The Dominican Republic’s Three Eyes National Park is a nature reserve and open-air limestone cave system with a series of crystal clear lakes known as the “eyes.” Located in the capital, Santo Domingo, just ten minutes by car from the popular Colonial Zone, the park provides a sweet respite from the hustle and bustle of the busy city. Along with a guided tour, these caves also offer deeper insights into the pre-colonial and ancestral origins of the Dominican Republic.
Calle Las Damas/ Street of the Ladies is the oldest street in the Americas. It is a beautiful street lined with historical buildings from the original settlement of Santo Domingo. Was originally named Calle de la Fortaleza/ The street of Strength or Fortress when it was created in 1502 during the reign of Nicolás de Ovando. The street has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Columbus Lighthouse is a cross-shaped monument made of reinforced concrete. Its dimensions are 680 feet (210 m) by 195 feet (59 m). There are 157 beams of light that emanate towards the sky from the structure and a rotating beam, which can be seen from space.
It is the only known residence of a member of the Christopher Columbus's family, his first-born son Diego Columbus.
The Cathedral of Santa Maria la Menor in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, is recognised as the Americas’ oldest Cathedral dating back to 1512. As the first Cathedral in the new world, it holds much significance, remaining one of the Dominican Republic’s most visited attractions and held in high regard throughout the Caribbean.
Is the oldest constantly inhabited city in all of “The Americas”. It is a small town nestled in the capital city of Santo Domingo on the most beautiful island in the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic.
The building stands on the grounds of the former Presidential Mansion (Mansión Presidencial), built during the United States military occupation of 1916-1924.
Great day! Tour guide translated into English for us. Long day but very interesting. Food was decent. Driver was careful on the road.
Great service all around. Would 10/10 recommend. We went on a Sunday and the tour covered all stops as were in description, everything went as planned and had a great time. Our driver was amazing and our tour guide was very knowledgeable
Great tour with guide Leo and driver Luis! The information that was shared was super interesting and informative. The reason for the one less star is there seemed to be some confusion with the pick up times for the other guests. We were picked up on time, but had to wait for over a half hour at the next stop.
Great tour! It is a long day, but totally worth it, in my opinion. You see many interesting historical sites and get to feel like you're really experiencing this place.
This was a great experience, though definitely tiring. It is a three hr drive from Punta Cana to Santo Domingo, we left at 7 AM and didn’t get back to our resort until after 7 PM. But it was very historic and informative. Going with full expectations of the type of day this will be will create a great experience for anyone wanting to see the highlights of Santo Domingo. PS - they take you to a store at the end of the experience but it was overpriced. We found the prices at our resort store very competitive with theirs and the resort store had much nicer items for the price.
Seen most of the highlights. Guide was knowledgeable and the drive from Punta Cana was good. But it took a long time to pick up everyone from different hotels
AMAZING!!!!!! We had a great time and learn so much about the city. Only negative response if that they driver was late picking up and am I had to dial of the commuication…
First of all, they did not pick us up or even contact us any time before the scheduled pick up time. Neither Tripadvisor, nor tour provider. The time was set exact and not time frame. When this time passed I started to worry and run between hotel entrance and hotel gate, thinking I could miss the bus. Tripadvisor agent told me to wait 30min more, since tour provider had time frame set rather than exact time given. Ok. We waited again being woke up at 6am. After 1 more hour I could contact the tour provider to get a message from them that this tour was cancelled due to holiday closure of planned to visit place (!). I don't believe they close it in the tour day. The tour provider offered us next day tour and guaranteed it would happpen set the pick up time 1 hr later than for the previous day. I'd like to see Santo Domingo and we had only 1 day left so we agreed. This time they picked us right on time and from the gate as specified. However, they brought us to the meeting point with another buses and showed us the another much smaller one for our tour. My 4yo and me were 2 last people entering the bus where all double seats were occupied by other tourists. There were couple of 2 guys sitting on 3 seats and last row with 4 seats and very wide couple who physically were not able to sit less than 2.5 seats. So we were forced to squeeze there. And 2 hours we had a close body contact with the guy sitting on half of my seat, since my kid refused to sit separately. Nobody cared. The tour by itself was pretty much as expected. The only issue was that group was mixed Spanish and English speaking and the guide repeated all twice in both languages. Not very convenient for him and twice longer for us. The tour was interesting and John Paul did a good job showing us places. They even provided a nice lunch for free. By default, all initially occupied seats stayed ours all the way. And on the way back, I held my sleeping baby 2 hours on lap sweating and being unable to sleep too just to keep her safe and let me sit straight while all other tourists in the bus slept. And additionally, it took more than hour to drop some tourists off at their hotels because of crazy evening traffic on narrow Punta Cana streets. It was not easy to explain my baby why we could not go to the bathroom right away. My rating could be much better if they organize equally comfortable transfer for all participants.
