Saona Island is the largest island in the Dominican Republic and it is located off the coast of the La Altagracia province. Politically it belongs to the province of La Romana. It is part of the Cotubanamá National Park (old National Park of the East). The island is a great tourist attraction for its beautiful beaches and natural beauties. Saona has two permanent human settlements: the town of Mano Juan and Catuano. Mano Juan is a fishing village made with wooden houses, Catuano has a navy detachment.
On the way to Isla Saona, there is a wonderful “natural pool“, an area with crystal clear, shallow waters, only up to the waist. The pool is formed with sand accumulation, naturally, which makes the ocean level just a few meters away. The Saona natural pool is the largest in the world and during your stay there are many things to do, such as relaxing in its beautiful waters, dancing merengue in the water and enjoying a delicious Dominican rum. In the natural pool you will also have the opportunity to see many starfish, these cannot be removed from the water since they die when they come to the surface.
The Beaches of Saona Island
Enjoying the beaches and turquoise waters is undoubtedly the greatest attraction of Saona Island. They are immense beaches, kilometers of white sand bathed by turquoise waters, in an environment surrounded by excellent vegetation.
“Canto de la Playa” beach is considered the best beach on Saona Island, although it is the furthest to reach since it is located at the southeastern end of the island. But it is worth visiting this beach, since it is a “perfect” beach that has all the virtues, an extraordinary place to take photos. Another gorgeous beach is the secluded “Playa el Toro“, not touched by the big crowds and only reachable via small speedboat.
Geography
The island’s surface area is 110 km², making it larger than countries such as San Marino and twice the size of the British dependency of Bermuda. It has beautiful coral reefs, coastal lagoons, a great diversity of birds and reptile species, and also has interesting archaeological sites and caves that were used by the Taínos.
The island contains a high percentage of endemic species and floral richness. Of the 539 species reported in the Cotubanamá National Park, the majority are found in this place. Several associations of plant species appear in the area, which make up different ecosystems, among which we can distinguish semi-humid forests, scrublands, and mangroves or salt forests, which are made up of three neotropical species: black, red and white mangroves.
Species of sea turtles have also been identified in the Saona, including loggerhead, hawksbill, green turtle and leatherback turtle. Among the birds, you can see beach gulls, waders, the crowned pigeon, and the green parrot, which is in danger of extinction. Other fascinating animals such as the rhinoceros iguana, the manatee, the dolphin and the fishing bat are also part of the island’s inhabitants.
40 species of fish, 10 of coral and 124 of mollusks have been reported, qualifying the area as one of the most important ecological reserves in the country. This has a natural pool in which the water does not go beyond the navel, we also find starfish of various types and with Caribbean colors, in addition to enjoying this natural beauty we must say that we are only a few steps from the coast and the water is even more crystalline.
Population
Mano Juan is a fishing village with wooden houses. Its population is approximately 500 inhabitants with only 69 houses of families who live mainly from a variety of fishing. One of the places to visit in Mano Juan is the Sea Turtle Recovery Center, an ideal place to understand the wealth and natural importance of the island as a sanctuary for these wonderful marine animals. Visitors learn all about sea turtles: they can see the eggs collected during the nesting season, hold a baby and, if they are lucky, see them return to the sea in an unforgettable spectacle.
How to Get There from Punta Cana
There are several options to go to Saona from Punta Cana, one of them is to rent a car and drive for 1 hour and 20 minutes to Bayahibe and then take a speedboat or a catamaran. Also, if you are a person who loves adventure, you could buy this Exclusive Saona Excursion with us and save yourself the worry and stress that would be driving in this area.
On the other hand, if you don’t like to get up early, we have another wonderful option:
Saona Island with private transportation
This option will allow you to be picked up later in the morning (around 8:30 am) in a van directly from the lobby of your hotel, unlike the previous one where the pick-ups start at 6:50 am depending on the hotel.
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