell you all about the experience and why you should book it too.

PRO TIP: Always plan & book a boat day on your trip, wherever your trip may be. On every trip I’ve planned lately, I’ve done a boat day, and they are consistently the most memorable experiences and favorite day out of the entire trip.

NOTE: The excursion mentioned is the only excursion I’ve ever taken to Saona Island, so all information and experiences shared are gathered from that sole experience.

Booking

The tour I booked was through Airbnb and named “Excursion to island saona food drink picked up in hotels”. It cost $90 a ticket, and was well worth it. I booked for two people, and while booking the two tickets, the total rang in at $180.00 straight up, with no added taxes, fees, and other nonsense that Airbnb or other sites tends to tack on when booking an item. In my opinion, that’s already a huge perk.

Day of the Excursion: The Breakdown

At 6:10 AM on the morning of the boat-day excursion, we met at the specified meeting location; right outside of the Pizzarelli in Columbus Park (Parque Colón), Zona Colonial, Santo Domingo. Click here to view location on a map. 

There, we met “Jhonny” and waited until about 6:45 AM for any people who were running behind. There were several groups of people at the meeting location who had also booked the excursion. At about 6:45 AM, we went for a short walk, where “Jhonny” then picked us up on a large, comfortable, air conditioned bus. We all boarded, taking up perhaps more than half the bus. Then we were off to our adventures! We stopped quickly to get our coffee fix at a stand outside a gas station selling Dominican espresso shots in plastic cups. For me, it was delicious.

We made two very quick stops along our ~two hour~ journey to Bayahibe where we later got on the boat. One was to pick up “Victor,” our official guide, and the other was at a resort in La Romana to pick up more groups of people who then joined us on the bus.

While en route, “Victor” explained to us the ‘Does & Don’ts’ of the island. Which mostly consisted of “have fun but don’t drink too much because Dominican rum is strong.” “Victor” is friendly and spoke in Spanish, English, and French. He administered yellow yarn for everybody, which we tied to our wrist as a bracelet that we must keep on throughout the duration of the excursion, signifying that we were “Vitor Family / Family Victor”. In other words it was to recognise who was on our bus for the return trip.

When we arrived at Bayahibe after the ~two hour~ bus ride from Santo Domingo, we had the opportunity to use the restrooms and buy some snacks and/or coffee near the docking area. We gathered with our group as people administered paper wristbands that acted as our “Dominican Passport” in order to enter Saona Island. Shortly after, we boarded a speedboat. 

The speedboat ride took approximately ~3 minutes~, just until we reached deeper waters. Then the crew pulled up next to our HUGE catamaran, assisted us in stepping between the speedboat and catamaran in the middle of the water, and then the real party began. Our catamaran boarded the people my speedboat, and an entire other speedboat. It was full of strangers that would soon become friends. (Approximately 10:00 AM)

The catamaran offered an open bar with rum drinks. I was personally unsure if an open bar was included prior to the trip, so I brought my own bottle of rum and mixer, in which there were no problems bringing on board. Other groups brought their own alcoholic beverages on board the catamaran as well.

They played a variety of music on the boat; reggaeton, dembow, meringue, etc. The music was loud and people danced while they got drinks at the bar, sat around, and enjoyed the warm breeze. “Victor” was also the guide of our catamaran, he announced proper safety measures and important information. He also proclaimed that if the music was too loud or you did not enjoy such music, that the front of the boat was quieter and more relaxing than the rowdier back of the boat. There were also multiple photographers on board that would pull different people at random times to get some photos taken. Taking the photos was free, however you could purchase the photos at the end of the trip for (in my opinion) a pretty hefty price. The catamaran ride lasted a little over an hour before getting to our first stop; a swimming hole / sandbar. (Approximately 11:10 AM)

Once we arrived at the swimming hole, the majority of the people got off to swim in the crystal clear waters. The water was about chest deep on most people. We enjoyed the swimming spot for about ~45 minutes~ (I believe) before getting back on the boat. While at the spot, the photographers took more photos of people and couples in the water. Then we got back on the boat and continued the journey to Saona Island. (Approximately 11:55 AM)

