Getting from Puerto Plata to Punta Cana

Getting from Puerto Plata to Punta Cana with Cocotours couldn't be easier!

Puerto Plata to Punta Cana

The drive takes about 5 or 6 hours and passes by the capital city of Santo Domingo in mid-journey.

Puerto Plata to Punta Cana private transfer

The most direct and comfortable way to get from Puerto Plata to Punta Cana is by Cocotours private air-conditioned van or bus with a uniformed Cocotours driver. We operate 24/7/365, come rain or shine.

Puerto Plata to Punta Cana by plane

There are currently no scheduled flights between Puerto Plata and Punta Cana. But you can charter0 a small plane. The smallest plane comes with a pilot and 3 passenger seats. Generally you can choose the take-off time however single-engine planes don’t fly in hours of darkness. Cocotours can drive you from your hotel to Puerto Plata airport, escort you to your private plane and pilot, the flight takes over an hour, and upon your arrival at Punta Cana airport, we can drive you to your destination in the north coast. Approximate price including the ground transportation and chartered flight is about US$1,200 for up to 3 passengers with a small amount of luggage

Puerto Plata to Punta Cana by public transport

Puerto Plata to Punta Cana public transport photo

This option is for passengers traveling on a shoestring who don't mind the inconvenience of changing vehicles several times and spending all day on the move. The public intercity buses are a cheap way to get from Puerto Plata to Punta Cana, but they don't operate round the clock, and they don't interconnect in Santo Domingo, so you'll have to take a cab from one bus station to the other in the capital. If you are not ready to depart Puerto Plata by 11:00 am at the latest, you will not be able to reach Punta Cana the same day. 

We list the timetable for information purposes only. Timetables sometimes change without warning.

  1. Take a cab or a Cocotours transfer to the Metro Bus or Caribe Tours bus station in Sosúa or Puerto Plata
  2. Ride the Metro Bus (or Caribe Tours bus) from Puerto Plata or Sosúa to Santo Domingo. The journey takes about 4 hours.A short stop is normally made in Santiago (or la Vega) en route where there are additional toilets and snackbars where food can be purchased for consumption onboard.
  3. Take a cab across Santo Domingo from the Metro Bus or Caribe Tours bus station to the Expreso Bávaro bus station. The Expreso Bávaro buses depart from the bus terminus on Juan Sánchez Ramírez street in Santo Domingo. Please note that if you have missed the last Expreso Bávaro bus or if you'd prefer not to wait a couple of hours until the next one, you could continue by taxi to the Expreso Higüey bus station at Parque Enriquillo which has more frequent departures to the city of Higüey which is about a 40-minute drive from Punta Cana.
  4. Ride the Expreso Bávaro bus from Santo Domingo to Punta Cana. On arrival in Punta Cana the bus makes several stops including, conveniently, at the airport. The Expreso Bávaro buses tend to be new and clean, their newer buses have reclinable seat backs, and an onboard toilet, but there is not much legroom, and for most of the ride Hollywood movies are shown on flat screens attached to the ceiling, with the Spanish soundtrack blaring out of speakers throughout the bus. Maybe a good idea to bring earplugs if you don't want to listen to the gunshots, car chases and police sirens etc. The Expreso Bávaro buses also have an onboard ticket collector who will walk up the aisle shortly after departure to collect your ticket, or your fare since it is possible to board the bus without a ticket and pay onboard.
  5. Take a cab from the Expreso Bávaro bus stop in Punta Cana to your final destination in the area.
  6. Above we've mentioned the intercity buses of Metro Bus and Caribe Tours, both of these companies, particularly Metro Bus, are generally reliable and have clean buses and skilled drivers, and toilets onboard..Caribe Tours also operate from Sosúa and Puerto Plata to Santo Domingo via La Vega instead of Santiago, this takes advantage of the new Santiago city bypass so cuts down on journey time.
  7. We have included in the timetable above a couple of very early morning departures from Sosúa and Puerto Plata on the Transporte del Cibao service. Generally their buses make many stops and are often not considered as superior as Metro and Caribe Tours, but we've included them because some of their departures are at times which no-one else offers.