This is the Punta Cana & the Southeast chapter from Lonely Planet’s Dominican Republic & Haiti guidebook.

A Caribbean workhorse of sun and sand, the southeast is synonymous with go-big-or-go-home tourism. But beyond Punta Cana there is also a different and worthwhile side of the Southeast if you can tear yourself away from the buffets long enough to take the rewarding journeys required to make their acquaintance.

• relax on endless soft white beaches and dive into bottomless all-inclusive buffets in Bávaro and Punta Cana
• maps
• ply the mangrove-infested forests of Parque Nacional Los Haitises on a serene kayak excursion
• transportation
• restaurants & accommodations
• ride the wind on a local’s sailboat along the coast near Bayahibe

Coverage includes: East of Santo Domingo, Parque Nacional Submarino La Caleta, Boca Chica, Juan Dolio, La Romana, Bayahibe & Dominicus Americanus, Higüey, Bávaro & Punta Cana, Playa Limón, Miches and Sabana de la Mar.