Off-Road Buggy Experience to Macao Beach, Hidden Cave and Mud Fun

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Chelsea T.

December 05, 2025

We booked the buggy tour (with stops at Macao beach and cenote) through GetYourGuide. There was the option to be picked up from our hotel lobby, which we chose. However, at the time of the pick-up, I received a WhatsApp call from them, telling me to "go out"... which I did, but they were nowhere in sight. They then proceed to tell me that they're unable to go through the resort gate, so that I have to hurry up to meet them at the main gate of my resort. ** This should have been communicated before the pick-up time, in order to avoid rushing. ** The ride to the Rancho was short and sweet, in an open truck. We arrived and met up with the rest of our group. They have guides who speak Spanish, English and French. We chose the English-speaking one. He explained everything to us, emphasizing that we wouldn't have much time to dawdle. 20 minutes at the cenote, and 20 minutes at the Macao beach. We then realized that we should have put our swimwear on already. Our guide rushed us to change in the bathrooms. So, except for their helmet, I only had my swimwear, sports shorts and watershoes for the entirety of the excursion. ** This should also have been communicated beforehand : to have our swimwear on, because there will be no place or time to change at each of our stops ** They have lockers available at the ranch, at the cost of 200 pesos or USD$3. They also sell drinks. Then, on for the ride! Our buggy itself (we chose the VIP one, for two people) was comfortable. Driving it is a little weird, as I found that the steering wheel does not steer as a regular vehicle's does. I lacked a little bit of control. Our guide, and therefore our group, went slower than I expected. And so, we didn't get as muddy as I was expecting. Note : other groups that we passed by were much dirtier! So, I think it depends on the guide. ** Take note that you should always keep an ear open for the guide, because when he calls to leave, he leaves pretty quickly! ** Our first stop was at a "casa tipica", which is a typical dominican house. They will show you dominican products that they're selling. I was interested in a necklace and a bracelet, but the total price was USD$75, which was too expensive for me. The cenote stop was rather nice. We spent 20 minutes there, which was enough, personally. The water is a good cool temperature. The locals rent life vests there. The last stop was at Macao beach. This beach was less prone to algae (sargassum) than our resort's beach, therefore it was more picture friendly. We were also allowed 20 minutes there. All in all, I enjoyed the buggy ride and the last two stops of our excursions. I feel like the organization and communication can be improved. But I'm glad I did it !

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Jhoana S.

November 18, 2025

This experience is mainly a tourist trap, and not much of an experience. First off, I paid extra for a VIP buggy when I initially booked, and when I looked at mine compared to people who paid less for a normal buggy, the quality was super poor. The more expensive VIP buggies were smaller, and in much worse condition than the cheaper buggies. Upon arrival a guide approached us and advised that for an extra fee we could upgrade to a private tour, which would only be us and 1 guide. The guide advised that we could drive as fast as we wanted on a private tour, and spend as much or as little time as we wanted in each stop. He stated that going with a group would require us to drive slow, our time at each stop would be very limited, and we would be limited to what we could do because the group sizes are quite large. We decided to pay the upgrade charge because it sounded good. We paid $84 extra for this service, and much of what was promised was not delivered. Despite it just being us and our guide, we did not exceed 20 MPH (32-33 KPH), even on straight aways and paved roads. We also had time constraints placed on us at each stop, just as a group would. And we didn’t even avoid the same limitations the groups had, because we kept arriving with another group ahead of us, or one behind us would arrive usually just within minutes of us arriving at a stop. In addition to that, each stop is basically just filled with vendors who are trying to force merchandise on you. At the first stop, which was a small tiki hut with coffee, Mama Juana, and assorted Knick Knacks, we decided to buy a hand full of things. We were quoted approximately $160 in total for everything we bought here, which included the mandatory 18% tax. I later saw on my bank statement that I was actually charged $225, and not the quoted $160. I will see what, if anything, my bank can do for me about that, but I’m not very hopeful. The next stop at the cave was nice, but it’s very small, and the staff there rushes you, even in the brief moments when there aren’t many people around. Again at this location numerous vendors are trying to force things on you. The final stop was the beach, which is actually nothing exclusive. It’s literally a public beach that I could drive up to on my own for free, if I wanted to. Here the vendors were the worst and the most high pressure. They have cocktails that are way overpriced, and they initially misrepresent the prices to you. I paid about $70 for two cocktails that were terrible, initially being told that the price would be about $40. While there vendors were also placing animals, such as iguanas and parrots, onto people and taking their photo, then demanding outrageous prices. I heard people being charged anywhere between $50-$100 for cell phone photos, and they were none the wiser, because the vendors mumble and speak quickly so you aren’t aware of the actual price. And they also count on the fact that you won’t realize you were overcharged or misquoted until you’ve already left, as many people don’t bring their phones on the buggy tours, and won’t see their actual bank charges until later. Basically this buggy tour is a guided tour to overpriced stores where the locals will try to hoodwink you in any way possible, and the guides do nothing to try to assist you in understanding anything, or ensure that you aren’t being extorted, despite being in their care and on their tour. 100% do not recommend, unless you just need a guide to take you to expensive souvenir stores, or you just want to flush approximately $400 down the toilet.

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Arielle S.

November 05, 2025

The ride was A LOT of fun. However, we had difficulties with booking and we waited for 30 minutes after the time our tour was supposed to begin. We got a discount for the inconvenience! It was very nice of them.