Uncover Real Punta Cana: Half-Day Cultural Immersion

We had an amazing adventure with our tour guide, Robinson and driver, Sandi. We were a group of 11 family members. From beginning to end they made us feel very comfortable and were very knowledgeable about the area. Robinson was very personable and friendly. The activities on this excursion were exciting and for some of us it was a first. We did horse back riding, cigar rolling, we visited a family farm up the mountains where they make fresh coffee and chocolate from the cacao plant. I felt like I was immersed in Dominican culture. These guys are with you the whole way and made us feel very safe. I will admit I was very nervous to get on a horse at first but the people there are with you each step and the horses are very well trained. It was a little intimidating to walk through the market in town as well but we felt very safe with Robinson and Sandi.

Pro: - late bookings accepted. I booked at 1am for a 7:30 departure. - the itinerary is packed so you can get a lot in if you're in a hurry. - it's a beautiful country and worth getting off the resorts to see the mountains. -great way to pack a lot in for the time. -lunch was good Cons: -The tour says it starts at 7:30 we were picked up at 8:30 out by the main security almost 1.5 kilometers away from the lobby, most tours were being picked up in front of the lobby. And then we stood there for over 30 mins because they said they'd be there at 8. No chairs, just standing in the heat. -it's a short tour and the longest place we stayed was at an expensive souvenir shop. - The Tourguide Will not keep passengers on time. We waited on the vehicle (no AC) in the sun for the same passenger twice for a total of 40 mins, this is significant considering the time of the tour. - We started late and came back 8 hours later at 4:39. Mind you almost an hour was waiting on another passenger. I planned 7:30 to 1:30 or 2:30. This is a significant point of you have other plans for the day. Sandy, the driver, was a good driver and nice guy. Robinson was a good Tourguide, but the decision to let us spend 40 mins at a souvenir store and 30 mins at the beach, and a 10 min walk through the market and 15 mins at the church, was a bad one and since the Tourguide is responsible to ensure they give the best trip possible...other tours I have been on, they warn you that you will be left and given the point of the next stop if you want to stay longer to browse or shop.

We started the day by being picked up by our driver on time at the resort. His name was Tito. He did not speak much English however he was helpful and could point out the big spots to look at. We communicated via translate on our phones which worked well. We were picked up in a Van, however the company has a few different vehicles, one being open air. I believe it all depends on how big your group is. After being picked up, we went to a place and did a short horseback ride with a nice view. There's a small minibar there you can get a drink at which was cheap. The people there are nice. After the horseback ride, we went to a supermarket and bought some drinks and other odds and ends. They will originally tell you the price in pesos but if you have USD, they will convert the price for you on a calculator. Nothing was expensive and I was happy to find a Monster Energy drink. At the horseback ride we also met another tour guide who seemed to be the leader of the group. He spoke good English and was very nice. From there, we drove to a church. Due to a car accident it did take awhile to get there, but that was no fault of our drivers. TRAFFIC DOWN HERE IS CRAZY. If you have bad anxiety... take your pills. Once we got to the church we got out and stretched our legs.. it was nice and you can walk around the church grounds. To go inside, men it is free. LADIES - if you want to look inside the church, they require your legs be covered. If you are wearing shorts they have someone at the front that will give you a wrap for I believe a $1. We didnt go inside the church but Im sure it was worth to go in. After the church we went to a souvenir shop. It was ok, typical tourist prices. Dont recommend buying anything here.Tito did stop at a firehouse along the way for me to grab some pics. After that, we went and ate at a Dominican restaurant. It was very good. You can also walk down to the river from the restaurant and see a waterfall. From the restaurant we went to a small family house where they grow cocoa beans, have mangoes, and other fruit. If you ask, the kids will climb the trees and cut you down some fresh fruit. Talk to the dad though if the kids dont understand, they dont speak English. There, the tour guide will tell you how they make chocolate and cocoa powder and you have an opportunity to buy some. Its really neat and not too expensive. You can see their house too and how the Dominican people typically live. There is also a small shop across the street yoy can get some snacks and drinks. From there you go to Rancho Real Cigars. They give you a free cigarello to smoke and then you go up and see how cigars are made. You also get to roll your own cigarello if you want. You can then go downstairs and purchase their cigars along with other brands (fair US Prices) and they also have a souvenir shop and bar with snacks. After the cigar factory we went to Macao Beach, so I would advise you to wear swimwear if you' want. The beach was nice and clean unlike where our resort was which was covered in Sargassum. There are vendors there that do try to get you to buy their stuff (I fell prey to a couple guys with a Macaw and Iguana... oh well). Once youre done, they'll take you back to thee resort. Overall, it was a lot of travelling but otherwise a fun and interesting trip. If you have some patience and keep an open mind, it is definitely worth doing at least once. The guys here try to give a good experience and overall we really enjoyed it. I wouldn't do it again just because it would be the same spots, but I would reccomend it for a good day trip out of the resort.

It was very interesting, and the guild was very knowledgeable of the area, and the customs. I enjoyed the horseback ride, as well was the city tour.

Was a fantastic tour and got to see a lot of the culture of the DR. Bothe the guide and driver were profoundly and gave us great information along the way. The open safari truck was wonderful for viewing and the lunch stop was delicious. Also felt great to get on a horse and later take a dip in the ocean. A must do tour.

It almost felt as false Advertising. We were NOT in an open safari vehicle. Which is why we chose this tour. We were in a closed van with tints. The purpose was to see & tour the city. Not happy at all

Know Dominican Families' Plantation, Life of the locals, The Beach, Cigar's production Everything was good

Good trip but we missed the river slide which I was hoping for. Was a bit disappointed. Otherwise it was a nice trip

Definitely not a safari truck! We were picked up in a van and I thought it was bringing us to the safari truck until another rider said the driver confirmed we were in the van the whole time. So we started with a bad taste in our mouth. BUT that was able to change as our driver and guide were very friendly and helped negotiate prices when a member of the group wanted to purchase something. The stops on the tour are well worth it, especially the coffee and chocolate farm tour. Our guide at the farm was very knowledgeable and entertaining. The food at the farm was great as well. Overall a good experience but if you want a safari truck, this is not the tour.

Long day full of activities. Worth the money paid for. Friendly tour guide Jorge and the driver Dario and also Karla. Great customer service. I really enjoyed myself and would definitely recommend and would do it again.