The ATV Excursion consisted of riding all-terrain vehicles (ATV) through towns in the Dominican countryside and on beautiful Macao Beach. There was a stop at a souvenir store at a cave, where we were given the opportunity to cool off in the cool cave water.
My wife and I shared an ATV and took turns driving. As our group rode through the streets of the small country towns, the people would smile and wave at us, especially the children. I felt an atmosphere of friendliness from strangers that I can't ever remember experiencing in my life.
We rode on Macao Beach, which is picturesque and deserted. We were given the opportunity to take a dip in the ocean. One our tour guides told us that this beach won't be deserted for long. There are plans to build hotels and resorts in the area as the Dominican tourism business continues to grow. It is a beautiful beach.
The stop at the souvenir shop was interesting, not because of the merchandise, but because as we parked our ATVs, the neighborhood children came running to give us the little flowers they had picked. They did not seem to want anything in return other than a smile. There was one amusing little fellow who couldn't have been older than 4 years old. He was trying his best to keep up with the older children. He came up to me and proudly handed me a twig and a blade of grass. I thanked him. He gave a big smile and ran off to catch up with the other children.
It was a hot and humid day, so the cave stop was an opportunity to cool off. Most of our group swam in the water inside the cave. I'm not much of a swimmer, so I opted to just enjoy the cool shade the cave offered.
By the time we had gotten back to our starting point, the tour company already had pictures of us on CDs and a bottles of rum for purchase. The pictures were low resolution and blurry, so we did not purchase ours. We boarded the shuttle back to the resort, where we could get cleaned up. If you ever decide to do this excursion, make sure you wear clothing you don't mind getting dirty or throwing away. We rode the ATVs on dusty dirt roads and through puddles of hot, muddy water. Our shoes and legs were muddy and dusty by the time we finished this excursion.