Airport transfers · 2026-09-19 · 8-minute read
Punta Cana International (PUJ) is the busiest airport in the Caribbean, built privately by the resort group that developed the coast, and it exists for one purpose: to deliver visitors to the all-inclusive resorts of the eastern Dominican Republic. Those resorts stretch from Cap Cana in the south, ten minutes from the terminal, to Uvero Alto in the north, an hour away, and beyond to Bayahibe and La Romana on the south coast, ninety minutes in the other direction. The transfer is therefore a bigger decision than at most airports, and the choices - resort shuttle, shared van, taxi, private car - differ more in what they deliver than in what they cost. This guide sets them out.
Punta Cana airport has two terminals (A and B) a short distance apart. A pre-booked private transfer meets you outside the terminal with a name board and drives you to Cap Cana (10-20 minutes), Bavaro and Arena Gorda (20-35), Macao (35-45), Uvero Alto (50-70), Bayahibe (60-80) or La Romana (75-100). Indicative private fares: US$60-120 in a sedan or SUV to Bavaro, US$100-180 to Uvero Alto, US$120-220 to La Romana; a Sprinter for a family or group runs US$110-260. Book on the airport limo service page with the flight number and the fare is fixed.
The terminals
PUJ has two passenger terminals with open-air, thatched-roof arrivals areas that are part of the airport's charm and part of its confusion. Terminal A is the original and handles most European, Canadian and Latin American carriers plus some United States flights. Terminal B, opened in 2014, handles a large share of the United States traffic - JetBlue, American, Delta, United and Spirit among them - and some Canadian and European services. Airlines move between the two, and dispatch confirms the terminal from the flight number the day before. The terminals are a few minutes apart by road, so a chauffeur at the wrong one is a small problem rather than a large one, but it is a problem in the heat with children.
The arrivals sequence at both is immigration (a tourist card is now included in most airfares; check yours), baggage claim and customs, then the exit into a covered outdoor area where the resort representatives, shared-van marshals and taxi dispatchers wait. A pre-booked chauffeur stands here with a name board, and the morning text says exactly where. It is a busier, noisier version of the Cancun arrival described in Cancun airport transfers, without the timeshare desks but with a great many people in resort polo shirts calling out hotel names.
The coast, and how far each resort really is
The resort areas run north from the airport along the east coast and, separately, west along the south coast. The road north (the Boulevard Turistico del Este) is good as far as Bavaro and deteriorates towards Uvero Alto; the road west to La Romana is a fast toll highway.
| Resort area | Direction | Typical drive time |
|---|---|---|
| Cap Cana (Juanillo, Eden Roc, Secrets Cap Cana) | south | 10-20 min |
| Punta Cana resort (Tortuga Bay, Puntacana Resort) | south | 10-15 min |
| Cabeza de Toro | north | 15-25 min |
| Bavaro (the main strip: Barcelo, Iberostar, Hard Rock, Lopesan) | north | 20-35 min |
| Arena Gorda (Riu complex, Occidental) | north | 30-40 min |
| Macao | north | 35-45 min |
| Uvero Alto (Dreams, Excellence, Nickelodeon, Zoetry) | north | 50-70 min |
| Miches | north | 90-120 min |
| Bayahibe / Dominicus (Dreams Dominicus, Iberostar Hacienda, Viva Dominicus) | west | 60-80 min |
| La Romana / Casa de Campo | west | 75-100 min |
The Uvero Alto resorts are the ones that surprise visitors; their brochures say "Punta Cana" and the drive is over an hour on a road that is being improved but is not finished. Miches, further north, is a resort area of its own and closer to two hours. The south-coast resorts at Bayahibe and La Romana are served by both PUJ and La Romana International (LRM), and the latter is the better airport when the flight schedule allows.
The options
The resort shuttle. Most all-inclusive resorts offer a transfer as part of a package booked through a tour operator, or sell one separately. It is a coach or a large van that leaves when it is full and visits several resorts. Included in the package price it is hard to argue with; bought separately it is US$25-45 per person each way, and the journey can take twice the drive time.
The shared van. Sold at the airport and online, US$15-30 per person, same pattern as the resort shuttle with fewer stops.
The taxi. A regulated airport taxi rank operates at both terminals with posted fares by zone: roughly US$40-55 to Bavaro, US$70-90 to Uvero Alto, US$100-130 to La Romana. Legitimate, slow to load, and the vehicle is whatever is next.
The private transfer. A vehicle for your party alone, booked in advance at a fixed fare, with a chauffeur holding a name board. Indicatively:
- Sedan or SUV to Cap Cana or Punta Cana resort: US$50-95.
- Sedan or SUV to Bavaro or Arena Gorda: US$60-120.
- Sedan or SUV to Uvero Alto: US$100-180.
- Sedan or SUV to Bayahibe or La Romana: US$120-220.
- Sprinter (up to 14, with luggage) to Bavaro: US$110-190; to Uvero Alto: US$170-260.