6 hours is spent of traveling to and from Punta Cana. This is because everybody’s given the same pick up time of 7am and dropped off at another location to join others on a different 15-passenger van to go to SD. The driver doesn’t share any information of where we’re driving past. The lunch is buffet style with no descriptions of the food. Multiple salads but only 1 dressing that wasn’t flavorful. Rice was burned and bland. Chicken tasted better after put in the soup broth. The fish was overcooked and very dry that couldn’t be cut with a knife. Waitress took drink before I was done drinking it. They didn’t seem to care about the experience we were having since they know they take the tourists there. Tour guide offered explanations of sites but didn’t escort us throughout every stop. It was more of self exploration after being told where we were. There were restroom breaks on the way there, during and return of the trip so that was appreciated. I would not recommend this tour because it wasn’t worth the 6 hours of transit.
This was a great city tour of Santo Domingo. They just need to be more clear on the meeting spot by Plaza San Juan. I had to make several phone call to find it, and I was just literally down the street. We left the meeting spot around 8:45am and the drive was easy and smooth. We stopped halfway (for about 15 mins) at a spot for bathroom break, and was able to purchase snacks, drinks etc. We arrived in SD a bit after 11am and first stop was at the caves/lakes, where we met our tour guide Victor. This man was FLUENT in both English and Spanish. I was the only English speaking tourist, and this man took his time to explain in English! Kudos to Victor, you were excellent 👏🏾 👌🏾. After the caves, we went deeper into the city past government buildings etc. We stopped at the Presidential residence and went to the main gate for pictures. Afterwards, we went to the Malecon by the ocean, which was just beautiful. Then we drove to another section, where we parked and got out on foot to see the cathedral and other historical sites. We saw states of Columbus and other famous men who fought/ruled DR. We ended the tour with a lovely lunch buffet of various choices of Dominican cuisine in a seated air conditioner dining area. The food and Tamarind drinks was amazing!! We also stopped at a souvenir shop and a chocolate factory. I truly enjoyed this day tour and HIGHLY recommend. I give them high scores for acknowledging that not everyone speaks Spanish and made it possible for English speaking tourist to fully engage and understand 👏🏾👏🏾 Sidenote: I did a island tour in Cartagena, Colombia to the Rosario Islands, and not one word of English spoken on the entire tour, which I found as a big NEGATIVE! However, this tour to SD was EXCELLENT in my opinion! 👏🏾👏🏾👌🏾👍🏾
I was really excited for this tour, which was billed as a full day, leaving at 7am. We did not get picked up until 8:20 and then we're still in the punta Cana area for another 40 minutes meeting up with other travelers- not on the road till after 9am and there were 13 of us crammed into a 12 passenger van. 2.5 hours driving.. there was no tour guide on board so no information as we drove. The tour basically included a stop at a road side rest area where we spent 20 minutes *this was actually a welcome opportunity to stretch our legs. Then we stopped at a cenote cave where we met with our guide who's English was very hard to understand. Half our group spoke Spanish so everything was shared twice, so everything was quite slow (made worse but not being able to understand any of it) Then we stopped at Columbus Lighthouse, the tour guide waited at the bus as we walked up the steps and back. I looked up info on my phone to understand more about the building. We stopped at the DR'S version of the 'white house'. Learned a little about the cost of that project. Then lunch. Then a very slow tour of tourist souvenir shops which it seemed earned a commission for our guide (we were all given round stickers before we went in). Then we were rushed through the main square in Santo Domingo, into the first Church (which offered an audio tour) and then were brought back to the bus (but not before being encouraged to tip our guide). I wish I had good things to say, but this tour was a disappointment( and the drive was very uncomfortable.)
This tour was nothing short of amazing. It was about a 2.5 hour drive from Punta Cana and our driver didn’t say two words there or back (probably didn’t speak English) but our tour guide was great! He was full of energy and very knowledge of all the different sites, history, and answered all questions. We got to see some cool sites like the tres ojos lakes, presidential palace, and a historic cathedral to name a few. As long as you’re prepared to walk ALOT, and find history interesting you will enjoy this tour. It was a great experience and we were glad to get away from the usual excursions. You wont be disappointed.
