Best trip to Saona Island

Saona Island

Saona is a 110 square kilometre island. It is part of a government protected nature reserve of the Dominican Republic.

Saona Island gets its name from Christopher Columbus who visited around 1494 on his second voyage to the Americas. He named it after an Italian friend from Savona, a town located in todays Northern Italy. In fact, up to today, there is a twinning relationship between the two places. Savona gifted a small power plant to Saona Island.

There is, however, another alleged origin of the word Saona stemming from the original inhabitants : “Sa-ona” which means “full of bats” …. don’t worry, there are not bats on Saona Island. 

Two settlements

There are two small settlements on Saona Island. Mano Juan near Flamingo beach is a fishing village with a couple of laidback hotels and restaurants. The other has a detachment of the navy.

Beaches of Saona Island have been background for a number of commercials and were used by film makers looking for the deserted island feeling.

The place we were taken to was well equipped with beach chairs and plenty of shade under the palm trees to chill out.

Where is Saona Island

But where is Saona Island? It is a short distance SE off the Dominican Republic mainland. Hence, it is located in the Caribbean Sea. This assures that you will find the amazing turquoise sea water and tropical vegetation.

How to get to Saona Island

It takes a couple of hours from Santo Domingo and over half an hour from Punta Cana to reach Bayahibe – starting point of the boat trip. This is travelling by car.

There are bus rides from Caribe Tours getting you there from all major places in DomRep. You might have to change busses at some point.

In addition, there are tours offering boats trips from eg Punta Cana.

Another way to get there is the rental car. Could definitely be an option as roads in the Dominican Republic are pretty good.

Bayahibe

Looking at google maps, Bayahibe might pass for a sleepy, remote place. And that was my first impression. However, within its neighbourhood are plenty of hotels, private homes, beach establishments. While charming, not sure if I would pass my vacations around here. There are better places.

A little bar/restaurant at the port of Bayahibe. A good spot to change into your swim suit and use their facilities. However, you have to consume something.

When I got to Bayahibe a fleet of catamarans and motorboats was waiting to take us to Saona Island. Me and many, many, many, many more tourists.

While waiting for my ride I observed a scuba diving lesson. In fact, there are decent diving spots around here. So, no surprise here.

Bayahibe to Saona Island

It takes around 45 minutes by boat to reach Saona Island. Make sure you either sit in the middle section of this kind of boat or that your boat has plastic curtains covering the sides of the boat …. otherwise be prepared to get totally soaked ….. Captains do not really like for you to sit right in the front. But you can always say that you get really sea sick ….

Palmilla Natural Pool

All tours make a stopover at the Natural Pool of Saona also named Palmilla Natural Pool. It is the largest and most stunning of the Dominican Republic. Located on the way to Saona Island it is definitely a very popular and touristy spot.

The waist-deep turquoise water hundreds of meters wide into the Caribbean Sea of the Palmilla Natural Pool is amazing. Apart from the stunning water it is also famous for its abundance of starfish.You might be tempted to take one out but it is strongly advised not to do so. Hence, no pic of a starfish from my side. Let us not disturb them.

By the way, it is custom that tours include unlimited rum and coke for the duration of the tour.

Beach of Saona Island or better Playa Isla Saona

After about an hour at the pool we were off to Saona Island which we reached in less than 20 minutes. Passing by Palmilla beach, the scenery was amazing: Caribbean Sea, palm tree lined beach. There was a feeling of remoteness creeping up.

Arriving to Saona Island

However, getting closer to our destination it became clear that we were not the only ones here. But, honestly, it did not give me a feeling of being over crowded.

Buffet Lunch

We were served some food from a buffet. It was just about alright. Rum and coke were still flowing endlessly. One thing I was initially missing was an ice cold beer. As soon as lunch was ready plenty of beer for everybody became available.

Returning to Bayahibe

Another hour and a half passed and it was time to get back to our starting point. This time we got a really nice ride. As this catamaran was anchored off the coast we needed to transfer onto it with waves making it all somewhat adventurous.

Concluding

I booked my trip with Saona Tours. They were punctual to pick me up at the meeting point. The entire tour was pretty well organized.

For the road transfer, I found the mini van clean and new and we had a good driver. This changed somewhat on the way back to Santo Domingo. He was driving more on the fast side which, well, brought us to destination earlier. However, once in Santo Domingo, he had a serious problem finding our drop off point even while using GPS. Good that I speak Spanish and was able to facilitate.

Would I go again? Yes, definitely yes. Check out my post on humpback whale watching in Samana in the Dominican Republic.

If you are into beaches check out the beaches of the Turks and Caicos Islands