Full-Day Tour to Punta Rucia and Cayo Arena with Snorkeling

Beautiful day, wonderful tour guide!

An amazing day that my kids and I will never forget. Usually I wouldn't leave the resort with 2 small kids however Senator was not that great of a resort and the food/activities were redundant so I booked this excursion for just shy of $200 for myself, my 7 and 5 year Olds. We were picked up from our resort at 0820 by a small van driven to a nearby gas station where we joined the rest of our group on a large, comfortable bus. Our tour guide was an amazing historian who spoke Spanish, English, French and German. He gave us a deep overview of the flora, fauna and touched on the DR history and geography. I really enjoyed his tour. The drive was really long. We stopped for a bathroom break and there was a cute shop to purchase nick- nacks and snacks. We got back on the bus and drove to the beach where we climbed into a yola (a small fishing boat- wooden) with an engine on the back. This was the only part of the day I didn't enjoy as the boat goes extremely fast and my 7 year old didn't enjoy it at all. After about 20 min we reached Cayo Arena - around 11 am almost 3 hours after leaving the hotel. It was amazingly beautiful. We stayed four about 2 hours and then headed back to the beach we originally launched from (we did a tour of the mangroves on the way back) once back on the bus we headed to the first store we stopped at for a yummy Dominican Lunch of rice and beans, plantains, pasta salad, salad and chicken. We made it back to our resort at 0535 pm, keep this in mind if your are making dinner reservations. I wouldn't make them for earlier than 7 pm.

Thanks for the great time

The trip was nice. Did snorkeling for more than a hour. The island is pretty crowded but that's to expect in such a tourist place. Food was good

We really enjoyed this...

We really enjoyed this tour. The island is beautiful. The water was nice and we saw lots of fish when snorkeling.

ABSOLUTELY PERFECT

People were amazing, food was yummy, drinks were strong, the island was breathtaking & snorkelling around the reef was absolutely beautiful. We saw so many incredible looking fish. We had a blast and would 15/10 recommend this to anyone travelling to DR

HORRIBLE ! DON'T WAIST YOUR TIME !

This trip was terrible! We spent 8 hours on a bus for a 2 hours visit on a very crowded tiny sand bar where we could not use a towel to lay on. I don't know if this is usual or not but the weather was extremely windy, so I was cold and did not even feel like getting in the water to snorkel. At one point it stared to rain and everyone was trying to fit under the tiny huts. The lunch was okay and then we stopped at a shop where we had already stopped on a previous excursion 2 days prior. I would not do this excursion again if you paid me! We waisted valuable time on our vacation and I came back car sick and with a broken back.

it was great..beach was...

it was great..beach was beautiful. Boat ride was a little scary for me but it was safe. I would have wanted to be a little warmer but the entire experience was good.

Beyond Amazing and I would pay way more for this tour!

This tour was beyond amazing! It started out with a gentleman picking us up directly at our resort in a private vehicle to drop us off at another resort the Senator to catch a bus ride. The bus ride was amazing we went through all these small villages. We felt really safe. Going through one town we got to see someone shoot a pig in the head and tie a rope around the neck and drag the pig to the house (probably for dinner). It was really neat to see the authentic way the Dominican people live. We got to the ocean where there were little boats waiting to cruise us on the ocean and our driver was very experienced! He did every wave and bump perfectly and it never felt unsafe. I was a little nervous being on a small boat on the ocean as I have never done it before but the way he handled that boat eased my mind. The island was beautiful and the fish were amazing and the water was super clear and the water was shallow enough to swim and not struggle with any ocean waves or currents. If you are an inexperienced swimmer this is for you as well as experienced swimmers as the water can get deeper outside the coral. On the way back the water was choppy due to a storm brewing but for safety, they took us through the mangroves and he maneuvered that boat so well around all the trees without hitting any. I have never been through mangroves on a small boat and with such precision. It was so amazing and definitely memorable.

Paradise island/mangroves/cigar shop

Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the climate and environment (flora and fauna) as we traveled to the boats. We were not bombarded by vendors when we arrived at the dock. We didn't get to see any birds in the mangroves, but our tourguide was able to give a lot of information on it. We got to the island and wow, what a view!! Arrived at high tide and the island was very crowded, but we got to take full advantage of snorkeling, swimming, and snacks. Stopped at a cigar factory and gift shop as well. Thanks for a great trip

We all had a great time....

We all had a great time. Snorkeling was amazing. The lunch they provided for us was delicious. The boat ride out to the island was a lot of fun

Oscar nunez

The callo arena is beautiful the trip ecelent but l di this trips five time in people boats cuts the ride I. The Mangalore check this is not nice for the tour l now the area very well tanks 👍

Great trip!

