Punta Cana: Jungle Buggies, Monkeyland & Anamuya River Lunch

4.65

(238 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I’ll be honest — I was a little nervous about driving a 4x4 jungle buggie through the muddy trails outside Punta Cana. But after our guide, Rafael, handed over the keys and grinned (“Don’t worry, you’ll get dirty!”), it felt more like a dare than a warning. The engine rattled under my hands and we bounced past palm trees and flashes of bright blue sky. There was this sharp smell of wet earth every time we hit a puddle — which happened a lot. My partner kept shouting over the noise, mostly laughing at how I kept missing the biggest potholes (or maybe aiming for them).

After what felt like both an hour and five minutes (time gets weird when you’re covered in mud), we stopped by the Anamuya river. The water was cold enough to make me gasp but so clear you could see your toes. A few local kids waved from the bank while their dad fished nearby. It’s funny — I’d expected adrenaline, not this kind of quiet moment. Then it was off to Casa del Coco, where Rosa showed us how coconut oil is made. She let us taste fresh coconut meat; it’s softer than I thought, almost sweet. I tried to say “gracias” in Spanish but probably sounded like I had a mouthful of sand.

The highlight? Definitely Monkeyland. Squirrel monkeys everywhere — one hopped right onto my shoulder and tried to steal my sunglasses (Rafael just shook his head like he’d seen it all before). Their little hands are so light you barely feel them until they’re tugging at your hair or poking around for snacks. Lunch after that was way better than I expected on a day trip from Punta Cana: rice, chicken, plantains — simple stuff but packed with flavor. We sat around swapping stories with other travelers while the guides joked about whose group got splashed the most on the buggies.

I still think about that weird mix of mud and laughter and monkey paws on my arm — there’s something about days like this that sticks with you long after you’ve washed off all the dirt.