The ultimate guide for how to get to Saona Island, whether by a group tour or privately organised excursion.
Isla Saona is a paradise island, easily accessible as a day trip from Bayahibe or Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. We organised our own excursion to Saona Island, and were so spellbound that we returned several times .
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How to get to Saona Island: the options
Private taxi/boat excursion to Saona Island
As crew members who regularly docked at La Romana cruise port, it was easy for us to befriend a local taxi driver who we always used when we wanted to get somewhere. With him, we were lucky enough to be able to negotiate prices for the whole excursion, including the taxi from La Romana to Bayahibe, and the boat from Bayahibe to La Romana. The more people we had on our excursions, the better the price.
This is something that’s always possible to do from the port, however there’s obviously no guarantee of spontaneously finding a boat on any given day. (You can also get a public bus from La Romana to Bayahibe beach; read my post on La Romana cruise port for details.)
Pre-booked excursion to Saona Island
Of course, booking yourself on to an official tour to Saona Island is also a possibility. It’s more expensive and less flexible, but pre-booking guarantees you a spot, and is also a more polished option. If you want to get to Saona Island from La Romana cruise port, check out this tour, which includes lunch and drinks on the boat and on Isla Saona.
If you’re staying in Punta Cana and want more of a party experience, look at this catamaran tour from Punta Cana to Saona Island, which also includes drinks and lunch on board.
A very brief history of Saona Island
Isla Saona’s actual name was once Adamanay, however you know what those crazy Europeans of yesteryear were like when they went around the world claiming to discover new places. They felt an overwhelming and mildly arrogant urge to give each place a special new name of their own. I say ‘claiming’ because obv in the vast majority of cases, these new lands were already inhabited- by a local bunch of people who had always been quite aware of the place they live in.
In this case the indigenous people of the Dominican Republic were called Taíno. When Christopher Columbus arrived to Adamanay in the late 1400s, he told them and the rest of the world that actually the name of this island was Saona- in homage to his good pal Michele da Cuneo who was from Savona in Italy.
Not only is Isla Saona an absolutely breathtaking place, with serene white sand beaches and palm trees swaying in the breeze, nowadays it’s a government-protected Nature Reserve. The island has a crazy abundance of nature- both on land and in the shallow blue waters that surround it. This is definitely the closest place to paradise that I have ever stepped foot on, and understandably this is also massive draw for the tourists that arrive in boats every day from the mainland.
How did I get to Saona Island? My own experience.
From La Romana to Bayahibe
The taxi journey from La Romana cruise port to Bayahibe takes about half an hour, past cacti, palms and vines in abundance plus a whole load of goats and chickens wandering alongside the road. Every time we made this trip there were at least 15 of us squeezed into the cracked leather seats of one taxi- there don’t seem to be many rules in the Dominican Republic when it comes to road safety, and it seemed like an in-car human pyramid. Especially when everyone was so hot and sweaty, it’s not the most comfortable of trips.
We rattled along being overtaken en route by mopeds laden down with passengers or produce, while the taxi driver blared out all sorts of bachata classics. Even when the sky is dark and cloudy, the air in the Dominican Republic is consistently humid- so even on the rainy days we weren’t bothered in the slightest smidgen.
My pal Marc had been full on savvy and pre-liaised with a boat driver who was always waiting to collect us. So it was at Bayahibe that we waded to the water upon arrival and clambered in to the small boat to start the second part of the journey to Isla Saona.
Flying fish and the rockiest boat ride
The first time we made the journey by boat from Bayahibe to Isla Saona, I made the mistake of sitting right at the front. If there’s one piece of advice I could ever give you about boat rides to tropical islands, it is FOR GOD’S SAKE DO NOT SIT AT THE FRONT!
As we began to pick up speed, despite the apparent calmness of the water surrounding us, the front end of the boat began to bounce up and down like there was no tomorrow; which was simultaneously hilarious and absolutely petrifying. My hat actually fell apart during the whole process of the journey, it was that choppy. And GOOD LORD MY BACK WAS IN PAIN AFTERWARDS. Whenever it seemed like we were nearing the end of our journey, we’d pick up speed again, for around 50 minutes in total- a much longer journey time than I’d imagined.
The next time we went, the boat trip to Isla Saona was a much calmer affair and I was able to see more of our surroundings. The moment a flying fish darted out of the water and began it’s long glide through the air, I was in shock. I know it was just a little fish, but I hadn’t realised quite the distances these fellows can fly for. It was amazing! We kept our eyes peeled and gradually we were surrounded by more and more fish going for a little flying session through the sea air.
The deserted beach of Isla Saona
The first time our boat began to slow down and get closer to the beach at Isla Saona, I couldn’t believe that places like this even exist. But more than that, I couldn’t believe that I was lucky enough to go there.
In all honesty ‘deserted’ is a bit of a creative word for what the beach at Isla Saona actually is, but it’s as close to deserted as you can get these days. We always travelled around to the far side of the island very early in the morning, which is a lot earlier than most tourists are willing to be up and about gallivanting on slightly strenuous boat trips. Normally there were only a couple of boats which had arrived prior to us stepping foot on this glorious piece of land, and throughout the day more and more would turn up.
Walking along the white sand with only the sound of the sea is such a peaceful experience- although there are some other signs of life around. A donkey wanders through the palm trees every now and then, poking its nose at discarded coconut shells. Often a local man has already set up his barrow of coconuts in the shade a short walk away, armed with a machete to chop them open with for drinking. I’m not sure whether this lad is one of the 400 people who live in Isla Saona’s only town- apparently their main source of income is from fishing and farming, not selling coconuts for $3 a go.
