10 Things to do in Punta Cana with Kids

Theme parks, beaches with calm, crystal clear waters and outdoor rides are some of the best things to see and do in Punta Cana with kids. But when you go to this Caribbean destination, it's important to keep in mind a few tips that will make your stay (and theirs) more enjoyable.

Punta Cana is a more than fun place for the little ones, because in addition to visiting incredible attractions, they will be able to see and enjoy the Caribbean nature and the species that live in it. One of my favourite attractions in Punta Cana is the interaction with the dolphins and the water parks.

It is important that you bring all the documents that identify the children, whether you are their parents or not, because in many attractions you will be asked for documents such as birth certificate, vaccination card or other identification that can verify the age and health of the children.

Avoid having to leave out an activity because you don't have these documents at hand at some attractions. If you are going to swim with dolphins, for example, it is important that you bring the children's birth certificate to prove their age and that you can take advantage of the offers for them.

For this experience it is also important to present this document to know if the child is old enough to participate in the basic, intermediate or full plan. Depending on the age of the children, they can swim alone or with an adult, this is why the child's documentation is requested.

If you are visiting Punta Cana from another country it is vital that you bring the child's information with you. And in case they are not your children, it is important that you have an authorization from their parents, which allows you to travel and walk with the little ones throughout the Dominican territory.

Also in the swim with dolphins experience, you have the opportunity to take advantage of free admission for children under five years of age. Depending on the company with which you decide to live this experience, you can choose between several packages to swim with dolphins.

The good thing is that in any of the experiences, from the most basic to the most complete, children between one and five years old do not pay for the swim with dolphins. Of course, for children to enter for free, they must be accompanied by an adult who has previously paid their entrance fee and selected their dolphin swim package.

You can also take advantage of offers for older children, such as discounted tickets and other such benefits. To find out about all these offers and promotions, it's best to check online before you venture out for the experience.

One of the most interesting parks that you can go to with the little ones, and where they will have fun in each of the attractions it has, is Scape Park. In this park you can do different outdoor activities, including the cultural route, where you can see replicas of the dwellings of the Taino Indians, Spanish and Dominican peasants.

The most interesting thing about this activity is that it takes place in the middle of the humid jungle, where mosquitoes and other insects abound and, if you don't protect yourself against them, they can be really annoying.

This is a route that I recommend doing with children because it is always interesting for them to learn about the life of past generations, but it is important to take care of them against insect bites. In addition to repellent creams, I advise you to dress the children in layers so that when visiting the cultural route they can be cool but covered to avoid insect bites.

If you are embarking on one of the excursions to Monkeyland from Punta Cana, which is another interesting attraction of jungle tourism, I also recommend taking insect repellent to avoid bites and irritation.

Punta Cana is a tropical area, so the weather is quite hot and the sun is inclement. The sun's rays can have a negative impact on children's skin, causing them to suffer from sunstroke. To prevent this from happening it is important to cover them with sunscreen.

The hours of greatest sun impact on the beaches are from 11:00 to 15:00, approximately. So it is important that you apply enough sunscreen and repeat as many times as necessary to ensure that the little ones are protected at all times from the sun's rays. Especially in Playa Saona where the sun's rays are intense most of the day.

Don't hesitate to rent beach umbrellas when you arrive, so that you can also protect the children from the sun. And don't hesitate to put them in half-covered swimming costumes and even a visor or hat to cover their face and prevent them from being bothered by the sun.

Before visiting Punta Cana, you should know that the Dominican Republic is a very cultural country that likes to show tourists the Taino and indigenous roots of its popular culture. Therefore, you will find many interesting historical places to visit, castles and other similar buildings.

To visit these sites with children, I recommend that you first put them in context about the history of the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean in a didactic way and without going into depth, only with the intention that they can enjoy the visit to this type of places without getting bored.

But in case your children don't like to walk too much and aren't too eager to learn about history, then you can take them to the Casco Histórico where you can hire guided tours for children between the ages of 2 and 12 years old.

Surely chocolate is one of the things that children love the most, that's why the Chocomuseo is an ideal place to go with them, but I recommend that you plan this outing for the morning hours, because the tour includes a tasting.

If you take the children to the Chocomuseo in the morning, the tasting of all the types of chocolate you can imagine will give them energy to do other activities during the rest of the day, and they will also be more alert on each of the walks.

Another advantage of having this activity in the morning is that the effect that chocolate has on children will wear off by nightfall when it's time to go to bed. In addition, it is an excellent idea to start the day and to encourage them to live other equally entertaining experiences during the course of the day in Punta Cana.

I recommend bringing floats for the kids if you want to visit water parks, and they will also work if you plan to take the kids to a swimming pool or the beach. This is a must-have accessory to secure the children and avoid accidents during your family's enjoyment.

