The United States Center for Disease Control – CDC – warns that the entire province of La Altagracia, including resorts within Punta Cana are at some risk for malaria. However, the medical community does not advise travelers to take chloroquine or primaquine, the two medicines used to treat it, with them on their vacations. But all tourists, as a precaution against malaria, are asked to use a mosquito repellent containing DEET, especially when going outside at dawn or dusk.
If you suspect you are ill, here are medical facilities within Punta Cana to contact. The Centro Medico Punta Cana is near Plaza Bavaro, with a multilingual staff and a pharmacy. Open till 9pm for patients, open 24/7 for emergencies. Their number is 1-809-552-1506. The Hospital Bavaro is near the airport, has a multilingual staff and is a fully equipped facility, available round the clock for emergencies. Their number is 1-809-686-1414.
The popularity of Golfing has hit Punta Cana. So far, five all-inclusive hotels have their own golf courses and offer golf package holidays. Punta Cana boasts the first Jack Nicklaus golf course built in at the Punta Espada Golf Course, Cap Cana. The course combines ocean and bluff-side golf holes with spectacular views of the sea. Other golf courses include Golf de Bavaro, Cabeza de Toro Golf Club, Cocotal Golf & Country Club, Punta Cana Golf Club, White Sands Golf.
A water park where you will get an opportunity to snorkel with nurse sharks and sting rays. Some travelers have voiced concern that the animals seem caged in nets in a very small area to give the impression that people are swimming with them. But others call it a very enjoyable experience, including the dip in the waist-deep natural sea pool at the end.
Aquatic Tours
They supply you with your very own mini two-seater speed boat, blazing trails as you follow the leader along the beaches of Bavaro. The journey ends with a snorkeling experience, where you dive into the clear blue waters and see the underwater coral and the tropical fish. Snorkeling equipment and instruction are included.
Dolphin Island
It’s a short boat ride to Dolphin Island’s floating platform where visitors can see and interact with trained dolphins in the sea. The program includes 15 minutes of free time with them. Some tourists have mixed reviews of this excursion; saying they were just allowed to swim out, float with arms outstretched in the water, and wait for the dolphins to swim by them. They say they would have liked to do tricks or touch these intelligent creatures. And other tourists were annoyed that none of the guides spoke English. But many more tourists were pleased with their experience and said they would go again.
Seaquarium
At Seaquarium, you will stroll on the ocean floor, wearing an air-tight diving helmet allowing you to keep your hair in place and your prescription glasses on. The underwater tour includes examining a submarine wreck, observing fantastic tropical fish and the beauty of the coral reefs. There are even live sharks and stingrays. The tour lasts about 3 and half hours.
River Rafting
River rafting is available in the Cordillera Central mountains of the Dominican Republic on the country’s longest river, the Yaque del Norte. There are several rafting companies located in the town of Jarabacoa. A challenging course is the Mike Tyson, which is a 12-foot vertical drop. In all, there are 18 different waterfalls cascading between chasms in the rocks tumbling down to the rich, fertile earth. All the rafting companies provide life jackets, helmets and wet suits.
Helicopter Tours
Helicopter Tours present you with a panoramic view of Punta Cana from several feet up in the air. You can take photos of the impressive Punta Cana coastline, with its lush palm-studded beaches, huge golf courses and array of underwater and above ground shipwrecks.
Segway Tours
Segway Tours in Playa Blanca on the grounds of the Punta Cana Resort & Club offers rentals of an ecologically-friendly 2-wheeled, electric powered, self-balancing personal transporter. You simply stand on the platform and move it with a combination of slightly turning your body or the handlebars. The tour is about a five to six mile journey over beach and golf course paths. There are swim stops at the Tortuga Bay Villas beach and later, in the Indigenas Ojos, crystal clear, freshwater lagoons fed by underground springs.
Mike’s Dominican Adventure
Punta Cana Mike’s Dominican Adventure specializes in small groups, from 2 to 9 persons. Mike tailors each adventure to the customer’s desires. He calls his tours, reality because they include quiet remote beaches, eating freshly caught fish in a tiny remote fishing village, overnight stays in the mountains, sporting events and concerts, local shopping, quality Dominican cigars, and bargain priced rums.
A bit longer than a three hour drive from Punta Cana, is the capital of the Dominican Republic and a UNESCO world heritage site. It is one of the busiest and most populated Caribbean cities, combining modern sophistication and old world charm with the Latin lifestyle. This is where Christopher Columbus founded the first settlement in the Americas. It can boast of having the first cathedral in the Western Hemisphere, the first monastery, the first hospital, the first university and the first court of law. Known as the Colonial City it still has cobblestone streets and 16th-century buildings.
Altos de Chavon
A stunning replica of a Mediterranean village built overlooking the winding Chavon River in the 1970s at the behest of the late Charles Bludhorn, the enormously wealthy president of Gulf & Western Corporation, which owned Paramount Pictures. He had it designed and built as an extravagant birthday present for his daughter. As the years passed, Dominican and American artists flocked to the area around it to live, study and work. The village hosts three major art galleries with current works. The hillside cliff where the village sits is also home to a 5,000 seat amphitheater, an archeological museum, craft workshops, and several galleries and restaurants.
Bavaro Runners
Very popular safari excursion in a four-wheeler in Punta Cana. It offers tourists an opportunity to experience the real people, the scenery and life in the Dominican Republic. The trip includes a visit to an authentic sugarcane plantation, a horseback ride on a spectacular beach, a school visit, a stop to see how cigars are made, and the Maria House coffee and cocoa plantation, and a small Dominican lunch. For those that would rather, the Runners offer a full-day of zip lining.
Saona Island
Sits on the Southeastern tip of the Dominican Republic. This scenic, secluded island with a lovely beach is part of a government-protected nature reserve called the Parque Nacional del Este, known for its beauty. The blue waters surrounding the island are teeming with tons of marine life, especially the area’s indigenous starfish. And protective sandbars keep the sand sparkling white. Most tours sail here by catamaran, leaving from Bayahibe. Or, you can catch a tour bus from Punta Cana, about a 90-minute ride. Some tours make a stop at a natural pool and include lunch and beverages, for an extra fee.
Manati Park
For animal lovers. It features some local animals including iguanas, crocodiles and tropical birds, but there are also exotic fish, horses, parrots and the chance to swim with dolphins. A half-day tour includes a Taino cultural show, a horse show, and two others by dolphins and sea lions. Guests can strolling in the lush gardens will see the ducks roaming freely. You may want to snap photos of the beautiful orchids and tropical plants, or buy local crafts in the souvenir shops. Bring your swimsuit and a towel, and you can take a short swim or swim with a dolphin.