Punta Cana
Punta Cana is a resort town within the Punta Cana-Bávaro-Veron-Macao municipal district, in the municipality of Higüey, in La Altagracia Province, the easternmost province of the Dominican Republic. The area has beaches and balnearios which face both the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, and it is a tourist destination. The weather is hot and humid, especially in late summer and autumn when the Northern Tropics receive their most direct sunlight.
Geography and climate
The Punta Cana area has an estimated population of 50,000, with an annual growth rate of 6% as of 2009. To the north, it borders the village and beach of Cabeza de Toro, and the Bávaro and El Cortecito beaches. The nearest city, the 500-year-old Higüey, is away, which takes about an hour to reach by car. European entrepreneurs, particularly Spanish hotel chains, own all but two of the over 50 megaresorts at the Punta Cana tourism destination.The province’s coastline tends to be mildly windy. The ocean waters are mainly shallows, with several natural marine pools in which visitors can bathe without danger. From north to south, the main beaches are Uvero Alto, Macao, Arena Gorda, Bávaro, El Cortecito, Las Corales, and Cabeza de Toro, all north of the cape; and Cabo Engaño, Punta Cana, and Juanillo south of the cape.
Bávaro is the area starting from Cabeza de Toro until Macao Beach. As the hotels started to rise along the east coast, Bavaro itself became a center of services with shopping malls, fast-food stores, drug stores, fine restaurants, banks, clinics, workshops, supermarkets, and schools. The major town in the district is Veron, now bigger than Higüey in territory, a spontaneous – and poor – urban development running along the original road from the west. Verón, last name of the French proprietor of a timberline business in the early 1930s, is now the base-city for hotel workers and related. It has, besides Bávaro, one of only four gas stations in Punta Cana: the next one is located west in Higüey, at the Fruisa crossroads; a new Texaco gas station opened in April 2010, south of Macao beach; and the new Shell gas station close to the airport opened at the end of 2010.
Climate
Punta Cana features a tropical wet and dry climate under the Köppen climate classification. The weather is fairly consistent all year, with an average temperature of. The hot and humid season lasts from May to October, and during the day temperatures might reach. From November to March, temperatures during the evening are around.Activities and landmarks
Punta Cana is a tourist destination, and the area is a key contributor to tourism in the Dominican Republic.Many of the excursions in Punta Cana are near the water, it being a beach destination. These activities include snorkeling, windsurfing, banana boat rides, speedboats, scuba diving, catamaran cruises, party boats, deep sea fishing, as well as swimming with dolphins and sharks and stingrays snorkeling. Visitors that prefer to see more of the Dominican country side, there are land based excursions such as safari tours, horse back riding and dune buggy.
Visiting the Dominican Republic's smaller Caribbean islands of Saona and Catalina is a day trip from Punta Cana. The capital city Santo Domingo, and Los Haitises National Park, Samaná, are within a couple of hours. The Basilica Catholic Monument, built in 1962 and designed by two French architects, is in nearby Higüey, the 500-year-old capital of the province.
Infrastructure
The electricity is powered by Consorcio Energetico Punta Cana Macao, a wind and solar energy producer led by US-based Argentine businessman Rolando Gonzalez-Bunster.Tourism
Transportation
The Punta Cana International Airport is the primary airport. In 2014, Punta Cana received over 2.4 million passengers, making it the second-busiest airport in the Caribbean. Grupo Puntacana built the Punta Cana International Airport in 1984 to facilitate tourism in the area. It was the western hemisphere’s first privately owned international airport.Hotels and resorts
Punta Cana has a number of luxury resorts.Safety
Punta Cana received negative publicity in the summer of 2019 for a series of American tourist deaths. Initially these deaths were reported as “mysterious,” with tainted alcohol and pesticides being rumored as possible reasons. However, with the help of the FBI and United States Department of State, it was found via toxicology reports that the deaths were from natural causes. To further ensure travelers that is of the highest priority, a consortium of 50 hotels developed the which reaffirms their commitment to a set of safety and security guidelines.Punta Cana is generally a very safe travel destination. With regards to unnatural deaths of Americans, Jamaica and the Bahamas are just two destinations in the Caribbean which are more dangerous. Car accidents and drowning are the two leading causes of unnatural deaths to Americans in the Dominican Republic.
Other safety issues to keep in mind include natural disasters such as hurricanes, disease such as the Zika Virus and minor tourist scams.
