Exploring Monkeyland Punta Cana in the Caribbean

In 2021, I spent a long weekend in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. We stayed at the beautiful Breathless Punta Cana Resort and Spa about 45 minutes away from the airport. We mostly stayed at the resort to enjoy the pool and the beach, but we did have one adventure during our relaxing stay. I booked an eco-tour with Runners Adventure to visit Monkeyland Punta Cana! There are a few different options for tours, including zip lining, but we chose the half-day tour of the plantation and Monkeyland.

A bus picked us up at our resort bright and early before taking the scenic route to Monkeyland. The island is stunning and it was nice to see the different areas. We stopped at one spot for photos (like this one) because they filmed scenes from Jurassic Park there!

Once we arrived at Monkeyland, we first toured the coffee and cocoa plantation. Our guide, Rudy, took us through the plantation and explained how the crops are grown, harvested, and processed to make coffee, cocoa or chocolate, and coconuts. I’m an avid coffee drinker so it was neat to see the process firsthand. Everything is still done by hand and the beans are air dried by laying out in the sun. I have a short video at the bottom of this post you can watch if you want to learn more about the process (and see the cute monkeys at the end)!

We sampled coffee and hot cocoa made from beans grown right on the plantation. Then they gave us a sample of Mamajuana which is a local alcoholic drink. TBH, I don’t even know what it’s made from, but I’m guessing rum. But it was delicious and I love trying local, authentic food and drink. You can really get to know a culture from their food.

After everyone was done, we finally went to see the monkeys! As it was 2021, it was still during the pandemic. The squirrel monkeys weigh only about 2 lbs and their little bodies cannot handle the virus. So to keep them safe, they were very strict about the mask requirements. The other rule is that you cannot touch them. They are allowed to crawl all over you, but you cannot touch them, again for their safety. It was worth it though because it’s so fun to feed them and watch them play, literally on top of you.

You get about 45 minutes with them and you will have the chance to feed them twice. There is also a professional photographer if you want to take advantage of that, but you can also use your own phone to take photos. However, you are not allowed to take anything else into the monkey’s area because they monkeys might steal it! There are places to secure your bags and other things like sunglasses before entering.

It was time to head back to our resort once our time with the monkeys was over. Our guide took us back to our resort and we spent the rest of the day relaxing. If you are in Punta Cana, I recommend this as an activity for you to enjoy. It was the highlight of our trip!

For my (adults only) resort recommendation for Punta Cana, check out my hotel review for Breathless Punta Cana Resort and Spa!