Southern Dominican Sun
About Southern Dominican Sun
Let's get tropical!
Punta Cana has quickly become one of the hottest grad trip destinations. With pristine, white-sand beaches, huge luxury resorts, and beautiful sunshine and sand all day long, what else could you ask for?
Whether you’re catching some waves with Rafael and his crew at Macao Surf Camp, playing a game of staff vs. students beach volleyball, or catching some rays with your buds by the pool listening to a little bob marley, this truly is a tropical paradise. Get ready for Southern Dominican Sun.
Fast Facts
- City: Punta Cana
- The Bavaro Beach in Punta Cana has been named one of the Caribbean's top 10 beaches for the past 5 years.
S-Trip! Exclusives
There's so much to do in Southern Dominican Sun!
Punta Cana Explorer
Jump on a jeep and explore the Dominican country side. Learn more »
Punta Cana Explorer
Jump on a big 24 person jeep and head out to explore the Dominican country side! The first stop is about 30 minutes away as the jeep rips down country roads and makes its way to a traditional Dominican home. Try some fresh fruit, coffee, and cacao. We see how the locals live off the land and survive from day-to-day.
We are then off to local ranch to horseback ride the country side. We then head out to finish our day, at beautiful Macao beach. This spectacular beach is like no other beach you can find in Punta Cana, its definitely worth seeing! Bring your swim suit because we'll include boogie boards to rip around in the water. Spend the rest of the afternoon taking a dip in the ocean, getting a beach game going with your mega buds, or just relaxing under the sun!
Katlin Pardy
I loved the culture there it was amazing. You got lots of opportunities to embrace the Dominican as a whole on many of the excursions.
Macao Surf Camp
Easily one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Learn more »
Macao Surf Camp
Easily one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, Macao Beach is surfer paradise. Flawlessly soft sand and not a rock in sight, this is the ideal place to learn to surf or hone your riding skills. Rafael and his team will give you some pro surfing tips to make sure you get up on your board.
Zipline Adventure
Soar over an incredible Dominican jungle. Learn more »
Zipline Adventure
Hop on a sweet open aired bus and cruise up a gorgeous Punta Cana mountain for roughly 30 min. Once we reach the top, we will meet the awesome Zip lining professionals, where they will give us a full, in depth safety lesson. After that, we are on our way! We trek up a narrow path to our first of 11 platforms, where we soar over some incredible Dominican jungle. The view is absolutely stunning, so make sure to take it all in. A definite adrenaline rush, this is for all of the adventure seekers out there. The excursion is roughly 3-4 hours depending on the size of the group.
Catamaran Cruise
Turn up the tunes and turn the boat into a dance party. Learn more »
Catamaran Cruise
Kick off the afternoon by hopping on our exclusive S-Trip! Catamaran as we prepare to set sail down the coast of Punta Cana. Spend the first hour taking in the sights, and getting a glorious tan. We set up shop, and hold down anchor out at sea and put on our snorkel gear to check out the incredible tropical marine life. Get back on the Catamaran because we are turning up the tunes, and turning the boat into a dance party. Described by many as: “the best experience hands down on the trip! It was as if we were all stars in a movie.” How could you miss out on that!
Mia Mickleburgh
The excursions were amazing and made my trip so much more memorable!! The Jeep Safari was such an eye opening experience.
Tom Santos
Everyone went full out with the themes, especially on Tight N Bright. The beach was just a sea of glow sticks and bright clothing.
Night Events
6 incredible themed night events to celebrate your S-Trip!. Learn more »
Night Events
Are you ready for 6 incredible themed night events to celebrate your S-Trip! in paradise? Make sure to pack gear for each night to really stand out.
Tight N’ Bright - Your tightest and brightest
Graffiti* - One T-Shirt, one marker, endless memories
White Out - White clothing from head to toe
Oh Canada - Celebrating the maple leaf in style
Masquarade - Purple, gold, and green mixed with some fancy masks
Hawaiian Luau - Grab your leis, your hula skirt, and lets dance on the beach
*Each S-Trip! traveler gets their very own Graffiti T-Shirt free
Bowsers Castle
Cross an actual drawbridge to enter the REAL Bowser’s Castle and get ready for an unforgettable night in a huge cave. Yeah, that’s right, we said a real cave. With full light shows and a world class DJ set up, get ready for a night you’ll never forget in one of the most unique venues in the world.
Day Activities
S-Trip! Central, your very own private section of the resort! Learn more »
Day Activities
We have a ton of daytime activities throughout the entire week. You can usually find everything at S-Trip! Central which will be your very own private section of the resort.
S-Trip! staff will organize contests like Mr. and Mrs. S-Trip!, staff vs. students, monster relays, beach soccer and volleyball games, inflatable shark races, capture the flag, school olympics, and more. You can see what’s happening each day at the S-Trip! Info Desk.
Volunteer Abroad
Veron Community Build Project
S-Trip! invites travelers to make a positive impact internationally during grad trip through sustainable development and community projects. Our goal is to become North America’s largest overseas volunteer program by getting all high school graduates on a volunteer project.
Did you Know?
- High unemployment, a large informal sector, and underemployment remain important long-term challenges.
- Only 12% of low-income students who start high school will graduate
- 1.9% of the GDP is invested into education compared to 5.5% in Canada and the US
Build and Restore
We start the day by making the quick drive to Veron, a community just outside of Punta Cana, where you will experience the vibrant culture of Dominican Republic. We work with our partner organization to select a deserving family to receive your help in either building a home from the ground up, or to arrange repairs for multiple homes to benefit a number of families.
You will also get a tour of Veron, meet community members, and play a couple of games with kids from the area. Prepare yourself for an amazing half-day experience that will leave you with a new perspective on life in Dominican Republic!
Check out this blog post about the great work our travelers did on the most recent Southern Dominican Sun trip!
There was only one school here, and now thanks to S-Trip! we have a second school. Now more children can go to school and the education this brings will allow our community to grow stronger every day.Maria Mota, School Principal and Community Leader, Veron