Cayo Levantado is a small island located in the Samaná Bay, on the north-eastern coast of the Dominican Republic. It is an idyllic setting with paradisiacal beaches, extensive vegetation, and beautiful crystal clear waters, nestled in an almost wild landscape. Also known as Bacardi Island, the picturesque island of Cayo Levantado is only 1 kilometre long. However, it has everything you need for an unforgettable holiday.
Passporter invites you to discover this cay, so below we have included all the interesting activities to do there. Don’t miss the opportunity to explore this place and be amazed by its beauty.
Organise your travel itinerary with Passporter, completely free to use, easy and practical. Get inspired by the experiences of other travellers and choose the places that interest you most by adding them to your route map.
If you want to know what else you can see and do in Samana Bay, check out our post: Things to do in Samana Bay.
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Things to do on your trip to Cayo Levantado
Travel Tip: To organize your trip we recommend using Passporter totally free. You can be inspired by the experiences of other travelers, choose the places that interest you most, create the travel route with a geolocated map, upload all important documents such as reservations and invite your friends so that everyone can participate in the organization of the trip.
Beaches of Cayo Levantado
Along the island of Cayo Levantado there are two beautiful beaches, Playa Grande and Playa Honda. These are two beaches with fine white sand, crystal clear waters and a picture-perfect landscape. They are the perfect place to enjoy the Caribbean Sea, swimming, sunbathing and discovering the marine-life while snorkelling.
In addition to its dreamlike landscape, given its small size, it is possible to walk all around Cayo Levantado. You can enter its forests and surround yourself with nature. You can also discover the trails that run through a rainforest which is a refuge for different native birds species.
Humpback Whale Sanctuary
The Humpback Whale Sanctuary in Samana is one of the most interesting excursions to do from Cayo Levantado and in the Dominican Republic. This excursion includes the observation of the humpback whales that migrate to Samana Bay from December to March. Every year about 2,000 humpback whales come to breed in the warm waters off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, specifically in the Bay of Samana. These beautiful mammals regularly come to the surface, showing off to interested visitors. Samana is considered one of the best places in the world for humpback whale watching, and this excursion gives you the chance to witness this event.
The Dominican government takes great care to enforce whale protection laws, ensuring the safety and conservation of these wonderful animals. This is an exciting activity that will make your trip to Cayo Levantado an incredible experience. Please note, however, that this tour is only available during the period from December 15th to March 30th each year.
Los Haitises National Park
Another activity to do on your trip to Cayo Levantado is to visit Los Haitises National Park. Located in the Bay of Samaná, this fascinating place will allow you to get to know the extraordinary natural wealth of the Dominican Republic, as well as part of its ancient history. Los Haitises means “mountainous land” in Taino, and is characterized by its imposing mogotes. These mogotes reach up to 40 metres in height, and cover the entire surface of the park. It’s an immense reserve covering almost 1600 metres, full of caves, Taino pictographs, humid forests, and hundreds of bird species.
The National Park has impressive areas, such as the Tainos Tropical Rainforest, the San Lorenzo Bay, or the Mangrove forest. In addition, this place was used to film Jurassic Park.
What to see around Cayo Levantado?
Cayo Arena
Cayo Arena, also known as Cayo Paraíso, is a coral islet located in the northwest of the Dominican Republic, very close to Cayo Levantado. As its name suggests, this is a beautiful sandbank characterised by intense blue, shallow waters teeming with tropical fish. Due to its small size, most excursions to this cay are a round trip from Puerto Plata. However, that is more than enough time to appreciate this marvellous natural enclave.
Cayo La Farola
Located in the Marine Mammal Sanctuary, and adjacent to Cayo Levantado, this place is the ideal option for adventure lovers. This cay has an enormous wealth of landscapes, as well as a multitude of trails surrounded by the characteristic flora and fauna. In addition, on Cayo La Farola, you will find the fantastic El Tutú viewpoint. Here, you can enjoy a 360-degree view of the most impressive landscapes of the Samaná peninsula, the beauty of the sea and, on occasion, humpback whales.
The ecological trail has more than 75 indigenous and exotic plants, which can be seen during a 45-minute walk along the five paths that lead to the viewpoint. In Cayo Farola, the green vegetation and the sun’s rays welcome us, providing the perfect space for photography lovers.
Whale and Marine Science Museum
If you don’t make it to the Samana Peninsula for the whale watching season from mid-January to March, you can’t miss the Whale Museum. Located in the town of Santa Bárbara de Samaná, this museum tells you everything you need to know about the whales that visit Samaná Bay every year to mate and give birth. You’ll discover why the northeast coast of the Dominican Republic is one of the most important humpback whale sanctuaries in the world. Among its exhibits, this museum includes the complete 40-foot skeleton of a humpback whale found in 1993 along the coast.
Tips for travelling to Cayo Levantado
- Remember to bring sunscreen, a hat and mosquito repellent.
- Wear comfortable shoes and light clothing for walking around Cayo Levantado.
- Help protect the marine wildlife you encounter and respect their natural habitat.
- We recommend taking out travel insurance before you set off on your adventure in the Dominican Republic and Cayo Levantado.
- Avoid crowds and carrying visible valuables.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cayo Levantado is an islet in the bay of Samaná, which is in the Province of Samaná, northeast of the island of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.
The only way to get to Cayo Levantado is by boat. Taxi boats leave daily from Samaná to Cayo Levantado, most leave from the port of Samaná, on Avenida de la Marina.
Due to Cayo Levantado’s small size, its gastronomic offer is scarce. However, you can find the ideal place to try fresh fish and seafood from Samana Bay at Bacardi Seafood Restaurant Bar.
There is only one hotel in Cayo Levantado, the Bahia Principe Cayo Levantado Hotel. It is a five-star hotel, considered one of the best all-inclusive hotels in the world.
A curious fact about Cayo Levantado is that it is also known as “Bacardi Island” because in the 80’s the popular rum brand filmed an advert here. The success of the commercial was so great that the nickname has stuck till today.
How to organise what to see in Cayo Levantado?
You can use this post as a reference and combine it with the suggestions on the Passporter website or app. There you will find a wide variety of ideas and inspiration on what to see and do in Cayo Levantado.
- Get inspiration from the experiences of other travellers.
- Create your own itinerary and add the app’s suggestions to it.
- Add the spots you are most interested in, as well as the restaurants and bars where you want to eat (you can use the points of interest listed in this post as a reference).
- Organise your itinerary by days and according to their location (you can take inspiration from the routes presented in the post).
- Check the travel budget that the app calculates for you based on your travel stops, restaurants, and leisure activities.
- Make the necessary modifications and you are ready for your trip.
- Finally, share your experience. Upload photos of each of the places you have visited to the app so you can inspire other users.
If you have any doubts about how to plan your itinerary, you can read our post: How to create your travel itinerary with Passporter.
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