From Punta Cana: Jhoraji Island

Posted By : Carla_N
We paid for semi private. Stated less than 15 people would be on trip. We were on a catamaran with 50-100 people. We had fun but defiant did not get what we paid for.
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Posted On : 2024-02-17 08:02:02

Posted By : Rohit_R
The tour was nothing like advertised. We initially requested a pick up from our resort in Cap Cana. Evening before pick up we receive an email from the Jhoraji tour operator that they cannot pick us up from there and asked us to arrange transportation to get to Blue Mall in Punta Cana 15 minutes away. We were picked up by Darwin in a comfortable car, he was fantastic and very nice. We reached Bayahibe to board what we expected to be a private tour to Saona island as advertised. Instead we boarded like cattle onto multiple speed boats that were packed to capacity with 25+ passengers per boat. All 4 boats docked at Saona beach at the same time leading to an incredibly crowded beach. There was no guide to help navigate or explain anything except for the boats captains who were of very little help. They even tried to scam us by taking photographs of us and then requesting $170 for the pictures. There was difficulty figuring out who our shuttle driver was to drop us back at our pick up spot. After 10 minutes of asking around we got loaded on a big tour bus that was going to Punta Cana. The whole experience was very disorganized and completely opposite of what was advertised

The positives were the actual beach which was beautiful including the water and the sand. It was crowded but that is understandable since we made the trip on 12/30 on a Saturday. The buffet lunch was quite good and had chicken, fish, rice, pasta and fruit. There was also an open bar with rum, sodas. Beer was available for an hour around the lunch buffet.

Would not recommend
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Posted On : 2024-01-02 12:50:34

Posted By : Jessica T
This was an amazing adventure! Darwin made the trip so personalized! Saona island is beautiful and we got there early enough that we had the entire beach to ourselves. The lunch stop was delicious and did some snorkeling while there. But the natural pool experience was beyond perfect, we had the whole ocean to ourselves and even found star fish. Definitely recommend this experience!
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Posted On : 2023-08-05 13:44:21

Posted By : moose_mamba
I booked this excursion because my group and I wanted a private trip. Everything went great. Teo was our tour guide and he reached out the day before via WhatsApp.

We got picked up at 8am and took a 45 min drive to the boat. Once on the speedboat we went to the island and got there pretty quick and earlier than everyone else because we were on a speedboat. We swam for awhile on the island then went to eat lunch on another part of the island where we also swam and snorkled. The last stop was at the natural pool. We were also the only one there for awhile until other boats came.

Teo provided us with rum and beer in an icebox.

Overall, it is worth it if you want a private excursion with just your group.
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Posted On : 2023-07-31 22:13:46

Posted By : charliesB724AF
Myself and my partner thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Saona Island. Some would say we were very unlucky with the weather, with a thunderstorm hitting us just as we entered the island. However, to me, it only added to the experience and it was made even better by our tour guide and driver, Darwin.

Darwin and also our boat captain were excellent throughout the whole day, always ensuring we had everything we needed, and more. Even through the bad weather they made sure we experienced absolutely everything, as well as making sure it was safe to do so throughout.

The food provided on our private lunch was also excellent (although way too much for us to manage)! We were also given plenty of drinks along the way, including trying some of the Dominican favourites.

If you're looking for a private tour of Saona Island we cannot recommend this company enough, especially when you compare the price to what others are charging. Thanks again to Darwin especially for making it a great day all round.
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Posted On : 2023-07-05 17:45:12

Posted By : Mackenziekoitar000
This was a perfect trip couldn’t get any better.
When Darwin picked up us I knew it was going to be a fun day. He was explaining everything showing us the different things around.
The boat trip was perfect apart from the small rain storm 😂we stopped of to see some starfish and went snorkelling.
Darwin kept us happy by being all the alcohol we needed for the hole day🫣. The island was amazing the food was perfect!
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Posted On : 2023-07-05 08:31:59

