Amber Cove cruise port in the Dominican Republic is a relatively new cruise port in the Caribbean. It opened in late 2015 and features overwater cabanas to rent as well as a free onsite pool and waterslide complex. The port has a variety of excursions, including swimming with dolphins, ATVing, hiking to waterfalls and more. On my family’s recent Carnival cruise, we chose an excursion to Monkeyland.
Monkeyland and Dominican Flavors for Families Tour
Our tour departed in the late morning, so I made sure we ate a hearty breakfast. We boarded a bus and rode about 25 minutes to Monkeyland. During the ride, our local tour guide explained the history of the area.
Once at Monkeyland, we headed through a series of enclosures to meet the resident squirrel monkeys. They are small, fast and adorable.
During our time there, the guides taught us everything about the monkeys, including what they eat, lifespan, etc.
We could take our own photos, plus the tour provided us with one photo print included. I’m not sure how much time we had with the monkeys. But, we didn’t feel rushed.
After visiting the monkeys, we walked to another part of the farm to learn more about how locals live. We toured a typical Dominican home.
Then, we saw a presentation to learn about how they grow cacao, coffee and more. We sampled the most delicious hot chocolate as well as an alcoholic drink called mamajuana.
On the way back to the pier, we stopped at a small indoor market. I bought bracelets for each of my kids to support the local artisans.
In total, our excursion took about 3 1/2 hours.
Back at the port
After the excursion was over, we were hungry for a late lunch on the ship, so we didn’t walk around the shops. We did stop for a photo at this Amber Cove sign. You have to stand back far to get the whole sign in the photo.
Overall, we had a great time at Amber Cove. Since there are so many types of excursions, I wouldn’t hesitate to return here on a future cruise.
Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
So I’ve read there is monkeyland and monkey jungle. There are lots of opinions about how far away they are. So, is monkeyland really only 30 minutes away from the amber cove cruise port?
@Kim The Monkeyland I visited was about 30 minutes away from Amber Cove port and the excursion was offered through Carnival. I think there are a few different Monkeylands in Dominican Republic.
thanks for sharing this, i’m heading to that port myself for the first time and trying to decide what to do there! was debating between monkeyland and oceanworld or just heading to a beach
@Sara I’m sure you’ll have a great time no matter what you pick. Have fun on your cruise!