Overview

Saona Island (Spanish: Isla Saona) is a 110 square kilometer tropical island located off the south-east coast in Dominican Republic’s La Altagracia province. It is a government-protected nature reserve and is part of Parque Nacional Cotubanamá.

There are two permanent settlements, the towns of Mano Juan and Catuano. Mano Juan is a fishing village with wooden houses and “Catuano beach” has a detachment of the navy.

The island is a popular tourist destination in the Dominican Republic. A number of films such as Pirates of the Caribbean (2003) and The Blue Lagoon have been filmed in part on Saona Island.