We got back on the catamaran and continued the party for about another ~hour~ until we arrived at Saona Island (Approximately 1:00 PM). Along the boat journey to the island, you could look over the boat’s edge and see massive starfish resting on the ocean floor. Saona Island is absolutely stunning. With soft sand, plenty of shade from tall, lush palm trees, and clear sparkling waters, it is the epitome of paradise. On the island, there are plenty of chairs and hammocks to place your belongings. There is a buffet with average-looking food including pasta, chicken, cucumber salad, corn, etc. There are also men walking around who will cut fresh coconuts in front of you and fill them with your choice of mamajuana or rum. The island of Saona is a great experience, relaxing, tranquil, tropical, yet lively at the same time. There were more opportunities for photos with the photographers on the island. Here, I began speaking with people who were on our bus and boat and many of our groups intermingled and became friends, all from different areas of the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Mexico, and the United States. After about ~2-3 hours~ on the island, we boarded a speedboat, and headed back to Bayahibe. 

At the return to Bayahibe, there were multiple buses all lined up to take people back to their hotels and resorts. We were presented with the opportunity to use the restrooms again before getting back on the bus for our ~2 hour~ return to Santo Domingo. (Approximately 5:00PM). We sat with our new friends on the bus which seemed to make the ride back to the city much quicker, dropping off people at the resort in La Romana along the way. When we arrived back in Santo Domingo, we said our “Thank Yous” and “Goodbyes” and everyone dispersed. (Everyone except our group of new friends, who made plans to meet back up for dinner and a night out later that night.) (Approximately 7:40 PM)

Trip Summary

In total, our trip was about ~13 hours~ long, from our set meeting time till the time we arrived back in Santo Domingo. I had the absolute best time and would recommend anybody staying in Santo Domingo to book the trip on Airbnb titled “Excursion to island saona food drink picked up in hotels” with “Jhonny” as your host. We had some chill time on the bus in the morning, to a speedboat ride that quickly turned into a catamaran party, relaxing time at a pristine swimming sandbar, more catamaran party, island paradise at Saona Island, zooming back via speedboat, and a salty, sandy and soggy bus ride back to Santo Domingo. Making new friends and memories along the way in a day-long beautiful island adventure.

Reasons Why To Book: The Sparknotes

1. The trip takes up the full day, so it is well worth the money
2. Rum drinks and buffet food are included, which makes the money worth it again
3. You may bring your own beverages and snacks on board
4. You get to experience two beautiful tropical oases; the initial swimming spot and the island of Saona, perfect for content creators or tropic enthusiasts alike
5. Transportation to and from Bayahibe is extremely convenient versus driving for finding your own form of transportation
6. All the planning is done for you, all you have to do is show up on time in the morning and have fun
7. There was a mix of age ranges from young adult, to mature adult (and one pre-teen child on our boat)
8. Shared boat days always bring like-minded people together, so you’re bound to make new friends, especially as a solo traveler or people traveling in a small group
9. You get to meet and experience people of all cultures from around the world
10. It will make a memorable experience

Items To Bring:

1. Swimsuit
2. Sunglasses
3. Sunscreen
4. Towel
5. Extra clothes for the bus ride home (if you want)
6. A sweatshirt or coverup for the bus (I personally was chilly)
7. Seasick medicine (if you get sick on boats)
8. Water and snacks (even though it is provided, I feel it’s always good to have on hand just in case or for the bus ride to and from)
9. Cash / Dominican Pesos (for tipping and/or anything you purchase on the island or Bayahibe prior to getting on the boat)
10. A portable phone charger (if you’re on your phone a lot or take frequent photos and videos because you are going to be gone for 12+ hours)

In Conclusion

Again, I can’t say enough great things about a day trip to Saona Island when on vacation or traveling to the Dominican Republic. Always remember to book the trip, be respectful, enjoy every moment, and leave nothing but footprints!

To learn more or book this specific experience / excursion on Airbnb, click here. 

Looking for a hotel in Santo Domingo? I recommend staying at Mosquito Boutique Hotel Zona Colonial. Learn more and read my blogpost about Mosquito Boutique Hotel Zona Colonial, here.

Check out my other tips and recommendations for your trip to the Dominican Republic, here.