Family-Friendly Itinerary

DAY 1: CUEVA DE LAS MARAVILLAS

Planning a family vacation to La Romana is a breeze. With delicious food, exhilarating adventures, cultural attractions, and all-inclusive resorts, there is something for everyone!

Start your La Romana family vacation by diving into Dominican history and culture. Cueva de las Maravillas is an ancient cave system with indigenous rock art by the Taíno Indian tribe. During a tour of the caves, you’ll see hundreds of pictograms and petroglyphs engraved in red and black on the stone walls; it’s a great educational (and cultural) opportunity for the whole family! A tour of Cueva de las Maravillas takes about an hour as a guide leads small groups along well-lit footpaths.

See our directory for available tours, and read our blog post for more information on Cueva de las Maravillas.


DAY 2: SNORKELING CATALINA ISLAND

La Romana is a fun place to snorkel with shipwrecks just off the coast of Catalina Island. Impressive coral reefs, tropical marine life, and underwater artifacts are teeming with educational opportunities for the whole family! Sitting in about 10 feet of water, Captain Kidd’s shipwreck is a famous “living museum of the sea” where excellent visibility allows the kids to snorkel and discover the 17th Century ship. Plus, you get the added history behind the shipwreck itself.

Catamaran and boat tours depart daily from Bayahibe. It’s recommended to book your tour in advance with a local operator or through the concierge at your hotel. Or see our directory for available snorkel excursions to Catalina Island.


DAY 3: COTUBANAMÁ NATIONAL PARK

Cotubanamá National Park is a tropical forest in La Romana with native wildlife, coral reefs, and natural caves. The land is also an Indigenous historical site. Birds inhabit the wetlands and mangroves, while the protected waters and coral reefs boast some of the best scuba diving in the world. Cotubanamá National Park is also home to hundreds of magnificent caves where subterranean springs bubble up to supply fresh water to neighboring villages, resorts, and hotels.

It’s best to discover Cotubanamá National Park with a tour guide so you can learn more about the nature and surrounding area. Some tours are more on the adventure side, offering ziplining or ATV rides. While others are more down to earth, where you can go on a family hike (accessible from Bayahíbe village) to explore the park’s cave and freshwater springs along marked trails of varying difficulty.

See our directory for available tours of Cotubanamá National Park.


DAY 4: MINITAS BEACH

Because of La Romana’s location on the southwest coast of the Dominican Republic, the beaches are protected from strong currents and big waves. That means the beaches are safe for swimming!

Minitas Beach is accessed through Casa de Campo and a popular family-friendly beach in La Romana thanks to a variety of water sports, games, and food trucks nearby. Lounge chairs line the shore and a designated swimming area is safe for kids to splash in the water. Here, you and the family can take windsurfing lessons or cool off with a fruity batidos from a local vendor. You could also enjoy lunch at Minitas Beach Club & Restaurant overlooking the Caribbean Sea.

When it comes to fun in the sun, Minitas Beach is the best option for the whole family. See our directory to book watersports.