What a great day! Great communication before the trip, during and after. Great price for a great full day! Bus ride was fine, boat ride was amazing, views and experience was breathtaking. Staff was friendly and helpful with our 5 and 9 year old who have now declared Puerto Plata their favorite place in the world 😉 would book through them again and again! Great for a great trip, full of knowledge, history and for always making us feel safe.

Such a joke.

This excursion was an absolute joke. Let me tell you why.. 1) We rode an an old, beat up bus. The tour guide was stopping on our way to the sand bar, dropping off book bags to random people. We also had to stop for gas. Not sure why that couldn’t be done before they picked us up 2) The drive was super long. 3) The lunch was garbage. Red beans and rice, random fried pieces of chicken, and we had to pay for our own drinks. I understood I had to pay for my own drinks, but we had to pay for water.. seriously? 4) It took ALL day. We left at 7:40 and didn’t make it back until 6 pm. I just talked to some people that waited with us to do the same excursion yesterday. They paid a little more money and got to see THREE islands, lobster for lunch, and rode on a nice boat. I would have so paid extra for those amenities. I want my money back!!!! Wasted in a day In the DR.

Paradise Island is an anthill

I've done excursions to islands and the such where you can snorkel, and while the snorkelling was great, the "island" was not. 400 people stuck on an anthill without clean water, washrooms or garbage cans. My daughter and I layed out on towels and were told we could not due to the bacteria on our towels and they're trying to conserve/preserve the integrity of the "island". Make no mention of those people in the water relieving themselves, ruining the reefs and diluting their sunscreen or the people smoking aren't burying the butts in the sand or the garbage I saw floating away isn't destroying more than the "island". Sorry I layed my towel out so my sweaty and sunscreen-covered body didn't touch your sand. Anything to make a buck.

Incredible experience!

I had a fantastic time on paradise island with my friends. We were picked up in Sosua and were a bit concerned with how long the drive was, at one point we all got a bit car sick. But OH BOY WAS IT WORTH IT. The snorkling is out of this world. We were provided snorkel gear and refreshments on the island. We have a very filling dinner on the way home and made a stop at a local shop. Overall the tour was incredible and I would go back to the DR just to go to paradise island again

Beautiful island, the rest of the trip could better.

The island is amazing, breathtaking and worth it. The facilities at the rest stop/restaurant left much to be desired. The women's bathroom was under construction so everyone had to use the men's. The construction was ongoing outside. Half of the food was covered, the other half was left open so flies were abundant. There was a dead Roach on the stairs leading up to the food area. The cigar shop felt more like an after thought experience as well as the mangroves (5 minute drive through the canals with no stopping.) Would have preferred more time at the island and a different restaurant /rest stop that was more accommodating. Our guide and all of the men who drove the boats and attended to us on our Excursion were great! Still over all, worth it for the paradise island and the people.

Waste of time and money...

The "1 hour 20 minute bus ride" from our resort ended up being 5 hours spent on the bus that day... (that is not an exaggeration) We finally arrive at the location to board the speed boat to the island. We are given 10 minutes to use the bathroom and get on the boat. No mention of changing for those who were not wearing swimsuits on the bus. Get to the island and try to change in one of the small huts that is meant for the beverages and storing snorkel gear. Manage to change and then herded into a group of 25 people telling everyone to hurry up, hurry up. Not allowed to snorkel alone had to go in group. So 25 people trying to stay in single file, snorkeling with flippers hitting you in the face, arms flailing everywhere, can't stop...it was terrible and frustrating and annoying. The island is small with no shade. For someone who loves to snorkel and was really looking forward to this excursion it was a huge waste of money and time we would have rather spent on the resort.

Almost perfect

Beautiful clear blue water, fun boat ride good snorkeling and food. The service was great! The only downside is it was about an hour and half outside of Puerto Plata.

Beautiful Beautiful

Wow this island is gorgeous, beautiful and amazing, snorkelling is to die for, wow could not get enough of this place, would have stayed behind if they left me, would like to still be there lol

PARADISE ISLAND

This was a excellent tour. The guides were friendly, funny, and fun to be with.the island was gorgeous, snorkeling was wonderful. The lunch that came with the tour was so good,and plenty to eat.

Spectacular Snorkelling

Just came home from our vacation to Puerto Plata and one of the excursions we did was Paradise Island. If you enjoy snorkelling and swimming a variety of marine life this is definitely one excursion to do. The bus ride was a little long but once you get there it does not matter. Our guides were extremely helpful, funny, educational, made the trip a lot of fun. Once you get to the island and begin your snorkel adventure it is breathtaking. The reef is huge, and there is so much marine life, whether you choose to go out into the deep or stay in the shallows there is marine life everywhere. This is once excursion that we will do again in our next visit to Puerto Plata. Thank you so much, LOVED IT !!!!!!!

Incredible.

El lugar es un paraíso real, una experiencia única. Ideal para compartir en familia o en pareja. El personal muy atento y amable