The water in front of the Zona Colonial is for looking at. The swimming beaches, the cave lakes, the national parks and the big islands are all a drive away, and the right choice depends mostly on one number, how many hours you can spend in a vehicle. This guide lists seven trips in order of effort, from a short beach hop to a very long day, gives a drive time and a way of going for each, and points you to the full guide where one exists.
Drive times below come from a route calculator, CalcularRuta, and from tour operators, and they describe normal traffic. Leaving the capital on a Friday afternoon or a holiday can add a lot. Prices and hours change, and the sources do not always agree, so the figures are for planning, not for booking.
How to choose
Start with the hours you have and the kind of day you want.
- Half a day or less: Los Tres Ojos, a cave park about 10 minutes from the Colonial Zone by one visitor guide, or Boca Chica, about 40 minutes by car.
- A half day with a swim: Boca Chica or Juan Dolio, 40 to 55 minutes by car, with a meal on the sand.
- A full day with a cultural stop: Altos de Chavón, about an hour and 40 minutes each way.
- A full day on the water: Saona Island, with a drive of about two hours each way to the departure dock and a day of about 11 hours in total.
- A very long day in a park: Los Haitises, 12 to 13 hours on the tour that leaves from the old city.
- Not a day trip: Samaná. The drive is about two hours with no traffic, but the peninsula is best treated as an overnight stay or longer.
A second question is who you travel with. Small children and slower walkers do best on Boca Chica and Juan Dolio. Anyone who likes caves and photography should do Los Tres Ojos. People who want a nature day should do Los Haitises. Those who want the famous white-sand and turquoise day should accept the long drive and go to Saona.
A third question is the calendar. The beaches near the capital are busiest on weekends, and Dominican tourism material says Boca Chica is also busy during Easter Week and in summer. Whales visit Samaná Bay from about January to March. The best time to visit Santo Domingo page covers weather and crowds by month.
Boca Chica
Boca Chica is the closest beach to the old city that most visitors will want. The route calculator gives about 38 kilometers and 39 minutes by car, the national tourism site says it is about 30 minutes from Santo Domingo, and a second tourism page says about 35 minutes. The beach is also close to Las Américas International Airport, which makes it a natural first swim or a last one on a travel day.
The water is the reason to go. The tourism page describes the bay as shallow and sheltered, more like a resort pool than a surf beach, with low waves, and the national tourism site says the shallow water makes it family-friendly. A mangrove islet called La Matica sits offshore and is an important bird habitat, and La Caleta Underwater Park lies west of town, with coral reefs and shipwrecks for divers. Kayaks and snorkeling gear can be rented, and the page mentions a banana boat ride for about 150 pesos, a price that may have moved.
Beach restaurants serve fresh fish and seafood. The tourism page lists fried fish with tostones and yaniqueques, a round fried pastry served with lemon, among the local dishes. On weekends the beach has live music and a lively local crowd, and the busiest times are weekends, Easter Week and summer. For a quieter visit, go on a weekday morning. The full guide, including how to reach the beaches without a car and what a beach day costs, is Boca Chica Beach and Juan Dolio.
Juan Dolio
Juan Dolio is farther along the same coast road. The route calculator gives about 61 kilometers and 52 minutes by car, while the national tourism page says the beach is about 57 kilometers from Santo Domingo and 13 kilometers from San Pedro de Macorís. The two figures show how much the time varies with the day and the traffic.
The tourism page describes white sand and palm trees and a compact destination where most things are within easy walking or driving distance. It says the area is quieter than during its tourism boom in the 1980s, and that weekends and holidays are busiest, with weekdays calmer. It lists restaurants and street vendors selling shrimp, octopus, clams, lambi and coconuts, and mentions that red snapper and dorado show up on menus. It also says a golf course sits near an all-inclusive resort. If you want a swim without the crowd energy, Juan Dolio on a weekday is the usual choice, and it is covered in the same guide as Boca Chica.
How to go: a hired driver or a ride app is the simplest way from the old city. Agree the return before you need it, because far fewer cars cruise the coast than the capital.
