Saona Island or Isla Saona

The Saona is a tropical island located a short distance from the mainland on the south-east tip of the Dominican Republic, near La Romana Province. It is a government protected nature reserve and a popular destination for tourists from all over the Dominican Republic, thousands of people arrive in fleets of catamarans and small motorboats every day. The Island is famous for the natural beauty of its beaches, and has been used on many occasions by film-makers and advertisers looking for a stereotypical 'desert island' setting for their film or product. It is promoted amongst European visitors as the setting for the famous Bounty chocolate bar adverts.

The seas around the Island are rich in wildlife, with many species of birds and tropical marine fish, and there are large areas where natural sandbars offshore bring the depth to just a few feet. These are once again popular with the tourist trade, with small boats stopping hundreds of meters off the beach and disgorging tourists into the waist-deep shallows where they snorkel, drink and check            out the fields of starfish indigenous to the region.
 

History of Saona Island
The Island Saona was baptized "Saona" by Christopher Columbus, who discovered it in may 1494 on his way to the Americas. The name was meant to honor the commune of Savona, where Columbus lived at the time. Columbus named Michele da Cuneo, his friend and a savonese himself, first governor of the island. Saona Island and the modern city Savona, in Italy, still have twinning relationships; the small power plant in Saona Island is a gift of Savona.


Our tour to Saona Island Catamaran- Speedboats :

Colonial Tour and Travel: This is a excursion you have to do when staying in Punta Cana, La Romana, Bayahibe, Boca Chica, Juan Dolio or Santo Domingo. While the journey to the island can be an adventure that is part of the fun. Colonial Tour and Travel offer you this beautiful excursion. This is the chance of a lifetime. Picking you up form the hotels in Drive to the charming fishing village of Bayahibe, where we will board an Incredible Catamaran to the Saona Island. Spend the morning taking in the natural beauty is of this national park with its pristine white beaches and the marvel�ous clear Caribbean waters. Volleyball, meringue and salsa dancing, an open bar, will be followed by a fine barbecue/buffet lunch. After lunch we’ll head back to the mainland, with a stop for a swim in a natural swimming pool. Our Catamaran will bring you back to Bayahibe, where we’ll disembark and board our bus for Altos de Chavon, a perfect recreation of a 15th century Mediterranean village. Enjoy a relaxing to visit the impressive amphitheater, small church, art galleries, bou�tiques and a great view of Rio de Chavon.

Our bus picked us up at our resort, and grouped us by language. The boats were large and the ride was dry. The tour ran from 9 am - 5 pm, and the trip to the island was about an hour and a half via the scenic route. The island itself offered us plenty of lounge chairs on the beach, lots of souvenir shacks, and the most beautiful scenery. Lunch was served, but the choice was limited (especially if you don't like seafood). A bar was available for drinks, and the music was lively. They provided a volleyball area, if laying around or walking along the beach is too boring for you.

On the way back, they stop at the "natural pool". This is an area of the sea that is very shallow and warm (waist deep). They stop to allow you to swim, and take pictures of the star fish (lots of them around).