But he did rather proudly show us his half-thumb, which he’d chopped off accidentally in a coconut-related accident.
I’m normally a massive scaredy-cat when it comes to swimming in the sea, but the water around Isla Saona is so shallow and clear that even I was more than happy to have a good old swim around. One of my trip buddies, aided by a snorkel, discovered a conch shell during her scanning of the area- TRUE TREASURE, MY FRIENDS!!! I am so impressed by the fact that these things exist.
This place truly is an actual paradise, and I was sad to leave after a couple of hours, by which point a few more boats had arrived and deposited their passengers onto the white sand as well. (On a side note, I was also a bit sad to leave because it meant another boat-ride being battered around like crazy and getting even more of a bruised bum)
What to do if you find a conch shell in the Dominican Republic
I’m gonna just hit you with the cold hard truth here, guys.
If you find a conch shell in the Dominican Republic, then unfortunately you may not under any circumstances remove it from its beach location. Particularly from a protected reserve like Isla Saona. There’s a chance that you’ll get asked at the airport whether you have any shells, and there’s also a chance that customs could take them away.
The Isla Saona donkey
On our first visit to Isla Saona we didn’t take much notice of the old donkey wandering around. We left her to it, letting her weave her way through the trees in the background while we got on with it.
But when we returned, she was much closer to us and looked a little worse for wear. This was a skinny lass who looked very much on the thirsty side. I’m sure there was water somewhere on the island for her, but it definitely didn’t seem as if the sandy beach was the place to find it.
After a while we offered her some apples and pears from our lunches (which we’d scavenged from the crew mess that morning), and then started to give her water from our bottles. We formed our hands into scoop-shapes for her to lap up easier and as more people noticed, the more kept donating us a spare bottle. I’m not exactly sure what the protocol is for feeding donkeys but I’ve definitely never seen an animal that looked quite as thirsty as she did.
The resort beach
We headed back around the coast of Isla Saona, bouncing again like crazy on the flat water, but this time with switched seating positions to ease our aches and pains a bit. (Also in all honesty probably to give the rest of the group some relief from our screaming every time we hit the water with any kind of force. It was for the best all around, I think.)
Related: The exclusive island of Isla Catalina, Dominican Republic
Our da bomb boat driver took us to a far busier beach which is part of an all-inclusive resort, with far less of a wild feel about it but still full on lovely, and with the added bonus of a bathroom. Yesssss!!
I like to think of myself as a relatively low-maintenance individual but when it comes to an au naturel wee I am really not a fan ya know.
Saying hi to the starfish near Isla Saona
I was mildly confused the first time our boat driver stopped the boat on the way back to Bayahibe, just off the shoreline of Isla Saone. Especially when he announced it was time to jump out into the water. Like I said pals, I’m a scaredy-cat.
Turns out I had absolutely nothing to be afraid of as when I plummeted from the ladder in grim-faced fear I discovered that it’s actually stupendously shallow. At some points the water was just over knee deep, and at its deepest barely came up to my shoulders. So not really anything to worry about at all. What an idiot.
The sea in that area near Isla Saona is home to a ginormous number of starfish, who hang out on the sand in these shallows having a ball all day long. There’s a large area which is completely restricted to prevent too many tourists from coming along and picking up these guys all day long, but by the time we arrived we were the only boat there. If you arrive earlier in the day it can be chockablock with boatloads of people come to ogle and inspect these beaut creatures.
I realise it probably sounds quite hypocritical when I am one of the tourists who went to look at the starfish. But restrictions on numbers to these situations are surely the way forward, to prevent any damage being done and also just to keep the nature natural.
At first I was a bit worried that picking them up would do them harm but our boat-man assured us that as long as we handled them extremely gently and didn’t take them out of the water it would be fine. Since I returned home I’ve been trying to find anything I can to confirm this and the results of my research are very much mixed! Some say never pick a starfish up, others say exactly what our DR boat-pal told us, so if you’re any kind of starfish expert and have some guidance then I’d very much be up for knowing!
How to get to Isla Saona- excursions and beyond
If you’re staying in a hotel in Punta Cana, Bayahibe or La Romana, it’s almost guaranteed that your hotel will offer their own excursions to Isla Saona.
Our own situation as crew of a cruise ship was fairly unique in that there was always a massive group of us, so it was possible to hire a boat for our group alone. We made friends with a local taxi driver who picked us up whenever we were in port, and it was through him that we were able to meet a local boat owner who took us out to the island. Liaising with locals this way (and always organising our trips with the same locals) meant that we got quite a big discount on what you would normally pay for a tour, and also had more of a personal experience.
Logistical Statisticals
- Be a good person! Obviously you shouldn’t litter anywhere you go, EVER, but bear in mind that at the most deserted beaches you visit there will definitely not be anywhere to throw your litter. So you’ve just got to bite the bullet and take it with you, okay!? This includes the plastic straws they whack into the top of coconuts to drink with. It’s just the right thing to do really isn’t it?
hey Alex, that´s such a paradise!!! incredible 🙂 have fun 🙂 PedroL
It really is a beautiful place, I was in love!! Thanks for reading 😄
🙂
Your article reminded me about the trip I had with my family in 2013. I bought my first Catalina boat then and we had such a great time. Thank you for bringing me these emotions and memories. Maybe it’s a sign to visit Isla Saona again.
Ah that sounds amazing! It’s just such a stunning place isn’t it- I’ll definitely go back myself if I ever get the chance. Glad you enjoyed the article!