Saona Island: Catamaran or Speedboat?
Catamaran or speedboat to Saona? Most group tours use both: a speedboat takes 25 to 50 minutes from Bayahibe, a catamaran an hour or more with the bar.
On most Saona group tours you do not have to choose: you go one way by speedboat and the other by catamaran. The speedboat is the fast, bumpy leg of 25 to 50 minutes from Bayahibe; the catamaran is the slow one, an hour or more with shade, music and the open bar. The choice becomes real on the small-group and private days, which keep one boat for the whole trip. The most reviewed of the small-group speedboat days is Dominican Attitude Excursions’ Beach & Natural Pool Small-Group Tour, from $105 a person (checked October 2026) and rated 4.7 from 751 reviews.
Why the group days use both boats
The big tours split the crossing so that the quick boat gets you to the island in the morning and the party boat brings you back. JAC Tours Punta Cana’s listing says the order depends on the day’s logistics and the sea: speedboat out and catamaran back, or the reverse. Vacation On RD’s Full-Day Saona Island Excursion goes out by speedboat and boards the catamaran at 2:35 pm for a 90-minute ride back with dancing.
The speedboat
The listings put the run at 40 minutes from Dominicus, 45 minutes from Bayahibe and 50 minutes to the far beaches. Expect spray and a few hard landings on the waves. Dominican Attitude Excursions does not take guests with back problems or over 70 on its speedboat day, and Advenza Tours’ small group excludes back, heart and respiratory problems. In return a speedboat lands where the big catamarans cannot, and it reaches the pool and the snorkel spots first.
The catamaran
It is slower: Quetzal Excursions sails about an hour and a quarter each way from Bayahibe, and the day from Santo Domingo lists two hours on the catamaran in each direction. You get shade, a bar, music and space to move. On the group days it is the party leg; on Quetzal’s small-group luxury catamaran it is a quieter boat with lunch cooked on board, and guests board from a water taxi.
The boats on each tour
| Tour | Boats | On the water | From (October 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catamaran to Saona Island with Food & Open Bar | Speedboat one way, catamaran the other | Order set on the day | $66 a person |
| Full-Day Saona Island Excursion | Speedboat out, catamaran back | 1.5 hours back by catamaran | $67 a person |
| Beach & Natural Pool Small-Group Tour | Speedboat | Short hops: Peñón, mangroves, Catuano | $105 a person |
| Saona Island in a Small Group (Max. 20) | Speedboat both ways | 45 minutes each way | $110 a person |
| Small Group Tour, Luxury Catamaran | Catamaran both ways | About 75 minutes each way | $169 a person |
Which one to pick
If you get seasick or have a bad back, choose a day with at least one catamaran leg, or a catamaran both ways. If you want the quiet beaches and the snorkelling, a small-group speedboat gets there first. If you want the party, the classic day gives you both: a quick ride out and a long one home with the bar open.
Pick the boat that suits you:
Beach & Natural Pool Small-Group Tour
Speedboat from Bayahibe, the Peñón cliff, mangroves, Catuano and a beach-restaurant lunch.
Check dates →Small Group Luxury Catamaran
One catamaran all day, lunch on board and a quiet beach corner.
See the catamaran →Catamaran to Saona with Food & Open Bar
Speedboat one way, catamaran with music and an open bar the other.
See the dates →Prices and review counts as listed on GetYourGuide in October 2026, not a quote.
For what each boat day costs and includes, see the Saona tour price guide.
Check dates and book
Saona by Speedboat, in a Small Group
Dominican Attitude Excursions' small-group day crosses by speedboat from Bayahibe, stops at the Penon cliff and the mangroves, snorkels at Catuano and ends in the natural pool, with lunch at a beach restaurant. Rated 4.7 from 751 reviews, from $105 a person as of October 2026, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Check Small-Group Dates