This post may contain affiliate links where we earn from qualifying purchases. As an amazon associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Find out more in our disclosure.
Visiting the Dominican Republic and looking for something really SPECTACULAR to do on a Punta Cana day trip? Look no farther than Scape Park in Cap Cana, Dominican Republic. It’s a natural theme park that offers an incredible blend of adventure, culture, and fun, making it perfect for adults and families alike. Having just experienced the park firsthand, I’ll share insights into what makes Scape Park a unique and exciting experience and why it’s one of the best adventure activities in Punta Cana.
First Impressions of Scape Park
I’ll be honest, a visit to Scape Park wasn’t my top choice for a Punta Cana day trip. The website didn’t win me over and all of the reviews I read seemed kind of fake or unnatural. However, it was my husband’s birthday and he insisted that this was going to be the best place to spend it. As it turns out, he was RIGHT!
When we got to Scape Park, the park seemed smaller and more compact than we had read about. Surely, we could do everything before lunch, right? Wrong! In reality, we filled our entire day and that was WITHOUT really having to wait in line anywhere. The whole experience was fantastic and one that we would gladly do again.
The park is laid out with the gift shop being central and the start to a lot of the attractions is near there, which makes things more convenient. The map is a bit confusing and not entirely accurate, so know that going into it. You’ll have great luck asking other visitors where attractions were, and we found that most other guests spoke English.
Adventure Activities at Scape Park Cap Cana
Ther real reason that we came to Scape Park was for the adventure activities, and it did not disappoint at all. From the Superman zipline to the ropes course, and everything in between, we had a great time. Here’s what you can expect from the attractions at Scape Park.
Zipline
For thrill-seekers, the zip-lining course at Scape Park is a standout activity. Spanning across the park, it has several different connected zip lines that you’ll go through. All of them have some amount of water that you’ll encounter, which is part of the fun.
Some ziplines will just splash you, another has you glide through a wall of water, and you’ll end up in a lagoon in water about waist deep. All of the ziplines were fun without feeling dangerous or scary at all, which was a great balance. The ziplines were one of our favorite activities at Scape Park. We loved it so much that we went through the course twice!
Hammock Swings
After you finish with the zipline, head to the Hammock Swings. They’re in the same lagoon where the zipline ends, so it’s very convenient. When you do the hammock swings, you’ll swing one direction and then go back on a nearby line. This is a WET ride. When you finish, you’ll make a pretty big splash, so you’ll be pretty wet by the end.
Trapeze Swing
The trapeze swing is the next place you should go on your day trip to Scape Park. It’s a little past the lagoon where the hammock and zipline are, but since you’re already wet, the timing is perfect. The drop into the pool is pretty good, so if you’re scared of heights, skip this one.
Saltos Azules Pool and Cave
While clearly manmade, the setting of Saltos Azule is absolutely STUNNING. The water is so clear here and the bright blue water against the green tropical backdrop is absolutely beautiful. You absolutely MUST go down and swim in the pool.
For the best and most unique experience, go in the rock tunnel to the left of the stairs. It will take you into the cave at the back and it’s simply beautiful there to be behind the waterfall. From there, you can swim under the waterfall (remember, it’s just a trickle and manmade) to enjoy a swim in the pool.
While you’re at Saltos Azules, this is a great place to have a snack, take a rest and get a drink. There is a lot of seating around here, which most areas of the park don’t have. If you’re wanting to take a break, this is a great place to do it. The chairs here are dark colored and when they’re sitting out in the sun, they get quite warm, which feels great after jumping in the cold water of Saltos Azules.
Cave Swim
The cave swim at Scape Park was one of the coolest experiences there. It’s a bit of a walk to get there, maybe around 400m, and the scenery looks very unsuspecting. A staircase descends deep into a cae where you’re met with a pool that’s lit up by colorful lights. While we anticipated something more of a swim through a cave, it was still a really cool place to swim. Thankfully, there were not many people there when we arrived since the area is about half the size of a regular swimming pool. If there are crowds, it could easily get too busy to spend much time there.
On your way to and from the cave swim there is a cultural walk where you can learn all about the indigenous people who once inhabited the area. There were some interesting things along the way that we learned, so it’s worth reading the signs as you go!
Rope Runners Ropes Course
The Rope Runners high ropes course at Scape Park was actually amazing. It’s tucked back into a corner of the park and we hardley ever saw anyone there (which is unfortunate since it’s incredible). This was one of the most well done activities at Scape Park.
There are a series of challenges that you go through while attached to a safety cable with your harness on. Some of them are really simple and others are difficult. We were the only people there when we went so we could go at our own pace. We spent 45 minutes on the course and didn’t even do the entire thing since there are several different routes you can take (the park was closing so we couldn’t do them all). If you’re not afraid of heights, this is a must do activity on thos Punta Cana day trip!
