Punta Cana

Is Punta Cana safe?

For a resort holiday, yes: most people who visit Punta Cana never meet crime. The Dominican government reported 8.15 homicides per 100,000Homicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary people in 2025, the lowest on record, and the National Police has put La Altagracia province, which includes Punta Cana and Bávaro, at around the same level. That is well under half of what Cancún recorded in early 2025.

The thing to plan around is getting from place to place. La Altagracia's roads killed 169 people in 2025, which on the province's census population is several times the rate of any big US city. We score Punta Cana 59, a few points above the Dominican Republic as a whole, because most visitors spend their days inside gated resorts on the coast.

Resort safety: what actually goes wrong

Punta Cana is less a city than a 50 km string of all-inclusive resorts from Cap Cana in the south to Uvero Alto in the north, with Bávaro and El Cortecito as the main town. Resorts have guards at the gates and on the beach, and serious crime against guests is rare.

The problems that do happen are worth knowing:

• Sexual assault. The UK Foreign Office reports assaults, rapes and sexual aggression against foreigners at beach resorts. Do not leave drinks unattended, avoid walking alone on dark beaches, and report any assault to police before you leave, since they cannot investigate once you have gone.
• Theft. Phones and cash from rooms (use the safe) and bags from beach loungers.
• Card cloning. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary warns that bank card cloning is a risk, so keep your card in view when paying.
• Touts. Timeshare sellers, excursion sellers and vendors on public beaches can be persistent but are rarely threatening.

Outside the resorts, Bávaro's shopping streets and El Cortecito beach are fine by day. Take normal care with bags and phones at night, and use a registered taxi to get back.

The 2019 tourist deaths

In 2019 a run of deaths of American tourists at Dominican resorts drew wide media coverage and fears of tainted mini-bar alcohol. The FBI carried out extra toxicology testing, and in October 2019 the US State Department said the results were consistent with the local findings of natural causes and that the deaths were unrelated, isolated incidents. No later investigation has found otherwise.

The sensible lesson is general rather than specific to Punta Cana: drink from known brands, be careful with very cheap spirits anywhere, and know that heat, alcohol and existing heart conditions are a risky mix on a beach holiday.

Roads and motorbike taxis

Road traffic is the biggest danger in the area. The national road safety observatory (INTRANT) recorded 184 road deaths in La Altagracia in 2023, 224 in 2024 and 169 in 2025. Speeding was behind 41% of crashes and alcohol 23%. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says the Dominican Republic has a high death rate from motorbike and scooter crashes, and that motorbike taxis (motoconchos) are often driven badly and rarely give passengers a helmet.

The motorway from the airport to the resorts is in good condition, but traffic mixes fast cars with unlit motorbikes, and night driving is risky. Use your resort's transfer or a registered taxi, never a motoconcho. Buggy and quad tours are popular and cause regular injuries. Wear the helmet, go slowly on dirt tracks and choose an insured operator.

Beaches, health and hurricanes

Much of the coast is protected by a reef, so the water is often calm, but the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary notes that lifeguards may not be present at beaches or pools. Watch children in pools, swim at your resort's staffed beach, and stay out of the water after drinking. Sargassum seaweed can cover beaches from spring into late summer.

Tap water is not drinkable, though resorts use filtered water for ice and drinks. Dengue is present, so use repellent. Private hospitals in Bávaro and Punta Cana give good care but expect payment or proof of insurance before treatment.

Hurricane season runs from June to November. Hurricane Fiona came ashore on the south-east coast on 19 September 2022; the US National Hurricane Center recorded gusts of 69 knots at Punta Cana, flash flooding on the province's roads and a death in Higüey. Resorts have storm plans, and forecasts give several days of warning.

How to stay safe in Punta Cana

• Book airport transfers and taxis through your resort or a registered company.
• Never ride a motoconcho, and avoid driving at night.
• Use the room safe and keep cards in sight.
• Swim near staffed beaches and keep an eye on children at pools.
• Save the tourist police (Politur) number: +1 809 200 3500.

How we scored it

Violent crime (68) and health and environment (68) are the strongest factors: murders are near record lows and the resort coast has clean air and good private care. Road safety (25) is by far the weakest, reflecting La Altagracia's death toll. Night safety (65) reflects sexual assaults reported at resorts.