Is Tap Water Safe to Drink in Punta Cana?
No, tap water in Punta Cana is not safe to drink. The resort zone relies on a mix of private well systems and INAPA (Instituto Nacional de Aguas Potables y Alcantarillados) supply, neither of which is considered reliably potable at the tap.
Water Source
Punta Cana’s water comes from private deep wells operated by individual resort complexes and the Cap Cana development, supplemented in some areas by INAPA municipal supply from groundwater sources in the La Altagracia province.
Contaminants & Concerns
Groundwater in eastern Dominican Republic is susceptible to bacterial contamination and agricultural chemical runoff from surrounding sugar cane fields. Distribution infrastructure outside resort compounds is minimal and poorly maintained. Even private resort wells may have elevated nitrate or coliform counts without on-site treatment.
Tips
- •Drink only the purified water provided by your resort — all major resorts in Punta Cana operate on-site purification
- •Use bottled water for brushing teeth, even at all-inclusive resorts where bathroom tap water is not purified
- •Avoid ice from small roadside stands on excursions outside the resort zone
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources & References
The safety rating and guidance on this page draw on the following sources. See our full methodology.
- •WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality
- •CDC Travelers' Health destination pages
- •The municipal water utility's published quality data