Cayo Levantado (Bacardi Island)

You can kayak, snorkel, rent pedal boats, or explore the hilly tropical forest via a series of trails that cut through the jungle. Day trips to Bacardi Island, which typically depart from Punta Cana, tend to include round-trip transport and lunch on the beach, and often also include a visit to Los Haitises National Park, whale watching off the coast of Samaná, or a stop at El Limón Waterfall.

• Don’t forget to pack a swimsuit, beach towel, change of clothes, and reef-safe sunscreen.
• Amenities on the beach include a few bars and restaurants selling seafood and tropical drinks.
• Bring some local currency in small denominations if you plan to rent a beach chair.

The island is three miles (five kilometers) from Samaná Bay and accessible by boat from the Samaná pier on Avenida Marina. You can hire a private boat or opt for a day trip with hassle-free hotel pickup and drop-off. The public beach occupies the western part of the island.

The best season to visit the island is between March and May, when crowds are scarcer and there’s less chance of rain ruining your beach day. Plan to visit later in the afternoon, when day-trippers head back to Punta Cana. Take a look at the cruise ship schedule, as the beach can get crowded when a ship is in port.

Cayo Levantado is widely considered Samaná’s most beautiful beach, but it’s also among the most popular. If you’d rather get away from it all, you have other options. Playa Rincon offers 2.5 miles (four kilometers) of secluded white sand, while Fronton and Madama Beaches, about 17 miles (28 kilometers) outside of town on Cabo Samaná, are accessible by boat and known for their excellent snorkeling.

You don’t need a ticket to visit Cayo Levantado, but the only place to stay is a 5-star resort, which costs upwards of US$450 per night. Guided tours to Cayo Levantado start at around US$75 for a half-day tour. A return trip in a taxi boat from Samaná costs around US$4.50 per person.

Cayo Levantado is .3 square miles (.8 square kilometers), or about 250 acres (101 hectares). The 219-room Cayo Levantado Resort occupies most of the island, but a beach in the west is public. Most of the island is rainforest. Its highest point is 85 feet (26 meters) above sea level.

Owned by the Spanish hospitality company Grupo Piñero, the Cayo Levantado Resort occupies most of Cayo Levantado. The rest of the island, including one white-sand beach, is open to the public. Resort rooms start at US$450, or you can visit the public areas on a day trip from Samaná.

Cayo Levantado means “raised key” in Spanish, likely a reference to an uprising by English pirate Joseph Bannister in the late 17th century. Cayo Levantado got the name Bacardi Island after the famous rum brand filmed an advertisement on the island in the 1980s.

The small island of Cayo Levantado is located in the northeast of the Dominican Republic. It's about 3 miles (5 kilometers) off the coast of Samaná, a popular town on the Samaná Peninsula. Cayo Levantado is in Samaná Bay, a warm, sheltered part of the Caribbean that faces the Atlantic.

Some cruise ships dock at Cayo Levantado, and the 5-star Cayo Levantado Resort provides free ferry transfers to guests. Otherwise, take a guided tour or a taxi boat from Samaná. As the upmarket Cayo Levantado Resort is the only accommodation on the island, don't miss your return taxi boat.