Posted By : K2615SKcharlottep
What an amazing day from start to finish! We were picked up exactly on time and greeted with a lovely man called Darwin. He was very friendly the entire trip, giving us lots of history about the Dominican. He stayed with us all day making sure we had the perfect day. He supplied us with water, lots of different alcoholic beverages if we wanted. We stopped on the way to Saona island to swim and see star fish and he took pictures for us (No charge). We have the most amazing Caribbean lunch and lots of laughs! We then went snorkelling for a good amount of time and saw lots of beautiful fish and sting rays! We could not fault Darwin or the trip and it was our favourite trip of them all. Credit to Darwin!
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Posted On : 2023-07-02 20:27:29

Posted By : Ssherfy63368
First have to say our guide Darwin was absolutely amazing and one of the best tour guides we have ever had; he went above and beyond many, many times and deserves 100 stars! The boat crew was spectacular as well and were very thoughtful and accommodating.

First the good. The locations were very beautiful, the weather was fantastic for the day. The crew spent a long time near the mangroves looking for sea turtles as my wife loves them. They also found stingrays and starfish for us to see. As my wife and I were the only ones on the trip Darwin and the crew let us set the schedule and never once worried about the time or moving us along to another point. They were incredibly courteous and allowed the trip to really be about us. I cannot compliment them enough for how they treated us.

Unfortunately there was some bad. First there was confusion on the pickup, the tour company told us 8 but apparently told our driver 9. We did not know there was a mixup until we called and 8:30 as we had not heard anything. When we arrived at the island there were red flag warnings and where the boat pulled up we had a short walk through the water to the shore, not normally an issue except the entire sea floor there was nothing but rock and large chunks of broken coral and there was significant surf. I got a good sized gash in my heel and my wife bruised her foot pretty badly. That incident really effected the rest of the trip and what we could physically do. Thankfully ocean water helps with cuts.

Overall we rate the experience a three but Darwin and the crew were overall a 10+
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Posted On : 2023-07-02 08:58:48

Posted By : LizA165
The price may scare some people away but it was worth every penny. Our driver/tour guide Darwin was right on time to our resort to pick us up. From our resort it was approximately an hour ride to the marina. Darwin was great at taking the time on the ride to teach us about the Dominican history and culture and would happily answer any questions that we had. Once we arrived at the Marina we boarded the boat and met our wonderful Captain “Busy”We then began our journey to the “natural pool where we stopped and was able to swim and see starfish on the ocean floor. Not once on this excursion we’re we rushed. Darwin continually told us that this was our vacation and for us to let him know what we wanted to do. We then proceeded through the mangroves hoping to capture a glance of Sea Turtles which we did. Then it was time to head to Saona Island for lunch and relaxation. On the way to the island our captain spotted a shark feeding in the shallow waters. He brought the boat close enough so we could see this awesome predator feed. It ended up being a 5-6 foot hammerhead shark. Such an awesome experience to witness that. Once we arrived at the island my wife got a wonderful massage while my son and I relaxed on the shaded loungers they had available. Lunch was then served which was soooo good. We were then supposed to go snorkeling but after seeing the shark earlier my wife wanted to pass on the snorkeling. Lol. We then headed back to the marina. Not once did we ever feel rushed and Darwin had plenty of water, beer or Rum and coke available throughout the excursion. On the drive home he even made it a point to stop and pick us up some “sweet beans” which is a very traditional Dominican dish. Overall this was the most relaxing and fun excursion we have ever taken. Highly recommended. Once again I would like to thank Darwin and “Busy” for this awesome experience. If you decide to book this trip please don’t forget to bring tip money for your captain and tour guide. They work very hard and deserve it.
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Posted On : 2023-06-10 09:30:56

Posted By : Ann_A
Teo was an incredible guide! The private tour with our family was well worth the extra $$. Our teenagers were super happy and actually didn’t complain — at all. This never happens. Amazing!! Gorgeous! Memorable.
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Posted On : 2023-04-07 09:40:18