Boasting an exotic island and a national park, this is no ordinary whale watching tour. Your Dominican adventure kicks off in Samana Bay, famed for its humpback whales. Observe – with luck – these graceful creatures at play before docking at Bacardi Island for a creole lunch followed by downtime on the beach. Rounding off the day is a tour of La Farola.

Fantastic day out! Thomas our guide was so informative about Dominican Republic on our journey to the boat, we learnt lots. The speedboat was great fun and found whales straight away. The whales then put on an incredible show for us jumping and splashing up close, just incredible. Then onto barcardi island, gorgeous lunch, snorkelling and swimming at a stunning location, also had some stalls for souvenirs etc. A perfect day out.

We booked this experience via Felix, TUI Rep, it was definitely worth booking through him as he gave a lot of useful information, he told us how to access an early breakfast, how long the day would be, where we would be going and what we would need to take. It is a very long day (11 hours), the coach is comfy, guide Martin was really helpful, be aware the sea is quite choppy and its bouncy so think about sickness and any back conditions. Food was average. Experience was 5/5 wonderful creatures!

The transport to the boat was awful. Despite it being a coach the leg room was non existent and having problems with my knees this was extremely painful. The boat for the trip was fast and everyone had a view. The whales took 40 mins to appear but it was well worth the wait, fantastic experience with mama whale breaching several times. Bacardi island was pretty but lunch was a let down. All in all the whales made it a fantastic day.

TUI pile the buses and boats to the rafters. So if you are last off the bus you will be stuck in a middle seat on the boat with a dodgy view. Likewise if you are on the first pick up it's a long day. The trip itself is truly memorable and a bucket list tick. Less memorable were the 2 stops at the same gift shop on route. Supposedly for a toilet break, but there was clearly a side hustle

We understand you can’t wild animals to perform but it would have been nicer to see more of the whales. It was a free for all on the boat with everyone getting in each other’s way.

Why you’ll love this…

Whale-watching tour in Samana Bay
Lunch and free time on Bacardi Island
La Farola

Important to know

We prioritize responsible and respectful wildlife viewing on all of our dolphin and whale-watching tours, and we try to avoid interfering with their natural behaviours as much as possible. While sightings can't be 100% guaranteed due to this conservation-focussed effort, we'll try our best to make sure you see them.
Not suitable for expectant mothers or guests with back problems
Bring bathing gear and sunblock
Bring insect repellent
Bring a hat
Subject to weather conditions
Not suitable for guests who suffer from travel sickness

Cancellation policy

Receive a 100% refund if you cancel up to 1 day before the experience begins.

What’s included

Speedboat ride
Transport
Admission fees
Lunch
Breakfast
Guide
Swim stops

Booking fee

Good news! No extra fees are applied to this booking.

Pickup points

To see which pickup points are available, check under availability & prices.

Provider

TUI DOMINICANA, S.A.S

What people say about this experience

4.5/5

All reviews are verified

Based on 15 reviews

Review categories

Staff

4.6/5

Value for money

4.4/5

Service

4.6/5

Safety

4.6/5

All ratings (15)

5 stars (9)

60%

4 stars (6)

40%

3 stars (0)

2 stars (0)

1 star (0)

G
Gemma C
Traveled with family
February 24, 2025
5
United States of America
Fantastic day out! Thomas our guide was so informative about Dominican Republic on our journey to the boat, we learnt lots. The speedboat was great fun and found whales straight away. The whales then put on an incredible show for us jumping and splashing up close, just incredible. Then onto barcardi island, gorgeous lunch, snorkelling and swimming at a stunning location, also had some stalls for souvenirs etc. A perfect day out.
D
Debbie
Traveled with family
March 15, 2025
5
United Kingdom
V
Val & Simon
Traveled as a couple
March 24, 2024
5
United States of America
We booked this experience via Felix, TUI Rep, it was definitely worth booking through him as he gave a lot of useful information, he told us how to access an early breakfast, how long the day would be, where we would be going and what we would need to take. It is a very long day (11 hours), the coach is comfy, guide Martin was really helpful, be aware the sea is quite choppy and its bouncy so think about sickness and any back conditions. Food was average. Experience was 5/5 wonderful creatures!
M
Mia
Traveled as a couple
February 28, 2024
4.2
United Kingdom
The transport to the boat was awful. Despite it being a coach the leg room was non existent and having problems with my knees this was extremely painful. The boat for the trip was fast and everyone had a view. The whales took 40 mins to appear but it was well worth the wait, fantastic experience with mama whale breaching several times. Bacardi island was pretty but lunch was a let down. All in all the whales made it a fantastic day.
F
Fez
Traveled as a couple
February 8, 2024
4.2
United States of America
TUI pile the buses and boats to the rafters. So if you are last off the bus you will be stuck in a middle seat on the boat with a dodgy view. Likewise if you are on the first pick up it's a long day. The trip itself is truly memorable and a bucket list tick. Less memorable were the 2 stops at the same gift shop on route. Supposedly for a toilet break, but there was clearly a side hustle
M
Mark Birch
Traveled as a couple
January 27, 2023
4.2
United Kingdom
We understand you can’t wild animals to perform but it would have been nicer to see more of the whales. It was a free for all on the boat with everyone getting in each other’s way.