The best was our guide Victor he was great! Victor was professional, very knowledgeable and super nice and patient too! We were picked at our condo which was also really great! BUT I really hoped for a little more out of the tour it’s a fast day sure but less time could be spent “shopping” there is no mention that we would be taken to shops there was nothing different at these shops then the shops on bravo beach it’s the same jewelry and same over priced trinkets, not even anything that said Santo Domingo they also took us to a chocolate shop which wasn’t mentioned in the tour either. ( I’ve already had 2) I wanted to see the city /the malecon, the streets/ the old buildings not shop ! I m sure over a hour was spent at 2 shops and chocolate shop. What we did see and learn was interesting , Victor was great but could have been so more. Over all glad we did the tour just could have been even better.
This was not an enjoyable experience at all for me and my wife. The day was twice as long with much less walking than expected (which wasn’t a good thing). The food at the restaurant we stopped at was horrible and the vehicle chosen was way too small for all of the passengers. We wasted a day which unfortunately was our last full day.
Travelling from Punta Cana in a minivan with 14 others made this an extremely cramp experience. Sardines have more room…. Wth this mode of transport, didn’t allow to see the scenery to-from Santo Domingo. Once in the city, the guide talked of the Palace which you couldn’t see due to van used. The walk around the old part of the city concentrated on the few market stores which we were encouraged to visit, not too much else to see….. Many on this trip expressed concerns of the cramp conditions and I would be reluctant to recommend this tour.
Initially, I was hesitant due to the limited online reviews, but I decided to proceed. The excursion proved to be exceptional, providing a captivating exploration of the city and its rich cultural history. The experience within the Tres Ojos cave system was breathtaking, showcasing stunning natural beauty. Furthermore, our driver and guide were courteous and attentive.
It's a long day but very comprehensive. It was well worth the time for the knowledge gained. Felt it a good value.
Fantastic tour which highlighted alot of what the city had to offer. From historic locations, to 3 eyes national park to an authentic lunch.
The tour was decent but it is very long day so prepare yourself. My tour guide was hard to understand in English and in Spanish (and I speak both) but he did have nice energy. The food for lunch was great!
The tour was great with an experienced driver and knowledgeable tour guide. The lunch at Imperial was great. However one slight improvement is needed and that is the early confirmation of pick up and the pick up time. But otherwise a great tour package.
First of all we had booked a french guide which we did not get and my friend only speeks french but i am fully bilingual (french and english) but the guide hardly speaks english so we did not understand anything. It would have been nice to be notified of this in advance so we could have chosen to cancel or choose another day. Secondly we ran through the excursion, not enough time to take pictures or shop it was always on the run. So, no, I would not recommend this excursion to anyone.
Very disorganized trip. No confirmation from tour company so we were ready at 7 am to be picked up from the hotel. They did not arrive so we got concerned and had to call them only to hear that they said they had "come and gone". This was clearly not true as the security confirmed that they did not come by. Very disappointing. After confronting them with this lie, they eventually came around 7.50 and then we were taken in a minibus to the "meeting point" where all the coaches waited for everyone to arrive. We waited there until nearly 9am. We finally got on the road and were at the 3 Eyes lakes by 11am. It was nice to see Santo Domingo however (and the lakes were great!), we saw the main sites but we did not have anytime to explore. We had a lovely lunch and we were taken to 2 shops by the guide (too long there!), but we could have done more independently but we were told to get back on the minibus as we were out of time. It was 3.30pm when we left and 6.30pm by the time we got back to the hotel. It was good to see something different but I wouldn't use this company again!
At first I was worried because no one contacted me or let me know and meeting place or time. The generic of the pickup linked to my hotel lobby. I was in the lobby at 645. I emailed the tour group the day before and the morning at 7am to let them know I was waiting. No reply. I then reached out to Viator support who told them I was waiting. They then called me around 745 and told me they were waiting at the entrance. Not my hotel lobby but the entrance of the brand of my hotel. About a 5 min walk. So we ran there and found the van. That van took us to a place where many vans were waiting. 20 minutes later we were put in another van. Then we finally started the drive to santo domingo. A rest stop and then to the city. The touril guide met us there. He was friendly, helpful and talked a lot about all the places we visited. The buffet was ok, the locations were nice. The tour was pretty long so got back to the hotel around 745pm. Not much free time to roam around so if you are looking to explore on your own, not the right tour.
