Punta Cana: 4x4 ATV, Water Cave Swim & Chocolate Tasting

4.77

(1431 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

“Don’t forget your bandana — trust me,” our guide Luis grinned as he handed us helmets at the ranch just outside Punta Cana. The engines coughed to life and suddenly we were bouncing down muddy tracks, palms whipping past, red dirt flying everywhere (my shoes still haven’t forgiven me). I kept laughing because every time I thought we’d slow down, Luis would shout something in Spanish and off we’d go again, chasing the next curve. The air smelled like wet earth and sweet grass — you know that smell after it rains? It was kind of like that, but warmer.

We stopped at this small organic farm where an older woman named Marta showed us how they roast coffee beans over a wood fire. She let us taste fresh chocolate too — not sugary like back home, but rich and almost smoky. I tried to say “gracias” but probably butchered it; she just smiled and poured us a little cup of mamajuana (that local rum stuff — wow). There were chickens wandering around and you could hear someone chopping coconuts nearby. It felt real, not staged for tourists.

The best part for me was the Taino Ecological Park. We climbed down into this limestone cave where the air suddenly turned cool and damp. The water was so clear you could see right to the bottom — freezing cold at first touch but honestly refreshing after all that dust. Some people jumped right in; I hesitated but then just went for it. My heart was pounding when I came up for air (in a good way). Afterward we rode out to Macao Beach — only had about twenty minutes there, but watching the waves crash against those white cliffs while eating sticky sand fruit… yeah, I still think about that view.