✈Fly into PUJ — Private driver / transfer. Have the ride arranged before you land.
Frictionless: direct flights, white sand, resorts, golf and easy excursions — the safest, simplest first stop.
Day 1
- Higüey Basilica & Dominican Countryside Tour — The pilgrimage basilica, a local school and a family home with a real campo lunch — the closest a resort day gets to the actual DR. Book ↗
- Dominican Coffee, Cacao & Rum Tasting — How chocolate, coffee, cigars and mamajuana are actually made — a small, tasty, low-key afternoon. Book ↗
Day 2
- Playa Bávaro — The signature palm-and-turquoise strip.
- Marinarium Marine Park Snorkel Cruise — Snorkel with nurse sharks and rays in a protected natural pool, then float the sandbar. Book ↗
Standout tables: Noah Marina · Dolce Italia · SBG Punta Cana
🚗Punta Cana → Santo Domingo — Private driver / transfer, ~150 min drive..
Culture, food and nightlife in one walkable, well-policed core — the best cultural anchor for any trip.
Day 3
- Catedral Primada de América — The first cathedral in the Americas (1540).
- Alcázar de Colón — Diego Columbus's palace on Plaza España — the best-preserved Renaissance building in the Americas. Book ↗
Day 4
- Museo de las Casas Reales — The colonial-era Royal Houses, now a museum of the Spanish period.
- Fortaleza Ozama — The oldest European military fort in the Americas, with river-and-sea views from the Torre del Homenaje.
Standout tables: Turo · La Cassina · Central Gastronómica
🚗Santo Domingo → Samaná & Las Terrenas — Private driver / transfer, ~145 min drive..
That rare place where green mountains fall straight into wild beaches — El Limón, Playa Rincón, Los Haitises. Humpback whales Jan–Mar.
Day 5
- Playa Rincón Beach Trip — A boat or 4x4 to one of the world's most beautiful wild beaches — coconut palms, no resorts.
- Playa Bonita — A long, calm, boutique-lined beach next to Las Terrenas — the peninsula's easy default.
Day 6
- Cayo Levantado Island Day — A palm-fringed island beach day in Samaná Bay — the original 'Bacardi Island'.
- Playa Cosón — A long, wild stretch of golden sand west of town — big skies, few crowds and great sunsets.
Standout tables: El Lugar · Zamia by Itinerante · El Cabito
🚗Samaná & Las Terrenas → Puerto Plata & Cabarete — Private driver / transfer, ~180 min drive..
Atlantic energy: surf, wind sports, waterfalls and real city streets. More active and authentic than the east.
Day 7
- Puerto Plata Cable Car (Teleférico) — The Caribbean's only cable car, up Pico Isabel de Torres to a Christ statue and botanical gardens over the sea.
- Cabarete Kitesurf or Surf Lesson — Learn on the wind-and-wave beach that put Cabarete on the world map.
Day 8
- Playa Encuentro — The north coast's surf beach — dawn sessions and a laid-back reef break.
- Las Cuevas de Cabarete — Limestone caves in El Choco park — swim in freshwater caverns and see Taíno petroglyphs.
Day 9
- National Park El Choco y Las Cuevas de Cabarete — A protected park of lagoons, caves and forest behind Cabarete — cave swims, hikes and birdlife.
- Playa secreta — A hidden little beach near Cabarete — quiet sand and clear water off the beaten path.
Day 10
- Ocean World Marine Park — Dolphins, sea lions and a family-friendly marine park in Cofresí.
- 27 Charcos de Damajagua — Jump and slide down 27 turquoise waterfalls — the north coast's signature adrenaline day.
Standout tables: La Kazba Cabarete · Bliss · Le Petit François