Thanks to its 50 kilometres of white-sand coastline, Punta Cana holidays are up there with the Caribbean's beachy best.
Crowning glory coastline
Punta Cana’s plonked on the Dominican Republic’s east coast, and there’s no denying its beaches are the stars of the show. Its sizeable squad of white-sand, pillow-soft numbers are all fringed by lofty, coconut-shaking palms. Not only are they sun-worshipper and swimmer-friendly, but they’re prime snorkelling territory, too – snap on some goggles to see the rainbow-coloured reefs. You’ve got plenty of spots to choose from, but chilled-out Uvero Alto and energetic Bavaro Beach are our faves. Just a heads up – the beaches here are sometimes affected by sargassum, a type of seaweed. It’s influenced by things like weather patterns and the currents in the sea. If your hotel’s affected, the staff will do everything they can to clear it.
Inland adventures
The fun doesn’t stop once you’re past the beaches’ borders. Take the hour’s drive to Anamuya Rainforest, and you’ll find a zipline course zig-zagging through the treetops. This two-kilometre extravaganza features 12 lines, including the Dominican Republic’s longest, as well as a duo of lines for side-by-side zooming. Punta Cana’s Ojos Indigenas ecological park is a magnet for nature nerds. We’re talking trails through tropical forests and a dozen clear-water lagoons.