The tour itself is ok, but the logistics experience was bad. Our pickup time was 7 am, no one came. I called the local number and I was told that pickup is 8. They finally came at 8:30. We were then transferred to another bus . We reached Santa Domingo around 11. The 3 eyes park is good. Old colonial area is also nice. The guide is interested in taking you to shops. I would have liked to have more time to roam around the city. If you are in a group, it might be better to hire a transport and travel on your own.
Great time at Santo Domingo. The tour guide, Victor Andres was exceptional. His knowledge of Dominican culture and history was informative and presented in a clear and understandable manner.
The pickup seemed to have been arranged at the last minute, handed off to a disinterested looking individual, long drive to Santo Domingo and back was worth it. The guide at SD was again uninterested, mumbled English but we saw the basics. It's a quality issue. Great value.
Excellent and fun experience! Miguel our tour guide was amazing! We learned a lot and saw beautiful cultural of Santo Domingo.
This is a great tour. Just know that the pick up and drop offs are a process. They are a time consuming and also the trip is about a two hour drive. But it was all worth it when you get there. The caves was probably our best part. We were also shown some very interesting things in the city itself. Our guide , Johnie Walker was great, also included a buffet lunch all in all a long day but well worth it. Highly recommend.
A great way to be introduced to Santo Domingo. A beautiful city - well worth the trip. The tour guide, Daniel was very knowledgeable about the area history. The driver, Rudolfo, was an excellent driver. There was lots to see and do to fill the day - well worth the price. Be prepared for a slow start to the day - they have to coordinate people from different parts of Punta Cana- in my experience, this is normal but was handled as good as it could be.
The locations were amazing! The tour has a max capacity of 15 people so it lends to very individual attention, quick response to questions and extra information you don't get in larger group tours because of time constraints. Be prepared for a lit of walking! We did 3 museums, tres ojos lakes, zona colonial, lunch, mid afternoon snack at a cafe/ice cream parlor and parque colon & the cathedral. They came right upto the pickup/dropoff driveway in front of the resort, and called out the names of those they were there to pick up. The only con is they were late on picking me up by 20 mins and I understand that the time on the ticket is estimated however, it would've been nice if they had called the day before to confirm the pickup and let me know where I was on the pickup list.
Excellent trip from pick up to drop off , really well organised and very friendly staff , good selection of places to visit along with excellent food .
I could have done without it. The travel time of 2 hours each way was a pain. its far going and coming back to the resort. I don't think we got much of a history or cultural experience.
Our tour guide, Mike, was excellent, knowledgeable and kind (as well as fluent in many languages!). Great job.
Good experience and definitely got to see alot of the city. Our guide Leo was amazing. The church was our favorite. The trip in total is close to 9 hours so bring snacks and water. The ticket said water was provided but we never got any bottled water and none was never passed out
Best value! Includes 2hr transportation there and back from Punta Cana, a Dominican buffet for lunch, and a local guide who speaks fluent in multiple languages! What more could you ask for. A long day, but very immersive as we visited so many hot spots. We were allotted just enough time at each location, although would have spent longer if I was there independently. We are visiting from Canada - Viktor was very well versed with the history, educated us very well. Only negative would be that the tour bus arrived 20 minutes past the pick up time and there was lack of communication, which can be a challenge for anyone from North America.. but we learned everyone here operates on island time, so just trust the process (: Muchas gracias!
Excellent tour of Santo Domingo and its culture. The tour guide and driver were both exceptional and would recommend it.
This experience will not be complete in 7-8 hours which I personally don’t mind except it’s really at least 5 hours MINIMUM in the transport. I had to call the tour operator directly via WhatsApp because they did not call me about a start time so I got ready for the stated time of 7am… only to be told that I would be picked up at 8am. The only bright side to that was my family was the first to be dropped off so I guess that’s a plus (though that’s unfortunate for the others in our tour group who were picked up earlier but dropped off later). Also as some reviews said yes there will be gas breaks for restrooms but also to pump for the long drive. So be prepared for that disorganization which knocks off a star in my book. Once we got over that, the actual tour was awesome. Exactly as described with our tour guide being Miguel who was fantastic and knowledgeable at explaining the sites and ensuring we were on track. The lunch was a buffet which was only okay for our taste - edible but it’s more to prevent hunger. Another heads up: there’s a lot of opportunities for shopping especially for souvenirs so prepare to be brought into several different shops on this tour about the same amount as the actual sightseeing. We were dropped off back to our hotel at 6:30pm so 10.5 hours total with 6 hours being on the road. Overall, I would book again/recommend to a friend as long as I am more proactive at being in touch with the tour operator about pickup time and ensure that I had breakfast if I have a later pickup (or pack a good amount of snacks).
