Punta Cana: ATV Adventure to Water Cave & Macao Beach

4.84

(814 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I’ll be honest — I almost missed the pickup because I couldn’t find my sunglasses (of course). But they waited, and soon enough we were bouncing down the road out of Punta Cana, heading for the ATV ranch. The group was small, maybe eight of us, and our guide Miguel had this way of making everyone laugh even while he was running through the safety talk. I was nervous about driving but he just winked and said, “You’ll get muddy. That’s the point.” He wasn’t kidding.

The first stretch on the ATVs felt wild — dust in my teeth, wind everywhere, that earthy smell after last night’s rain. We stopped at a Dominican farm where an old man handed me a tiny cup of coffee so strong it made my eyes water (in a good way). There was chocolate too, and something called mamajuana that Miguel swore would make me dance better. Tried to say gracias in Spanish but mostly just grinned like an idiot. The farm dogs followed us around until we left.

Next up was the water cave. Honestly, I didn’t expect it to be that deep or that blue — you could hear everyone’s voices echoing off the stone when people jumped in. Cold shock on your skin and then it feels perfect. It was hard to leave but the last stop was Macao Beach, so back on the ATVs with mud splattering up my legs (I gave up trying to stay clean ages ago). The beach itself — white sand stuck between my toes, locals selling fruit under palm trees, waves louder than you’d think. I sat there for a while not saying much. Still think about that view sometimes.