Los Tres Ojos
Los Tres Ojos, the Three Eyes, is the quickest trip of all. A visitor guide says the park is in Santo Domingo, about 10 minutes by car from the Colonial Zone, and that an Uber from there cost roughly 200 pesos at the time of writing. It describes three lakes, called Aguas Azufradas, La Nevera and Las Damas, and a fourth, Los Zaramagullones, which you view from above or reach by a short boat ride that cost an extra 25 pesos. A tour operator describes the visit as about two hours, with the three lakes formed by rising rivers in an underground cave and a boat ride on a fourth lagoon.
The practical notes matter. The guide gives hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with the last tickets at about 3 p.m., and an entrance fee of 100 pesos at 2019 prices. It says to expect several flights of stairs, to wear shoes with grip, to bring water and mosquito repellent because there are no food stands, and to buy tickets at the kiosk rather than from the guides who approach you. Other listings give slightly different hours and say that guides and boats charge separate fees, so confirm before you go. The long version is in Los Tres Ojos Cave Lakes.
How to go: a ride app or taxi is the easiest, and a tour operator runs a guided visit with pickup at the San Francisco ruins by Plaza de España, which includes transport, a guide, the boat ride and the entrance fees. It pairs well with a beach afternoon, since both are on the east side of the city.
Altos de Chavón and La Romana
Altos de Chavón is the cultural day trip. The route calculator gives about 112 kilometers and 1 hour 39 minutes to La Romana. The village looks like a Mediterranean hill town, with cobbled streets and stone buildings, and the national tourism site describes it as a replica of a sixteenth-century European village overlooking the Chavón River. It was built in the twentieth century, not the sixteenth, and the tourism pages say it has artists' studios, craft workshops and galleries, a stone church and a Greek-style amphitheater that seats about 5,000. One tourism page dates its opening to 1982, and the other says construction began in 1976, so the dates depend on what you count.
Entry is controlled. The tourism site lists hours of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and says access is subject to the conditions of the Casa de Campo resort, and another page says there is an entrance fee for non-guests or you can book a village tour. Call before you go. The village is compact, so two to three hours is enough, and a day trip from Santo Domingo is easy if you leave early. The full guide is Altos de Chavón and La Romana.
How to go: a hired driver is the most flexible, and tour operators run village trips from the capital. If you want the boat day to Isla Catalina from the same area, treat that as a separate day. The Chavón guide covers it.
Saona Island
Saona is the long beach day. The island lies off the southeastern tip of the Dominican Republic and is part of Cotubanamá National Park, according to the tourism site, which says there are only two settlements, a navy base and the fishing village of Mano Juan, and no accommodation. Speedboats and catamarans usually leave from Bayahibe, and round-trip tours typically cost between 50 and 100 US dollars, often with lunch.
From Santo Domingo, the route calculator gives about 138 kilometers and 2 hours 13 minutes to Bayahibe. A tour operator's private speedboat trip is about 11 hours from hotel pickup to return, and the program includes a 45-minute stop at a cove beach for snorkeling or swimming, a lunch at Mano Juan with a turtle sanctuary, a cruise through a mangrove channel where turtles and small sharks may appear, and a last swim in a shallow natural pool. The operator lists park admission of US$5 per person as not included, which is a number that may have changed.
If you like beaches more than caves, this is the trip. It is also a day of early starts and long hours in a vehicle, so go in a mood for it. The full guide to picking a boat and avoiding the overhyped parts is Isla Saona Day Trip. For the beach resort coast on the other side, see Punta Cana Beaches.
Los Haitises National Park
Los Haitises is the wild day. The tour operator that meets at Parque Colón in the old city lists a total of 12 to 13 hours, with about 2.5 to 3 hours of driving to the starting point. You then board a boat to the cays, sail through mangrove channels, visit caves with Taíno petroglyphs, stop at the beach cave Cueva de la Arena, and have lunch at Cayo Levantado before returning. The price includes the minibus, the boat, an English-speaking guide, park admission and lunch.
Drivers should note that the distance from Sabana de la Mar, one of the boat towns, back to Santo Domingo is about 153 kilometers and 2 hours 19 minutes by the route calculator. The park is on Samaná Bay, and boats also leave from Samaná town. It is a nature day rather than a beach day, so bring a hat, sun protection and insect repellent. The full guide, including what the sources say about who made the rock art, is Los Haitises National Park.
