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Punta Cana & the Southeast

A Caribbean workhorse of sun and sand, the southeast is synonymous with go-big-or-go-home tourism and carries the weight of the Dominican Republic’s most dramatic beaches and turquoise seas on its deeply tanned shoulders. Sprawling resort developments, some like city-states unto themselves, line much of the beachfront from Punta Cana to Uvero Alto, offering families, couples and the young and restless alike a hassle-free Caribbean holiday in some of the most idyllic environs in the region. But there is life beyond Punta Cana. Less-crowded beach towns like Bayahibe and Juan Dolio offer only slightly less dramatic seascapes but sands that go unshared with the masses. Getaways like Playa Limón, beyond the sugar plantations and inland mountains to the north, showcase a different and worthwhile side of the southeast if you can tear yourself away from the buffets long enough to take the rewarding journeys required to make their acquaintance.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Punta Cana & the Southeast.

  • See

    Montaña Redonda

    This dramatic mountaintop viewpoint has been discovered by the Instagram generation – Dominicanos flock here on weekends to take photos swinging in sky-high swing sets, hammocks and teeter-totters, or flying on broomsticks. The 360-degree mountain and sea views are jaw-dropping, among the DR's most cinematic. Transport from the parking lot is RD$700, but you can group together and pay RD$100 each. The bumpy, steep ride up is as wild as a roller coaster (some folks walk the 2.1km).

  • See

    Isla Saona

    There’s a reason why boatloads of tourists descend upon this island every day. The powdery, white-sand beach doesn’t seem real from afar, and a dip in the aquamarine surf is a gentle restorative, while palm trees provide a natural awning from the intense sun.

  • See

    Ojos Indígenas Ecological Park & Reserve

    Though development may eventually cover every inch of the Dominican coastline, for now there are still large areas of pristine coastal plains and mangrove forests. About 500m south of (and part of) the Puntacana Resort & Club, this ecological park covers over 6 sq km of protected coastal and inland habitat and is home to some 100 bird species (27 of which are indigenous species native only to the DR), 160 insect species and 500 plant species.

  • See

    Basilica de Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia

    From the outside, this basilica is a strange mixture of the sacred and the profane. A utilitarian concrete facade, not far removed from a military bunker, is topped by an elongated arch reaching high into the sky. But it’s one of the most famous cathedrals in the country because of the glass-encased image of the Virgin of Altagracia housed inside amid a trippy kaleidoscopic altar of stained-glass glow.

  • See

    Parque Nacional Cotubanamá

    Much more than simply Isla Saona, which is all that most people see on a group tour, the Parque Nacional Cotubanamá (formerly known as Parque Nacional del Este) also includes eight emerged reef terraces, 400 or so caverns, some with pictographs and ceramic remains, and Islas Catalinita and Catalina. Designated a national park in 1975, it stretches over 310 sq km of territory, the majority of which is semihumid forest.

  • See

    Parque Nacional Los Haitises

    Around 9km west of Sabana de la Mar, Parque Nacional Los Haitises is certainly the best reason to visit this small bayside town. Its name means ‘land of the mountains,’ and this 1375-sq-km park at the southwestern end of the Bahía de Samaná indeed contains scores of lush hills, jutting some 30m to 50m from the water and coastal wetlands. The knolls were formed one to two million years ago, when tectonic drift buckled the thick limestone shelf that had formed underwater.

  • See

    Cueva de las Maravillas

    Extending for 840m between Río Cumayasa and Río Soco, this lighted and well-marked massive underground cavern complex is off the highway some 20km west of La Romana. More than 500 pictographs and petroglyphs can be seen on the 45-minute guided tour (some English is spoken); the tour is included in the entrance fee so there’s little reason to wander around on your own.

  • See

    Padre Nuestro

    Located deep inside Parque Nacional Cotubanamá, Padre Nuestro is a weaving stalagmite- and stalagtite-filled 290m tunnel flooded with freshwater that can be dived by those with cave certification and swum by the rest of us. It's not for the faint of heart, but it's pretty spectacular for those who take it on. Entry fees must be paid at the park office in Bayahibe.

  • See

    Altos de Chavón

    While a trip to a faux-16th-century Italian-Spanish village created by a Paramount movie-set designer won’t exactly give you a window into Dominican culture, Altos de Chavón has some redeeming qualities, especially the excellent views of the Río Chavón (a scene from the film Apocalypse Now was filmed here). There’s a handsome church, a small but well-done pre-Columbian museum, a good Italian restaurant and a 5000-seat amphitheater, which attracts big-name performers – Frank Sinatra did the inaugural gig here.

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