Saona Island Small-Group Sailing Catamaran Day Trip Bayahibe

Bayahibe and the coast of Cotubanamá National Park

Bayahibe began as a small fishing village on the southeast coast of the Dominican Republic and is now the main gateway to Saona Island. Its harbour, lined with fishing boats and catamarans, sits right on the edge of Cotubanamá National Park, a protected area of dry tropical forest, limestone coast, caves and reefs that also includes Saona. Leaving from Bayahibe means a shorter crossing than from Punta Cana, and more time on the water and the beach.

Your day starts at around 07:15 with pickup from hotels in Bayahibe and Dominicus. A water taxi takes you from the shore to the catamaran, and you sail for about an hour and a quarter along the national park coast, with long white beaches and forest on one side and open Caribbean Sea on the other. Without loud music on board, it is a peaceful way to enjoy the view and the breeze.

Catuano: snorkelling at the old pier

Catuano is the channel between the mainland and the western tip of Saona Island, a shallow stretch of turquoise water edged by mangroves. Near the point stand the remains of an old broken pier, whose pillars have become an artificial reef. Shoals of sergeant majors, parrotfish and other colourful tropical fish gather around them, and the water is usually clear and calm, which makes it an excellent first snorkelling stop.

The catamaran anchors here for about 45 minutes. Snorkelling gear is on board, and the crew gives a short briefing before you jump in. If you prefer to stay out of the water, you can relax on the deck nets and watch the fish from above. Then it is just a short sail to the beach, often arriving before the larger groups do.

A quiet beach on Saona Island

Saona Island is the largest island off the Dominican Republic's coast and lies entirely within the national park, so it has no big hotels, only a couple of tiny fishing settlements, coconut palms and long white beaches. It is one of the most photographed shorelines in the Caribbean, and for good reason: the sand is powder-fine and the water shades from pale turquoise to deep blue. Is Saona Island worth visiting? On a calm sunny day it feels like the picture-postcard Caribbean come to life.

Instead of a crowded landing area, this tour takes you to a secluded corner of the beach, a five-minute walk from the boat, where sun loungers wait under the shade of the palms. You have about an hour and a half to swim, float in the shallows or simply listen to the waves. Arriving early means you often have this part of the beach almost to yourselves.

Las Palmillas natural pool

The natural pool of Las Palmillas is a vast sandbank in the middle of the sea between Saona and the mainland, where the water is only knee to waist deep for hundreds of metres. The white sand and sunlight make the water glow an almost unreal turquoise, and large orange starfish rest on the bottom. Look at them, photograph them, but please do not lift them out of the water, as it harms them.

On the way here lunch is served on board, prepared by the crew with fresh local ingredients; a lobster menu can be ordered as an upgrade outside the March to June breeding season. The catamaran then anchors in a quieter part of the pool for 45 to 60 minutes of swimming and snorkelling. Afterwards you sail back to Bayahibe along the coast for about an hour and a half, arriving around 17:00.