Dunes of Baní

Less crowded and quiet place, You will see iguanas and goats, you can probably also rent a sandboard to sledge down a sanddune if rental is there. Entrance was 100 pesos I think, You get a wristband. Carpark on side of the road on sand.

Amazing spot to go with active kids.
Surfing the sand is lots of fun, but get ready to work out to go back up the dune.
It costs nothing for kids under 12 years old and only 100 DOP per person to enter for the day. They place a bracelet on your wrist, so technically, one could go for lunch and come back.
They have a limited amount of sand boards (6 in total), only 1 standing board, and the rest are seated ones. They rent each for 200 DOP for the day.
The site is very nice, pretty raw, but unfortunately, other visitors have left some plastic trash on the site.
The biggest dune is a little far for kids to carry their boards, but youth is a beautiful thing.
There is some vegetation between the entrance and the highest peak that lizards use to shelter themselves from the sun.
It's definitely a place to come back, but better prepared: Sand masks and goggles would be best as the sand lands easily in ones eyes and mouth, a rope and sand anchor bag to anchor at the top to use to go back up with less effort.
We did come with caps, metal water bottles, sun glasses, shorts, and tees.
We came early so the sun would not be too harsh and our visit was cool.

Bring appropriate clothing and shoes as the sand is extremely hot. Great place to get your daily steps in.

Super cool place! Go right when it opens because it gets super hot by noon. It costs 100 pesos per person (over 10 years old) and 200 per board to rent. The parking is free. Bring a sun shirt, closed shoes, water, and preferably a buff or scarf to cover your face.

Beautiful in its own way, and definitely different from all the other places in DR. Wear comfortable shoes for climbing the dunes, and have a couple of bottles of water with you. We brought small picnic style lunch and ate it at the beach once we got there.

Nice place, a lot of Iguanas and goats in bushes. Suggestion come as early in the morning as possible, couse in midday sand is very hot.

Loved this place. Didn’t know DR had a desert. It reminded me of bible stories and how those characters in the Bible most of felt.

The Dunes of Baní are located in Las Calderas Peninsula, between the cities of Matanzas, Las Calderas and Las Salinas, in the Dominican Province of Peravia.

The dunes field goes throughout Las Calderas Peninsula in an east-west straight line of 15 km. The sand of these dunes is very smooth due to the abundant quartz and feldspar it has. They are formed by the deposits of the Bahía Stream and the Nizao River, a natural phenomenon that started in the Pleistocene.

The highest dune is 35 m tall and it has specific wildlife. The flora belongs to the subtropical dry forests, although it is characterised by the presence of red, buttonwood, dark and white mangrove red, while the olive tree and the mesquite are some of the trees present in the area. Regarding to the fauna, there are some little lizards belonging to Leiocephalus species and Ameiva genus, but there are no amphibians due to the dry climate and the salinity of the area. Among the bird life, there are some species such as tricoloured herons, whydahs, frigate birds, flamingos, night herons, seagulls and common ground doves.

There are some flatlands here, called “vallecitos” (dells) formed by deposits of the sea shore. These places are called “salados” (salted areas) and become flooded by seawater, as it happens in Salado del Muerto.

The Dunes of Bani are a must see for anyone visiting the south coast. I have been to many places in the DR and the dunes stand out because of how different they are compared to the rest of the country. There are large iguanas that live out in these dunes and a lot of goats. The dunes are so unique to the country because most of the country is jungle and here you get a taste of the desert. Its also the only place I have been to on the island where it really does not feel outrageously humid (most likely due to the sand).
I would make sure to pack a hat, sun glasses (or some sort of eye wear if it is windy), and wear close toed shoes as the sand is a bit hot during the day. There also quite a few small trees down in one area where you could hammock. You may also want to bring swim trunks as well because the dunes are right on the ocean. Know this is not a sand beach but a beach full of rocks. The rocks are smooth and I did get in the water but it was not what I would call an enjoyable swim because of all the rocks. I will say the rocks on the beach are outrageously smoot and have a lot of variety when it comes to size and color.
It was only 100 or 200 pesos per person to enter which is very reasonable. There were some venders offering people the chance to surf the dunes which I believe cost some money as well but I was not interest so I am not sure the cost.
Its only about a half mile walk through the dunes to the ocean but going over the last hill before seeing the ocean is breath taking and would highly recommend anyone visiting this area to check out the dunes of Bani

Great place for sandoboarding if you're into it. Just be aware, it's HOT!
The view is gorgeous from up there!
It's an easier trip of you're in shape, but had a few people in the group which weren't and they could still make it, so no worries about that 😋
Just remember to keep hydrating (to bring a hydrating belt is a nice idea; if you don't have one, a fanny pack or a small backpack would be ok) and is always a good to recoat with sun blocker and insect repellent if you're gonna be there for a while (bring it with you in the pack/belt). Sand here is REALLY hot, so sturdy shoes/sneakers are a MUST if you want them to come out alive.
Overall, great experience but maybe not for the fainthearted 🤣

RD100 to enter, 8am-5pm

It's a beautiful place. Very hot. Go early in the morning. Bring a lot of water and be ready to get dirty because if u wanna have fun you'll get sand everywhere.

Wonderful place !!!
Amazing dunes of sand

Wear a hat, light and protective clothes, sunblock recomended. Stay hidrated. Enter with water and NEVER get barefoot.

Sand dunes in the Caribbean??? This amazing, bizarre place exists and it is a wonderful experience... the sights are breathtakingly beautiful; the hike is moderate... around 20 minutes each way to the edge of dunes where the sand meets the ocean.

If you wanna experience how it looks and feels a real dessert, well, this is the place. Suggestion, bring sunglasses, sunscreen, and try to go in the afternoon after 3PM

Excellent place for sand surf. It's better to go on sunset or sunrise to avoid overheat

Love it. I come back to this place every single year. The town is also beautiful and quiet.

Loved seeing the beautiful water it’s a great way to spend time with family and friends. If your visiting Bani or Santo Domingo for the first time I would 100% recommend you get to have fun with people and it’s very very affordable. You can either climb the hills to get to the top and see the beach or you can stay in the sand and take photos I recommend going when the sun is down that way you can walk barefoot in the sand and it doesn’t burn your feet

Incredible views and hiking.
Take bug spray. And lots of water. Flip flops not recommend.