Diving
Due to its location at the Caribbean Sea, diving is one of the tourist activities. The marine area surrounding Punta Cana was declared a marine reserve in 2012.Marine biodiversity
The following species have been registered in the waters around Punta Cana:| Group | Common name | Scientific name | Image | Notes |
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | yellowtail snapper | Ocyurus chrysurus | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | queen triggerfish | Balistes vetula | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | glasseye | Heteropriacanthus cruentatis | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | whitespotted filefish | Cantherhines macrocerus | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | spotted goatfish | Pseudupeneus maculatus | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | yellow goatfish | Mulloidichthys martinicus | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | Bermuda chub | Kyphosus sectatrix | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | great barracuda | Sphyraena barracuda | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | bar jack | Caranx ruber | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | saucereye porgy | Calamus calamus | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | French angelfish | Pomacanthus paru | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | southern stingray | Dasyatis americana | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | yellow stingray | Urolobatis jamaicensis | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | spotted eagle ray | Aetobatus narinari | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | Caribbean reef shark | Carcharhinus perezi | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | goldentail moray | Gymnothorax miliaris | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | spotted moray | Gymnothorax moringa | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | mangrove snapper | Lutjanus griseus | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | mutton snapper | Lutjanus analis | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | porkfish | Anisotremus virginicus | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | black margate | Anisotremus surinamensis | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | blue striped grunt | Haemulon sciurus | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | Caesar grunt | Haemulon carbonarium | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | French grunt | Haemulon flavolineatum | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | Spanish grunt | Haemulon macrostomum | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | tomtate grunt | Haemulon aurolineatum | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | white grunt | Haemulon plumierii | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | black grouper | Mycteroperca bonaci | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | coney | Cephalopholis fulva | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | Nassau grouper | Epinephelus striatus | - | |
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | sergeant major | Abudefduf saxatilis | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | lucky grouper | Epinephelus guttatus | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | yellowfin grouper | Mycteroperca venenosa | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | graysby | Cephalopholis cruentata | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | harlequin bass | Serranus tigrinus | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | princess parrotfish | Scarus taeniopterus | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | queen parrotfish | Scarus vetula | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | rainbow parrotfish | Scarus guacamaia | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | redband parrotfish | Sparisoma aurofrenatum | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | redfin parrotfish | Sparisoma rubripinne | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | redtail parrotfish | Sparisoma chrysopterum | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | stoplight parrotfish | Sparisoma viride | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | Spanish hogfish | Bodianus rufus | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | hogfish | Lachnolaimus maximus | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | bonefish | Albula vulpes | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | long-spine porcupinefish | Diodon holocanthus | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | red lionfish | Pterois volitans | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | yellowtail damselfish | Microspathodon chrysurus | ||
| :Category:Fish of the Caribbean|Fish | yellowhead wrasse | Halichoeres garnoti | ||
| Reptiles | green sea turtle | Chelonia mydas | ||
| Reptiles | hawksbill sea turtle | Eretmochelys imbricata | ||
| Mollusks | Caribbean reef squid | Sepioteuthis sepiodea | ||
| Mollusks | common octopus | Octopus vulgaris | ||
| Mollusks | queen conch | Lobatus gigas | ||
| Crustaceans | banded coral shrimp | Stenopus hispidus | ||
| Crustaceans | Caribbean spiny lobster | Panulirus argus | ||
| Crustaceans | spotted spiny lobster | Panulirus guttatus | ||
| Crustaceans | Scyllarides aequinoctialis | |||
| Corals | purple sea fan | Gorgonia ventalina | ||
| Corals | sea ginger | Millepora alcicornis | ||
| Corals | blade fire coral | Millepora complanata | ||
| Corals | Millepora squarrosa | |||
| Corals | Stephanoccenia intercepta | |||
| Corals | elkhorn coral | Acropora palmata | ||
| Corals | staghorn coral | Acropora cervicornis | ||
| Corals | fused staghorn coral | Acropora prolifera | ||
| Corals | Agaricia agarities | |||
| Corals | finger coral | Porites porites | ||
| Corals | Montastrea annuligera | |||
| Corals | Montastrea colemani | |||
| Corals | Montastrea curta | |||
| Corals | Montastrea magnistellata | |||
| Corals | Montastrea multipunctata | |||
| Corals | Montastrea salebrosa | |||
| Corals | Montastrea serageldini | |||
| Corals | pillar coral | Dendrogyra cylindrus | ||
| Algae | Halimeda opuntia | |||
| Algae | cactus tree alga | Caulerpa cupressoides | ||
| Algae | Coelothrix irregularis | |||
| Algae | Haploplegma duperryi | |||
| Algae | Rhodophyta orden | |||
| Algae | Dictyota cervicornis | |||
| Algae | Stypopodium zonale | - | ||
| Sea grasses | turtlegrass | Thalassia testudinum | ||
| Sea grasses | manatee grass | Syringodium filiforme | ||
| Echinoderms | donkey dung sea cucumber | Holothuria mexicana | ||
| Echinoderms | black sea urchin | Diadema antillarum | ||
| Mammals | West Indian manatee | Trichechus manatus | ||
| Birds | brown pelican | Pelecanus occidentalis | ||
| Birds | common tern | Sterna hirundo | ||
| Birds | great egret | Ardea alba | ||
| Birds | green heron | Butorides virescens | ||
| Birds | yellow-crowned night heron | Nyctanassa violacea | ||
| Birds | killdeer | Charadrius vociferus | ||
| Birds | western osprey | Pandion haliaetus | ||
| Birds | magnificent frigatebird | Fregata magnificens |