Superman Zipline
The Superman zipline is exactly what it sounds like. A giant zipline where you ride face first, superman style. To get here, you’ll be taken by bus up the mountain to a giant tower. There you’ll be outfitted with apron like harnesses, helmets and even goggles. Then you take an elevator to the top of a massive tower.
To say that I was intimidated when we got to the top was an understatement. I gathered up the courage when it was time for our group to go down (there are three different ziplines where people go down) and off we went. The initial slide was a bit scary, but I felt so secure and safe that I found myself wishing to go faster. This was a very memorable activity, though with all of the safety and transportation involved, it was about a 45 minutes chunk of time for a 1 minute ride.
If you want to do the Superman Zipline, there are limited spots and you must get on a waitlist to sign up. Plan on doing this when you get into the gift shop at the information desk as soon as you arrive.
Cave Tour at Scape Park
There are a few activities at Scape Park that required a guide, and the best of those was a cave tour. The walk to get there is about 15 minutes long and departs about 5-6 times a day on the top of the hour. Make sure to check the schedule when you’re there so that you don’t miss the last tour. When we were there, the last tour was at 3pm.
Hoya Azul Cenote at Scape Park
One of the main reasons for visiting Scape park is to see the Hoyo Azul Cenote. The walk to get there is about 800m, but it’s through the jungle on an easy path. When we started getting close to the cenote we started down some stairs to an alcove area. Above the cenote was a dock with benches to sit on and places to take your shoes off. From there, you can walk down the stairs to the cenote or jump off a platform about 2.5m into the cenote.
Of course, the logical choice for us was to jump. As soon as we were in, we both realized that the cenote was much smaller than we had anticipated. While it’s quite deep, the area is very small, which isn’t well represented in most photos. This area was probably 8m x 8m and would have felt crowded if there were more than 15 or so people in the water. Luckily for us, most people preferred to just look at the cenote or dip their feet in instead of swimming, so we had plenty of space to swim around.
The big downside to visiting Hoyo Azul is that they required everyone to wear climbing helmets. I’m sure there is some sort of safety reasoning behind this (though none of the employees could tell us why), it did make swimming pretty uncomfortable. Since the helmet is lined with foam, the helmet naturally floats, which makes it very difficult and uncomfortable to get your head underwater. We’ve visited tons of cenotes and never have had to wear a helmet before, so this was a bit strange (especially since life jackets were optional).
Is it worth going to Scape Park just to see Hoyo Azul Cenote?
No, it’s not. We had several people tell us that it’s worth visiting Scape Park just for Hoyo Azul, but we don’t agree. The cenote is very small and with even a moderate crowd it would be too full to swim in. While it’s a good addition to Scape Park, it’s not worth the cost of entry just to see that.
Is Scape Park worth the cost?
Yes, it was a fantastic experience. When we were deciding what Punta Cana excursion to do for my husbands birthday, we did some pretty extensive research. Even though I was initially unsure, we ultimately chose Scape Park because it offers so much more for what you pay than most other Domican Republic excursions. With the ability to do ziplines, jungle hikes, cave tours, centoes, ropes courses and more, it was a natural choice.
Is Scape Park good for kids?
Scape Park would be amazing with kids. While we didn’t have our kids with us on this trip, we know our kids would have loved it. Our 5 kids range in age from 6-16 and we kept commenting about how much each of them would have LOVED different aspects of the park.
Who is Scape Park best for?
If you love adventure and fun, Scape Park Dominican Republic is perfect for you. It has a good mix of adventure activities and water to keep you cool so you can keep exploring all day long.
What to take to Scape Park?
My biggest piece of advice is to take a GoPro or waterproof case for your phone. You’ll want your hands free a lot and you’ll be getting WET. We got a waterproof case at the gift shop and it wasn’t great and some water got in the case (thankfully we quickly noticed and dried it out).
There are lockers close to the entry so you can keep your personal things there, but it’s an area that you won’t likely come back to a lot, so you’ll want your camera with you. We also carried some water bottles with us to stay hydrated. While we normally carry our reusable water bottles, this time we just took smaller plastic bottles that we could throw away when they were empty at the far side of the park.
Closed toed shoes are supposed to be required for several of the activities, but the only activity that enforced it was the Ropes Course. We brought along tennis shoes just for that, but if you have closed toed sandals, they would be perfect for the entire day.
What to wear to Scape Park?
A swimming suit is the best thing to wear to Scape Park, as well as some sort of a coverup (especially for women). In many places, you’ll be wearing a harness so if you don’t have shorts on, it can rub and get uncomfortable pretty fast.
Sandals that stay secure are also a must. If they’re closed toed, even better (if not, take 2 pairs of shoes so one has closed toes).
Cost to Visit Scape Park
While the cost to visit is not cheap, we think it’s well worth the expense and offers a better value than most other Domincan Republic day trips.
The cost is $129 for adults and $69 for kids. If you book here, it also includes roundtrip transportation from your hotel, which makes visiting so much easier.
