Whale Watching and Bacardi Island day trip from Punta Cana

Organized, Safe, Fun, Professional. Would do it Again!

I absolutely loved this trip. I went with my teenage daughter. Us two girls always felt safe.They were very organized and they did not waste any time. They were quick picking people up and then they took us to a nice big spacious classy bus which took us to a boat and the ride was not that long and we saw whales it was awesome and then we went to Bacardi Island. The staff , everyone was so nice. Our main guide was Panda. He was the sweetest, so attentive, so friendly and nice. My only regret is not bringing cash because where you are going it’s sort of remote, and there aren’t any ATM machines. Once in a lifetime experience. Thank you so much for these memories!

via Tripadvisor

Awesome tour

Picked up early from our resort. Did a couple of bus transfers. Stopped at a little store with amazing coffee, saw beautiful whales, and beautiful beaches! Our tour guide was amazing.

via Viator

Loved the whales, but would not do again even if it were free!

Three stars is a pretty generous review, but I’ve had almost a week since our excursion to recover! This will be lengthy, but please read. This excursion is a very long day. We stayed at Dreams Flora and were picked up at 6:00 am., and didn’t return to our resort until 7:00 pm. From the time we were picked up to the time we arrived at the docks, it was about 3-3.5 hours. Thankfully, the bus was very nice and comfortable for the journey. They do stop along the way for a bathroom/snack break. I definitely recommend bringing your own toilet paper because the women’s bathroom didn’t have any. I cannot stress enough that you should bring a waterproof bag, waterproof phone covers and a change of clothes. If you are stuck sitting up front (or want to sit up front), you will be absolutely soaked. I’m not sure if it was the day we were out on the water, or if it’s common, but we got stuck in the second row from the front and were completely drenched. If we hadn’t had waterproof phone covers, our phones would have been destroyed. The water sprays over the front of the boat constantly and there is no escaping. Imagine being at a SeaWorld show, minus the animals. Misery!! I 15/10 recommend taking some kind of anti-nausea medication prior to the boat ride. Again, maybe it was just the day we went, or maybe it’s common for this excursion, but the water was so choppy and the waves were intense. I took anti-nausea medication and still managed to feel completely miserable by the time we reached Bacardi Island. I ate only the rice that was offered for lunch because of how sick I felt. I believe the boat ride to Bacardi Island was between 1.5-2 hours. We stopped for 30 minutes to see the whales and were fortunate enough to see a mom and baby (the baby was very curious and came out of the water a lot). It almost felt like the tour boats were harassing the whales because as soon as they came to the surface, a boat would rush over. There were two additional boats whale watching while we were out. Bacardi Island is definitely overrated. It’s beautiful, but very busy and crowded. There are a lot of vendors, but everything they are selling is very over-priced. The ride back from Bacardi Island only took an hour (thankfully)! The guides were nice and overall, I guess it was a good experience. However, I have zero interest in repeating the excursion or riding in another boat like that again!

Response from the operator: Dear Guest, Thank you very much for taking the time to share such a detailed review of your experience. We are sorry to hear that some aspects of the excursion were not as comfortable as you expected, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you experienced during the day. This excursion is indeed a full-day experience, as Samaná Bay is located several hours from the Punta Cana hotel area. For this reason, we use comfortable buses and include a stop along the way so guests can rest during the journey. Regarding the boat ride, sea conditions can vary from day to day, and sometimes the water can be rougher than usual. We always recommend that guests bring waterproof protection for their belongings and consider taking motion sickness medication if they are sensitive to boat movement, so they can enjoy the experience more comfortably. Concerning the whale watching, we would like to assure you that this activity is conducted following the regulations established by Dominican authorities for the protection of humpback whales, maintaining the required distance and guidelines to avoid disturbing their natural behavior. We also appreciate your comments about the visit to Bacardi Island (Cayo Levantado). It is a very popular destination and, especially during whale-watching season, it can become quite busy. We are glad to know that you found the guides friendly and that, despite the inconveniences, you were still able to enjoy parts of the experience. Your feedback is very valuable to us and helps us continue improving our services. Thank you again for sharing your opinion. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you again in the future and provide you with an even better experience.

via Tripadvisor

The whale watching was...

The whale watching was fantastic but would have been nice just to do that part and not the Bacardi island. Made for a long day.

via Viator

Great Whale photo opportunities but not in any rush yo do it again

It's a long day. We were picked up around 6am and got home around 6:30pm. Stopped at a roadside cafe for a comfort break. Coffee was OK, the facilities are a LOT to be desired, so knotted my legs for the rest of the journey (there's were much hardier ladies but they had been the most remote areas of Africa, so used comparable loos). When we got to the boat (and better loos) we were offered a drink and snack (and something for seasickness prevention) and were then on the boat about 20 mins later. The whale watching was great, from a photo opportunity but it looked like the whales were being coralled a number of times. After an hour and a half we were then taken to Bacardi Island. Gorgeous beach but wouldn't bother with the food or loos (there's us a theme here). Personally, I found the food disappointing and lack luster. The boat ride home was OK (reading other reviews which said they the music was loud, we didn't experience this). Glad we did the experience, from the whale watching point of view but wouldn't be in a rush to do it again.

Response from the operator: Dear Traveler, Thank you for sharing your feedback and for joining our whale watching excursion. As you mentioned, this is indeed a long but very special day, as the journey from the Punta Cana/Bávaro area to Samaná Peninsula allows visitors to experience one of nature’s most incredible events: the annual migration of humpback whales in the bay of Samaná Bay. We are happy to hear that you enjoyed the whale-watching portion and had the opportunity to capture some great photos. Regarding the stop along the road, this break is included so guests can stretch and refresh during the trip. We understand that facilities can sometimes feel basic, and we appreciate you sharing your thoughts so we can continue working with our partners to improve the experience. We are also glad you enjoyed the beautiful beach at Bacardí Island. Many guests appreciate this stop to relax and enjoy the scenery after the whale-watching portion of the tour. At the same time, we regret that the lunch did not meet your expectations, and we will certainly share your comments with the restaurant team. Thank you again for taking the time to leave your review. Your feedback helps us continue improving while offering visitors the chance to enjoy this unique natural experience in the Dominican Republic.

via Tripadvisor