- Round trip: 10-15 percent less than two one-ways.
The private transfer costs US$15-60 more than the taxi and the difference buys the name board, the direct journey, the chosen vehicle, child seats fitted in advance, and a fare fixed before you fly. For a family with resort luggage the Sprinter is usually the better buy than two cars. The general economics are in how much does a limo cost, and the taxi comparison in airport transfer vs taxi.
Which vehicle
A couple with two cases fits a sedan. A family of four with four cases and beach gear does not; book the SUV. Two families sharing, a wedding party, a golf group with clubs or anyone with a stroller and a car seat should take the Sprinter, which carries fourteen with luggage. Child seats are included when requested at booking; the roads north of Bavaro are the reason to use them. The fleet page lists capacities.
The return transfer
The departure pickup is calculated backwards from the flight using the drive times above and the check-in cut-off. For a United States or Canadian flight allow three hours at the terminal; PUJ's departures hall is efficient but the morning bank is dense. From Bavaro that means leaving the resort three and a half hours before the flight; from Uvero Alto, four; from La Romana, four and a half. The chauffeur proposes the time when the return is booked, and it will be earlier than the resort's shuttle desk suggests, because the shuttle desk is optimising for the bus's schedule and the chauffeur is optimising for your flight. The airport's own passenger information sets out recommended arrival times.
Weddings and groups
Punta Cana is one of the largest destination-wedding markets in the world, and the transport pattern is the same as for a wedding anywhere: a luxury sedan or SUV for the couple, a Sprinter for the bridal party, a minicoach for the guests arriving on the same flights. The wedding limo service page sets out packages; the event transportation page covers incentive groups and corporate retreats, which are a large part of the coast's business. One booking covers the group's arrivals across several flights and both terminals, and one dispatcher watches it.
Getting around once you are there
Most visitors stay at the resort. Those who want to see the island - Santo Domingo's colonial city (two and a half hours), Saona Island from Bayahibe, the Hoyo Azul cenote at Cap Cana, Altos de Chavon at Casa de Campo, the Samana peninsula for the whales in winter (three hours) - do better with a chauffeur for the day than with a rental; the driving is unpredictable and the sites are far apart. A full day in an SUV runs US$450-850.
Booking
Enter PUJ, the flight number, the resort's full name and area (several brands have two or three properties on the coast), passengers and bags, and the vehicle in the booker. The fare shows and is fixed. Dispatch confirms the terminal the day before; the chauffeur's name, photo, vehicle and meeting point arrive by text on the morning of arrival. The other Caribbean and Mexican gateways are on the airports page, and the destinations page has the region's cities.
Travel documents and arrival formalities
The Dominican Republic requires visitors to complete an electronic entry and exit form before travel, and immigration at PUJ checks it; the US State Department's country information sets out the current requirements for American travellers and other governments publish the equivalent. Baggage rules are the airline's and the IATA guidance is the reference. Neither affects the transfer directly, but a passenger held at immigration for a missing form is the most common reason a chauffeur waits beyond the allowance at this airport, and the allowance - sixty minutes after touchdown - covers most of it.
The Punta Cana resort and Cap Cana, specifically
The two resort areas immediately south of the airport are different from the rest of the coast and deserve a note. The Puntacana Resort and Club - Tortuga Bay, the Westin, the Four Points, the golf courses and the marina - was built by the airport's owners and is a ten-minute transfer along a private road; it is also home to a small private-aviation terminal, and the private jet and FBO transfers page covers ramp-side pickups for arriving jets. Cap Cana, further south, is a gated development with the Eden Roc, the Secrets and Sanctuary resorts, the Punta Espada golf course and the marina; entry is controlled at a gate and the chauffeur handles it. Both are the shortest transfers on the coast and the most convenient for a golf trip or a short stay.
Seasonality and weather
Punta Cana is busy year-round with a peak from December to April and a second peak in July and August; the hurricane season runs from June to November with the highest risk in September and October. In the high season the airport's arrival banks in the early afternoon - when the flights from the northeastern United States and Canada land together - are the busiest hours of the day, and the exit area is crowded; the name board matters most then. In the wet months the road north of Bavaro floods in places and the drive to Uvero Alto can take longer; the chauffeur knows and dispatch adjusts the return pickup. A flight delayed by weather in the northeast is tracked like any other, and the chauffeur waits.
The other airports of the island
Santo Domingo's Las Americas (SDQ) is the capital's airport and the gateway for the south coast and the colonial city; Santiago (STI) serves the north; Puerto Plata (POP) serves the north-coast resorts; La Romana (LRM) serves Casa de Campo and Bayahibe; Samana's El Catey (AZS) serves the peninsula. Transfers between any of these and the Punta Cana resorts are priced by distance - Santo Domingo to Bavaro is about three hours - and the airports page lists all of them. For a visitor combining the colonial city with the beach, a chauffeured transfer between SDQ and the coast is a comfortable half-day and cheaper than a domestic flight for a family.