It’s a long road trip, but it’s worth it. Our tour guys Fransico is very knowledgeable. This is an educational trip. Great area to take pictures.
This was a very long day. Our guide Leo was great and very patient with the group but the overall time for the trip was around 12 hours rather than the 7-8 it suggests. Driving from Punta Cana to Santo Domingo is over 2 hours so be prepared. The only real negative was we were picked up at 7 but didn’t leave Punta Cana till after 9 so overall spent about 6 hours in the van.
The tour was great fun and gave us a real experience of life in Santo Domingo now and in history. If the tour description is important to you then you might be disappointed because we didn’t stick rigidly to it. But we more than made up for it with added visits and experiences. The driver and tour guide (Mike) were terrific, lunch was excellent and we loved the whole experience. One final warning - the description said it was a 7 or 8 hour tour. It took nearer 11 hours but we saw this is an added bonus.
It was a fun time. The group we had was fun & small but so amazing. The driver who took us to and from and around Santo Domingo was such a good human being, sweet, attentive to all of us and made sure my 78 year old mother was ok. Jefferson was a phenomenal driver with Best Punta Cana Vacations. Give him a raise.
The excursion was a very good experience, tour guide was fun and knowledgeable, I would recommend this tour.
Nice experience, with good food and a fancy restaurant! The staff provide useful information. Long drive from Punta Cana 2:30h and you may need a sun headcover.
A fantastic trip would be 5 star had it been a little bit better organised initially. The hotel pick up was 50 minutes late and then we spent a good 30 plus minutes sitting on the mini bus after arriving at the transfer point why they organised us into groups for different tours.. ,but after that the company gave us a great day out the driver who took us to the Capital was brilliant and toilet stops clean with good facilities ..Miguel was an absolutely amazing guide, gave enough information without going into too much detail and he had a very calm hands off approach to the trip at the same time as getting everything organised at the right time and in good order, which was perfect for us, we got enough free time in Santo Domingo to wander around by ourselves as well..I would say the buffet lunch was not the best Domnican fayre we have enjoyed but it was acceptable..Be aware of the self appointed tour guide at the museum he is a right pain drags you around treating you like a bunch of naughty school kids then begs for tips ( which we refused )knowing what I know now I would say no thank you and opt for the headphone tour( if they have in English) or no guide at all as museum is not particularly big..However as with many things in life this is a personal thing..All in all a very good day out very much enjoyed the experience
The cave, and lunch was good too. Guide was English speaking, it was raining and we were provided with umbrella but the never got stopped and we continued.
The guide was knowledgeable and kept track of the group well. Just the right amount of stops/sights. I wouldn't add any other stops. The van was small but ok for the group size.
This was definitely a full day, the drive was long and there was a lot of walking so not really advisable if you have mobility problems, everyone was very helpful and accommodating as I’m disabled with limited mobility and I was knackered. However the trip it’s self was very knowledgeable and was get to see some history and culture.
Francisco was an engaging, informative and personal guide. It was a nice small group and we went everywhere. It’s a long hot day but I really felt like I got to see so much and learned so much. LUNCH WAS FABULOUS!
The church/cathedral that we went to was very nice. The shopping was great also had a great meal for lunch all the people we met were great.
Pack your patience. The description says the total travel time is 4 hours, 2 hours after pickup and 2 hours on the return. The travel time was close to 6 hours total! At no time was I told that the bus was not allowed on the resort until after I purchased and 24 hours before pickup (too late to cancel). I wish that information was included when they asked where you want to be picked up. We had to find a ride to entrance since it was pretty far. Once initially picked up (they were 20 minutes late), we drove about 45 minutes to another drop off spot and waited about 15 minutes for another, smaller bus. We were told it was because the streets of Santo Domingo we small and narrow and not equipped for large buses. I was a little surprised our guide was not on the bus with us at this point. Once we arrived in Santo Domingo, we met our guide. He was a nice guy; English wasn’t the best, but we were able to keep up. At this point, it was after 12pm and we were so hungry, we asked about lunch, and he told us it wouldn’t be until around 1pm. Because we left so early, we were unable to get breakfast, so I suggest you pack a snack. Lunch was good. It was grilled chicken, rice, black beans, salad, and a few vegetarian choices. It was a buffet that you could revisit if you needed a second helping. Lots of walking as expected and then we headed back around 4pm. We did not get back to our resort (Royalton) until 7:40pm. Based on the site, this was way beyond the 2-hour window documented. Overall, the tour was ok, I just wish we knew the actual travel time was way longer than what was posted.
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