“Great tours!! Best price!! Only way to excursion!! Thanks”
Peter Parker · Tucson, AZ
Stayed at Excellence Punta Cana
From $70
This is the muddy one. Point your automatic buggy down Macao's back lanes, stop dodging the puddles, and rip through farmland to three payoffs: a country plantation tasting, a swim in an underground cave river, and the wild, resort-free sand of Macao Beach. Wear something you don't mind ruining.
Quick gut check: are you okay with mud? Real mud, a lot of it? If the answer is no, this isn't your tour — no hard feelings. If the answer is yes, keep reading, because this is one of the best off-road runs anywhere near Punta Cana.
Everything starts at a tucked-away ranch in Macao. You'll size up your buggy — every one of them automatic, so there's no shifting to think about — and then head straight out into remote farmland.
The narrow country lanes out here are full of deep, sloppy mud pools. You'll try to steer around them at first. That never lasts. Sooner or later everyone gives in and just plows through — that's sort of the whole idea.
The plantation. We pull into a sleepy country farm for a taste of what the Dominican Republic grows best: cacao, coffee, tobacco and Mamajuana, the local spiced-rum "love potion." And yes — out here, you're allowed to drink and drive.
The cave. Back on the rocky trail, then down into a hidden cave with an underground river running through it. Jump in to cool off and rinse away a layer of mud.
The beach. The longest stretch of driving delivers the biggest change of scene: from a countryside cave all the way to the coast, out to Macao Beach — one of the last resort-free stretches of shore left in Punta Cana, all amber sand, leaning coconut palms and clear blue water.
Short version: shred the farmland, taste a plantation, swim a cave river, and finish on the sand at Macao Beach.
Buggies get snapped up fast around here, so book as early as you can. And don't stress about the mess — we'll hose the buggy down afterward. Though if you've read this far, we suspect you don't mind a bit of dirt.
Good to know
- Expect to get muddy — wear clothes and shoes you don't mind trashing.
- Every buggy is automatic, so there's no shifting to worry about.
- You must be 18 to drive; there's no age limit to ride as a passenger, and pregnant women can't take part.
- Staying at Club Med, Four Points, Westin, or anywhere in Cap Cana? Pickup for those areas runs Monday, Wednesday and Friday only — be sure to book one of those days.
“Great tours!! Best price!! Only way to excursion!! Thanks”
Peter Parker · Tucson, AZ
Stayed at Excellence Punta Cana
“We did the buggie excursion with Boogie Adventure. It was a lot of fun. However, I strongly recommend not purchasing anything from their gift shop. Everything was really expensive, the items had no price tag, and we had to hagle a lot to bring the price down. They also have photographers on the trip, they take really nice pictures, but it's way too expensive. I would recommend you befriend someone from the group or plan the trip for more than 2 people so can take nice pictures of each other”
Vines
“Excelent excursion! Me, as a puertorrican, truly appreciated the taino show with all my heart!”
Rebecca
“We did the buggy tour and it was great. Everything was on time and trip was a blast. It is a very busy area with lots of tours so if you are looking for tranquility this is not it. However if you want lots of mud, fun and a few cool spots it is a great time. Be sure you do not wear white and have clothes that can get very dirty. Would recommend the ATV vs buggy if looking to keep cleaner.”
David
“Punta Cana Tours did an excellent job booking our buggy tour they even got us in the same day. Would use them again thank you the Wards”
Vonnet
“We booked the buggy tour with them later in the week. It was a good tour however all the places you stop people hound you to be buy thing. Maybe once stop having the option to buy chocolate..green tea..mamajuana…vanilla etc…that part was nice and the kids asking for stuff was ok. Other than that the tour was fun and nice to see other "real" parts of the DR. Def would recommend this company!”
Reid Snow
“We had a fantastic time on this tour. It's beautiful! The Buggy Tour was fun. We did, however, have issues with a couple of the buggies. We had selected this company after reading reviews that buggies on other tours were known for breaking down. But overall, we had a lovely time.”