Samaná
Samaná is a destination, not a day trip. The national tourism page says it is 2.5 to 3 hours from Santo Domingo and recommends a stay of three to five days, and the route calculator gives about 168 kilometers and 2 hours 13 minutes to Samaná town in good conditions. The visit can be done in a very long day, but you spend most of it on the road, and the best parts are far from the town. The tourism page lists humpback whales in Samaná Bay from January to March, Cayo Levantado with white sand, Playa Rincón at Las Galeras, which it calls one of the country's most beautiful beaches, and El Limón waterfall, reached on horseback or on foot.
If you want a taste, take the whales in season or the Los Haitises boat day from the bay, then stay overnight on the peninsula. The planner for that is The Samaná Peninsula Guide, and the best beaches in the country are ranked in The Best Beaches in the Dominican Republic.
Planning rules that apply to every trip
Some habits make every trip better.
- Leave early. The long trips need it, and even the short ones are better before the heat and the crowds. Beach roads fill up on weekends.
- Book the return. Out-of-town rides back are the most common problem. Agree the return with a driver or tour operator before you go.
- Carry cash and water. Many entrance fees, beach shacks and boat rides are paid in pesos. Bring water and sun protection.
- Check the weather. Rain affects boat tours, and the late summer and autumn bring the hurricane season. The best time to visit page gives the dates.
- Do not stack trips. Two long trips in a row is a bad idea. Put a rest day in the old city between them.
For the arrival side, including airports and ride apps, the getting to Santo Domingo guide is the place to start, and the Santo Domingo versus Punta Cana article helps you decide whether a resort stay would suit you better than a city base.
Where the penthouse fits
Penthouse Pallazzo is a third-floor walk-up with no elevator, so pack light for the day. It has a private deck facing the Montesinos monument and the sea, which is a good place to be when you come back from any of these trips.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the closest beach to Santo Domingo's old city?
Boca Chica, at about 38 kilometers and 39 minutes by car according to a route calculator. Juan Dolio is farther, at about 61 kilometers and 52 minutes.
Can I do Los Tres Ojos and Boca Chica in one day?
Yes. Los Tres Ojos takes about two hours, and Boca Chica is a short drive away on the same side of the city. Start with the caves in the morning and finish at the beach.
How long is the Saona Island day trip?
About 11 hours from hotel pickup to return on one operator's private speedboat tour, including the drive to Bayahibe of about two hours each way, a boat crossing and stops at a beach, a village and a natural pool.
Is Samaná a day trip from Santo Domingo?
It can be done, but the drive is 2.5 to 3 hours each way by the national tourism page, and the page recommends three to five days. Treat it as an overnight trip.
Do I need to rent a car?
Not for most of these trips. Tour operators run Los Haitises, Saona and the caves with pickup in the city, and drivers and ride apps handle the beaches. Renting a car gives you flexibility but adds highway driving.
Which trip suits children best?
Boca Chica, since the tourism page describes the shallow water as family-friendly. Los Tres Ojos is also easy, though it has many stairs.
Sources
- https://www.calcularruta.com/de-santo-domingo-a-boca-chica.html
- https://www.calcularruta.com/de-santo-domingo-a-juan-dolio.html
- https://www.calcularruta.com/de-santo-domingo-a-la-romana.html
- https://www.calcularruta.com/de-santo-domingo-a-bayahibe.html
- https://www.calcularruta.com/de-santo-domingo-a-samana.html
- https://www.calcularruta.com/de-sabana-de-la-mar-a-santo-domingo.html
- https://visitdominicanrepublic.com/beaches-islands/boca-chica/
- https://www.godominicanrepublic.com/destinations/boca-chica
- https://visitdominicanrepublic.com/beaches-islands/juan-dolio/
- https://www.dominicanabroad.com/three-eyes-national-park-santo-domingo/
- https://www.civitatis.com/en/santo-domingo/tour-three-eyes-national-park?aid=3886
- https://www.visitdominicanrepublic.org/altos-de-chavon-la-romana
- https://www.godominicanrepublic.com/que-hacer/altos-de-chavon
- https://visitdominicanrepublic.com/beaches-islands/saona-island/
- https://www.civitatis.com/en/santo-domingo/saona-island-speedboat-day-trip
- https://www.civitatis.com/EN/santo-domingo/trip-haitises-national-park?aid=3886
- https://www.godominicanrepublic.com/destinations/samana