In fact, in many private places such as swimming pools and even on public beaches, children are often required to wear these types of floats to avoid accidents. But even if they have floats on, be careful not to leave them alone at beaches, swimming pools or water parks. Always maintain supervision.

If you are travelling to Punta Cana from other parts of the world and the flight is a long one, I recommend bringing electronic devices such as tablets or mobile phones to prevent them from getting bored during the flight. This can also be incredibly helpful if you are going on long road trips.

This is also a very functional alternative in case you have to queue to get into an attraction that you haven't booked before. But always try to limit the use of these devices to when they are really necessary and when you want children to participate in group activities, simply dispense with these devices.

This is one of the most common alternatives for you. If it can be annoying for adults to queue to enter the different attractions, imagine for children. Believe it or not, they tend to get easily exhausted while they have to wait for so long, so if you want to keep their energy charge for the rest of the activity, it is better not to make them queue.

To avoid unnecessary queues, it is best to make all reservations online even before you leave for your trip. Another advantage of this option is that you can save money especially in high season, because you can book for a lower price than you can get if you go in person at the time of your trip.

By booking online you can also get discounts for children's tickets to the different attractions, which is a plus when you are travelling with children. The percentages of lower prices for online booking will depend on the age of each child.

Kids love to know that they can choose to do one thing or another, so this will serve you well when you go on holiday with them anywhere. In the specific case of Punta Cana, it is much easier to offer alternatives because most of the activities that you can do in this place are possible to do with children.

You can propose simple activities such as visiting a beach or you can propose other activities such as visiting a theme park that abound in Punta Cana. Within the option of theme parks you have multiple places to go to, from outdoor parks where you will discover caves and animals of the area, to water and mechanical parks to spend a different day.

As long as the child has the opportunity to choose what they want to do, they will feel much more at ease with each of the activities they are going to do during the trip. This advice applies especially to older children and adolescents who are already experiencing growth changes and want to try out more of their independence.

Yes, you have to pack some safety measures in your suitcase, especially if you are travelling with small children, because there are places where you can ride a segway or even take a bike tour, so it is preferable to keep the children well secured during the ride.

In many of the places where they offer this service they usually rent this type of equipment, but it is not always the case, and they don't always have the sizes for small children, that's why I recommend you to bring these tools on your own, so you can make sure that the children are always protected.

This is very important, because otherwise, you would have to bring snacks for the little ones, especially if you decide to do a safari in Punta Cana, because this tour is usually completed in about 7 hours.

Depending on the company you book the safari with, you will have access to snacks or not. That's why my recommendation before taking the kids on this kind of excursion is to ask if you will have access to snacks during the tour, so you know what kind of food to bring for the kids.

I highly recommend taking the kids on this type of experience, and in fact, you can find plenty of options among the best excursions from Punta Cana that kids can participate in that they are sure to love.

We know that it is very difficult for children to want to eat different types of food, especially if it is some food that they have never tried before. The same can happen if you want to go to a restaurant to taste typical local food. For that, in Punta Cana you can find a lot of child-friendly restaurants.

In most of these restaurants you can order specialised children's menus, where fries, chicken nuggets and hamburgers are the most abundant and offered. However, you can also look for options with healthier meals for children, as these are also available.

Some of these kid-friendly restaurants include: The Grill, Toc Beach Bar & Restaurant and Pastrata Punta Cana. In some of these places you can also find playgrounds for children, so that they can have some fun before continuing with the trip.

If you are travelling from other countries to Punta Cana you will have to board a plane, and in that case the cost of a children's ticket may go down. These ticket offers generally apply for children between 3 and 7 years old. But in case you travel with children under the age of two, some airlines may waive your ticket.

Of course, depending on the class you are travelling in, you may or may not be able to choose where on the plane you will travel, but it is definitely a plus that you can save some money on the children's ticket.

Generally these discounted children's tickets can be found in the low season, so it's a great idea to go to Punta Cana when there are few tourists, and the best time to go to Punta Cana and save money is from April to September. This way you'll be sure to get discounted or free airfare for the children travelling with you.

In Punta Cana there are a lot of accommodations with children's playgrounds inside, this is a great advantage if you are travelling here with children because they will not only have fun when they leave the hotel, but also inside the facilities.

This will help you to rest if you are going to Punta Cana in 10 days or more and you want to stay one day resting in the hotel but the children have so much energy that they want to continue playing and enjoying the trip.

Generally in the accommodations that have these spaces for children, they also offer the attractions divided by age, that is to say that the older children have a space for themselves and the younger ones also have a safer space to enjoy the play area.