Who hasn't dreamt of swimming with dolphins? For this unique experience, the Dominican Republic is one of the most accessible destinations for swimming with these endearing marine mammals, thanks to its five dolphinariums. Four of them are in the tourist area of Punta Cana: Dolphin Explorer, Dolphin Discovery and Dolphin Island Park, water parks outside and close to the beach, and Manati Park, in the heart of the hotel zone. The fifth spot is in Cofresi, near Puerto Plata, in the north-west of the country.
Literally "manatee park", Manati Park is the best-known park where you can swim with dolphins in the Dominican Republic, and also the oldest, inaugurated in 1996.
It is in fact a 210km² theme park housing 150 tropical species, including birds (parakeets, parrots, etc.), reptiles (the country's largest iguana breeding centre) and mammals, in superb gardens rich in orchids and other tropical plants.
Manati Park is home to the world's largest iguana breeding center.
- © FotoSovushka / ShutterstockBut Manati Park offers more than just animal shows (including parrots, horses, dolphins and sea lions) and swimming with dolphins. The park also features cultural exhibitions on Dominican folklore and the artistic talent of the Taino Indians, the first inhabitants of the island before the arrival of the Spanish.
You can discover their village, as well as their customs, dances, rituals and ancestral traditions. The icing on the cake is that the park is home to two natural wells where you can swim in pure, heavenly water!
👛 Price: entry to Manati Park is US$35, US$20 for children under 13, and free for children under 2.
🐬Swim with the dolphins: this is a specific 20-minute programme reserved for people over 1m20, priced at US$125.
🚌 Getting there: most hotels offer excursions to Manati Park, located just over 5km back from Bavaro beach.
👉 More information at manatipark.com.
Located a stone's throw from the Cocotal Golf course and Manati Park, next to a main road set well back from the beach, the Whala!Urban Punta Cana is a small 69-room hotel with a swimming pool and snack bar restaurant. Wi-Fi is free everywhere, including in the rooms. A hotel on a human scale that stands out from the giant resorts of Punta Cana!
Punta Cana
Located between the beach and the Bávaro coral reef, the Dolphin Island Park, inaugurated in 2004, was the first park in the Dominican Republic to offer the unique experience of swimming with a dolphin not in a pool but directly in the sea. You can also snorkel for 10 minutes alongside sharks and rays in their natural habitat.
This platform, from which you can swim with several sea creatures, lies some 800 metres off Bavaro beach.
- © Valentin Valkov / ShutterstockMake your way aboard a sailing boat that will take you from Bavaro beach to a platform 800 metres from the shore. From here you can snorkel, swim and take photos with dolphins, sharks, manta rays and sea lions.
The Seaquarium is located in the same area. With underwater snuba equipment, a cross between snorkelling and scuba diving, Seaquarium allows families with no special certification or experience to venture safely into the silent world. It's a chance to discover an underwater shipwreck, meet dolphins and swim with manta rays and nurse sharks.
🐬Swim with the dolphins: you can choose from several 30- to 50-minute programmes reserved for people over 1m10, costing between US$120 and US$195.
🚌 Getting there: most hotels offer excursions to Dolphin Island Park, located between the beach and the Bavaro coral reef.
👉 You can book directly at dolphinislandpark.com
Located just 1 km from Dolphin Island Park, the Barceló Bávaro Palace is just one link in the immense Barcelo hotel chain, the largest in the Dominican Republic. Golf, casino, discotheque, spa, shopping centre with duty free, numerous sports facilities, endless bars and restaurants... An Eldorado for those who love large, secure, all-inclusive structures.
Punta Cana
Located on Cabeza de Toro beach, Dolphin Explorer offers the chance to swim with dolphins, shake their hands (or rather swim with them), ride on their bellies and even watch them jump over you!
Encounters with sea lions, rays and nurse sharks are also on the programme, as is a training session with dolphins. Another original experience is Sea Explorer: you can meet the dolphins by walking under the sea in a diving suit!
Dolphin Explorer offers impressive dolphin experiences!
- © DELENAC / Shutterstock🐬Swim with the dolphins: the programme lasts 50 minutes and is reserved for people over 1m, at US$149 (US$99 for children).
🤿 Discover the seabed in a diving suit: 40-minute experience at US$119 (same rate whether adult or child).
🚌 Getting there: most hotels offer excursions to Dolphin Explorer, located directly on Cabeza de Toro beach.
👉 You can book directly at dolphinexplorer.com
Very popular with French guests, who find quality French-speaking entertainment, the Serenade Punta Cana Beach offers a wide range of services and activities. This 603-room resort is ideally located on the beautiful Cabeza de Toro beach, close to the airport. There are six restaurants and five snack bars, a casino, a spa, a nightclub and a theatre. The Serenade is just 500 metres from the Dolphin Explorer!
Punta Cana
Located behind the Bavaro lagoon, Dolphin Discovery also allows you to swim with the dolphins, but in a pool, as in Manati Park. It's also an opportunity to meet other marine animals, such as manatees and sea lions.
🐬Swim with the dolphins: you can choose from several programmes between US$99 and US$199.
🚌 Getting there: most hotels offer excursions to Dolphin Discovery, set back from the sea behind Bavaro Lagoon.
👉 you can book directly at dolphindiscovery.com
The Lopesan Costa Bávaro Resort, Spa & Casino is a giant 1,042-room, all-inclusive resort bordering the magnificent beach of Bavaro, just 5 km from Dolphin Discovery. It features a water park, casino, nightclub, spa, water sports galore and seven restaurants! Add an 830 m² gym and six swimming pools, including a 2,900 m² Infinity Pool, and you've got an idea of the endless possibilities that await you here!
Punta Cana
Swimming with dolphins at Ocean World in Cofresi, near Puerto Plata, is an unforgettable experience. You can also feed the stingrays, admire the sharks and iguanas, watch sea lion shows, snorkel among the fish in an artificial pool and touch the parrots and toucans.
Children are particularly pampered, with pirate pools and water slides in a tropical forest setting. In the evening, you can enjoy "The Bravissimo Experience", a show worthy of the greatest Las Vegas shows! Opened in 2004, Ocean World is located in Cofresi, a 10-minute drive from Puerto Plata.
👛 Price: entry to Ocean World Adventure Park is US$69 and US$54 for children.
🐬Swim with the dolphins: the rate is US$99 for children over 12 and US$120 for adults, the experience lasts 30 minutes.
🚌 Getting there: most hotels in the tourist area of Puerto Plata, located 5km east of Ocean World, offer excursions.
👉 You can book directly at oceanworld.net
Ocean World is located within the Lifestyle Holidays Hotels and Resorts, a luxury resort housing several hotels, a Café del Mar, as well as a casino and private marina. The Cofresi Palm Beach is one of the hotels in this resort located in Cofresi, 5 km west of Puerto Plata. A huge all-inclusive, 24-hour club, ideal for families, with seven swimming pools, a lovely spa, nine restaurants and fifteen bars!
Punta Cana