Zora Cochran
“We had a blast on the Macao Buggy excursion! It rained, which made for dirty fun. The excursion was cultural, beach and adventure all in one. We were able to learn about Dominican grown coffee (samples included), green tea, coconut oil and cacao powder. I was able to bring all of my purchases back into the U.S. with no problems. We spent time at Macao Beach where you could also get local Dominican food. The fish was tremendous. We spent time at La Cueva Cave. The water is 25 ft deep for advanced swimmers. Our guide, Carlos, spoke English very well which made following along easy. Most if not all guides speak several different languages including Spanish, French, and English among other languages.”
Chaim
“Fabulous tour and lots of fun! The buggies were in excellent condition, quick and clean. We saw many things and had a tons of fun. Our best adventure tour in Punta Cana!”
Langston
“This was a great adventure. Even the photographer took awesome pictures of us. I would do this again. The only thing I didn't like was the cave visit. The steps were very steep and it was over 100 people trying to get up and down there. It became slightly overwhelming for me. I felt claustrophobic.”
Jennie
“The Macao Buggies where awesome. Be prepared to get dusty and dirty and if it rains covered in mud. What more could you ask for.”
Emilio
“Great fun! Just wish we could ride more and visit the vendors less. Alot of the vehicles broke down during the trip but the team was great with fixing them and sending us on our way.”
Esther
“We booked an adventure buggy tour for 22 people through Punta Cana Tours. Thomas was great to deal with, spoke english and was very efficient in answering any email questions I sent (and there were many!). I would rate his service as excellent and would not hesitate in recommending him to anyone looking to book a tour in the Dominican Republic.”
Della
“We started out by being picked up at our hotel in an open safari truck and the driver was right on time and the weather was perfect! We experienced the "wild and crazy" driving of the Dominican population, they had us gasping at the narrow misses. When we arrived at the Macao Buggies site, we were given instructions on what to do and what not to do and asked if we wanted to upgrade to the bigger buggies and we were able to say no without being pressured. We recommend the smaller size. More mud, more fun! The tour guides took us through mud holes, pot holes and bumps. It is about the mud after all. They took us to the coffee/cocoa and cigar farm and were given a demonstration and samples of the local product…Mamajuana – Best rum anywhere! The vendors are there, but again we were able to say no without being pressured, we did purchase the rum and coffee beans, but remember this is their livelihood and depend on tourists, so they can be a little pushy. We ended the trip at the Macao beach where we got to dip in the ocean and clean some of the mud off. The trip was a ton of fun, we tried to splash as much mud as we could and as many other buggies as we could! We would recommend this to anyone, young or old. Just make it fun!”
Hudson
“Pick up from hotel was smooth. Guides were friendly and knowledgeable. The cave pool was cool and refreshing and the beach was beautiful. The buggy ride was more dusty than muddy (bandanas are a good idea), but other than that… The excursion was wonderfully fun!”
Stacy
“Our Macao Offroad excursion was great! We had a blast and enjoyed every part of it. Rigo was an excellent tour guide and everyone was kind. The camera man did a terrific job, as well. I just wish they would have explained upfront to us and the crowd that we traveled with that the expectation was to purchase a package. It wasn't made clear and was a shame because the photographer gentleman did a great job, but no one purchased any pictures. I do recommend telling customers that he will be taking pictures for purchase at the end of the tour, before the tour begins. Customers should also be informed about the picture price and packages ahead of time, so they don't go to the various pit stops along the excursion purchasing other things and not have enough money to purchase pictures upon return to the Macao Offroad base.”
