Punta Cana Things to Do Tips by micas_pt

Punta Caña is a destination that is well known because of its beaches. The white sand, the warm water, the fantastic sea colours, the palm trees, the wonderful sunny days, the animation at night, all add up to make this destination a great spot for holidays.

Someone travelling to Punta Caña is seeking beach, animation and/or relax, basically that’s it. Enjoy the wonderful Caribbean beaches and have fun.

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If enjoying the resort the whole period of your stay is not your type of “activity” there are several alternatives available:
. book a daytrip at the resort. Usually there are several companies there trying to “sell” their packages to guests. We booked a few, some to discover other places and some to simply enjoy the beach and have a nice day outside the resort.
. discover other places by yourself. We only did this once, and it was ok. We visited Higuey by our own, using public transportation, and it was safe and cheap.

Our daytrips outside the resort consisted of:
1. Isla Saona + Altos de Chávon
2. Boat, snorkeling and deserted island
3. Inner island, local customs and sugar cane plantation
4. Higuey
I will describe these daytrips and activities in the next tips.

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Dominican Republic is much more than beaches. The island landscape is varied, ranging from the white sanded beaches to the mountainous green interior.

We booked a visit to the "interior" of the island on a 4wd vehicle, which allowed us to go off the beaten roads and discover both the landscape and the small villages.

At first, we were so surprised at the sight of luxurious green hills. There was green everywhere and the landscape was almost mountainous. The temperature is not as high (fortunately) and there is a kind of mist everywhere. The vegetation is thick and completely different from the palm trees we were used to see on the beach.

This visit allowed us to discover how a typical family lives, what grows on their garden and what are their habits.

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One major economic activity in the inner island is the sugar cane plantations. You can see huge plantations (farms) where the green sugar cane fields extend for kilometres and kilometres.

The owners of these farms have installations for their workers, mainly Haitians. Haitian men come to Dominican Republic in search of work and bring wife and children.

Farms are opened for guided visits, where you will be able to see how they harvest the sugar cane and load it into the ware houses. Also they will give you some sugar cane to taste, as well as rum, one of the main products made on the island from the sugar cane.

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Before arriving in Isla Soana by boat, we visited a swamp that is part of the protected Parque Nacional del Este. Here we were able to see local fauna and flora, but couldn’t get out of the boat. A bit further, we got out of the boat on crystal clear green water and enjoyed the company of turtles.

We arrived at Isla Saona by lunch time and enjoyed our meal there – fish and seafood, tasty and fresh. Afterwards we could rest on the beach – the island’s beaches are fantastic - white sand and the water is warm and blue. The island has an average temperature of 26ºC all year round and 13 hours of sun every day.

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The village itself it's a must see activity. There are numerous opportunities for visiting this place from major hotels and resorts. In brief, this village began being built in 1976 and reproduces a 16th century Mediterranean village. It was a birthday gift from Charles Bluhdorn to his daughter and uses materials such as coral block and terracotta.

Today it hosts an important arts school and the entire village has a student's/ artists feeling. Very nice to visit, you will feel in a different place that has nothing in common to what you usually come across in the DR.

Don’t miss:
. the amphitheatre
. the River Chávon
. the Regional Museum of Archaeology
. the Art Gallery
. the S. Estanislao Church

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As referred on the previous tip, the major main sees of this village are:
. the amphitheatre: it has a capacity of 5.000 seats and reproduces a typical 16th century Mediterranean one. It was inaugurated in 1982 with a concert that featured Frank Sinatra and Carlos Santana. Some events take place here regularly such as concerts, symphonies, theatrical events, and festivals. Some renowned artists as Julio Iglesias, Gloria Estefan, Sergio Mendes, Dizzy Gillespie, Air Supply, Pilobulos, and the Dance Theater of Harlem, are referred as to having performed there.

. the River Chavón: this River named the village. It is famous for having been the scenario for filming some scenes for "Apocalypse Now" and "Rambo". It is possible to make some boat travels along the river. From the village you get fabulous views over the river.

. the Regional Museum of Archaeology: this museum shows the country's history from the pre-ceramic era to Taino Indians (main civilization when the Spanish conquerors arrived) and hosts more than 3.000 pieces discovered in the place where the village was built as well as in River Chavón. Some of their more important artefacts have already been exposed in New York, Paris and Seville.

. the Art Gallery: the gallery has an important role on local life since any artist who gets to expose in this gallery has the privilege of showing his work to visitors from all over the world. It is also frequent to find international artists' exhibits here.

. the S. Estanislao Church: the church was named as a honour to Pope João Paulo II, since S. Estanislao is Poland's patron (Poland was Pope's homeland). As other buildings, it is made of stone and is a reproduction of a 16th century Mediterranean style. It is situated in front of a very nice square with a fountain, from which you can enjoy outstanding views.

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We spent the whole day out. A short drive on a typical coloured bus leads you to a, also typical and colourful, boat. We spent some time on the boat listening to merengue, learning to dance (merengue) and listening to local stories. The boat stops at a place that is fantastic for snorkelling – if you book some kind of trip like this don’t forget your gear, as the guide will provide you tubes and masks but they have been used before and surely weren’t well clean. Also, there are stops programmed at the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic, as well as at the spot where the two oceans meet (supposedly).

After all this swimming and diving, its time for lunch on a deserted beach. Food is good and fresh and consists mainly of fish and seafood. By the beach there is a fishermen’s village that you will be able to visit (forget the souvenir shop, it’s expensive). Afterwards, time to return home, always by boat and with a lot of animation and rum.

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Higuey is a city situated somewhat near Punta Caña, and it is the capital of La Altagracia Province. We ventured on a public bus and visited Higuey for an afternoon. Visiting this city by ourselves, we managed to have a real feel of authentic Dominican lifestyle, and not only the idyllic beaches and landscapes that the guides showed us before. Looks like that “real life” is so different from the things we had seen so far on the island.

Markets are a place I like to visit, as I enjoy seeing food and habits. The market I visited here left quite a “big” impression on me, mainly the smell, as it wasn’t pleasant at all. Habits are undoubtedly different, and butchers, for example, hang the raw meat on front of the shops leaving I hanging there the whole day, … The main reason for the smell, is that there isn’t a sewer system and water and garbage run on the street.

There is also a part of the city that is tourist oriented – a lot of souvenir shops, mainly hand crafts and cigars.

When in Higuey be sure not to miss the Cathedral, in my opinion, the city’s main must see.

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