Angel
“The excursion was very fun overall! Booked through Punta Cana Tours and the process was simple and easy, $59/person for a shared buggy! We were picked up at our location in the Macao buggy off-road truck, and although windy, the ride was fun. when we got the Macao compound, we were immediately sold snacks and drinks and bandanas, which did not bother me. The staff spoke English well which was nice. We waited around for what seemed like forever not knowing what for until a heap of buggies showed up for us to drive. Many other people on the excursion had issues with what buggies they paid for (high end vs regular, shared vs single), but I di not experience this. My advice would be to let the staff know if you ordered anything other than a shared, because everyone got what they wanted after they communicated but one group was frustrated because the staff was asking them for $70/person more for the VIP buggies which is what they ordered, but someone helped sort it out and they got it. Again, did not happen to me. The buggies are a bit dinky, but for us, it added to the experience! Although it was a bit hard to drive (ended up fine) and we lost control a few times (nothing serious), the off-roading part was the MOST FUN! We got soooooo dirty and it was a great experience!! I wish we would've ordered the pictures. The traditional house was average, but my boyfriend bought cigars for a good price – if you bargain they will go down if you want something. Good experience and educational. The most disappointing part was the cave. Vendors everywhere which does not bother me, but it just looked unsafe to jump in; it was extremely dark and crowded with what seemed like locals, so barely any of us could even squeeze through to see. We decided to wait outside and got haggled by vendors. We ended up going to a shop and bought a few things, but the vendor would not let us go. Luckily, the staff came and found us and helped us out before I go too upset, which was great to see! Macao beach was so beautiful, dont get me wrong, but it felt like we were only there for 5 minutes. Needed more time there. Also, the tour was extremely muddy and dirty as expected, but if another passenger didn't advise us to get a trash bag from the desk for our belongings, we would have been screwed! Keep in mind if you do this tour! Also, bring your own snacks, water, sunglasses, and bandanas to save some cash! You WILL need them. Very very fun overall! Also most seatbelts do not work! Not too dangerous though but would have been nice! Mine was broken and I asked the guide and he said "you know, you don't really need one." I never felt unsafe, but it would have been a nice precaution.”
Madison
“Great excursion. Only 4 hours which is great. Leave at 8:30 back to the resort by 12:30. Does not take up a whole day of vacation. The day we went it was dry so not so dirty. Wish we had mud to drive through. Also very controlled. Very slow driving, very fast stops. Wish we could have done more off-road. Cave is very cool to dive in. Highly recommended. Only about 15 minutes at the beach. Strong rip tide, could not swim. Overall very good. Needed more speed and more mud!”
John
“This was a fun afternoon trip, enjoyed by all of our family. First we stopped at the plantation where they told us about the local goods. Next was the cave which was an experience and finally we went to Macaw beach, which was stunning. We would definitely recommend buying the bandanas as it was very dusty and muddy in places. All part of the fun though! The only disappointment of the outing was that we were told to get on the wrong return bus to the hotel. It took us an additional hour to get back. Would suggest the drivers call out the hotel names just so it could prevent something like this happening again. Would recommend this trip, but if you have any doubts about driving an ATV opt for the buggies.”
Ray
“We did a private tour with Macao Dune Buggies. The cave swim was the highlight and we had it to ourselves for about 20 minutes. We felt the private tour was well worth the extra money because the groups tours were large and very dusty. The photographer got some great pictures and our granddaughter loved getting muddy!”
Diane
“Macao buggies was awesome. Lucas was an amazing tour guide. Enjoyed seeing how coffee and cocoa beans are turned into finished product. The cave swim was cool as well. Macao beach is absolutely stunning!!”
Caspian
“We had a blast!! My husband and I and our 5 adult children ages 18-29 did the Macao Buggies. We also paid extra for a private guide…it was an additional $30 per buggy but worth every penny! We rented 5 buggies, 2 of them we doubled up on, the other 3 were solo riders. With the private guide…Joseph, we went to the swimming hole first and it was just the 7 of us. Joseph changed the order of the attractions so we were never in with the crowd. It was great!! The kids liked seeing the countryside and Macao Beach was so pretty! No seaweed either. I highly recommend this tour but definitely pay the extra money for a private tour.”
Cheryl
“Love this excursion went to Punta Cana in 2016 and in 2018 and did the Buggies excursion both times. The excursion proctors are amazing at guiding us. The only thing that stopped me from giving it a 5 star review was for the fact that we only stayed 20 minutes at Macao beach which by far is the most beautiful beach in Punta. overall great experience.”
Joseph