peninsula tours samana

SAFARI to PLAYA RINCON

One of the most beautiful beach in the Carribean

LIMON WATERFALL Tour

Highest Waterfall on Samana Peninsula

HAITISES PARK + Cayo Levantado

Explore Mangroves, Tainos Caves, and island!

ATV Tour to PLAYA RINCON

Adventure Tour across the Samana Peninsula

BEST ZIPLINE in the DR!

13 Jump stations over EL VALLE Jungle

HUMPBACK WHALE WATCHING

In Samana Bay from January 15 to March 30

Explore Samana Bay & Peninsula with us!

During your vacation in Samana do the best tours and excursions with us! We promise to exceed your expectations!

SUPER PRIVATE

Even if your are only 2 persons in your group, we can offer you a totally exclusive private tour only for both of you. 

When you book online, we'll give you a 10% DISCOUNT! Great tours at great low prices with us at TOP™

OUR MOST POPULAR TOURS IN SAMANA

Haitises park + cayo levantado tour •   limon waterfall tour • playa rincon tour.

Haitises Park + Cayo Levantado island

From $88 usd.

Los Haitises is one of the main ecological attractions of the Dominican Republic. Los Haitises is a magical place that takes us back to the time of the dinosaurs, it’s also were important scenes from the movie Jurassic Park were filmed...

Limon Waterfall Samana Peninsula 

From $44 usd.

Excursion by Horse Back Riding from Las Terrenas + Samana area. The spectacular isolated Waterfall El Limon is located in Samana Peninsula Dominican Republic. A reclusive paradise located in the mountains...

Playa Rincon by Safari Truck

From $75 usd.

Best Safari Truck Tour in Samana Peninsula Dominican Republic. The stunning Playa Rincon is considered one of the TEN most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean due to its outstanding natural conditions and virgin location... 

#1 Avenida La Marina Downtown Samana Dominican Republic

Email: [email protected] Phone: ANIS MARTINEZ +1 (809) 608-2438

• Haitises Park + Cayo Tour
• Waterfall Limon Tour
• Playa Rincon Safari Tour Zipline Samana Tour 
• ATV Tour Playa Rincon Whale Watching Tour

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Boat Tours from Las Terrenas • Playa Fronton + Playa Rincon Beach Tour in Samana Dominican Republic.

Las Terrenas Boat Tour : 3 Beaches Tour from Las Terrenas Dominican Republic.

3 Beaches Boat Tour : Playa Fronton + Playa Madame + "World Famous" Playa Rincon

OUR OTHER TOURS :

• Limon Waterfall Los Haitises Park Zipline Samana ATV Excursion Whale Watching

Three superb beaches, Fronton where you feel the contact with nature in every step. Located here is one of the largest coral reefs in the counrty where 20 feet from the shore you can enjoy this fountain of marine life. During the winter months of January through March also, the whales can be seen playing from the beach. Next on our trip is Madame beach. Here we will stop for a quick drink and snack on this reclusive beach. Finally on our journey we will go to the protected "World Famous" beach of Rincon. Here a delicious beach-side Dominican style lunch will be served of grilled lobster, fish, or chicken. After an exquisite lunch we will work off the lunch with a relaxing swim or nap on the beach.

INCLUDED : From 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Pick up and return to all hotels in Las Terrenas, Tourist guide, Snorkeling equipment, Lunch and drinks. Please bring : Swimsuit, sunblock, towel, hat and sunglasses.

WEDNESDAY and SATURDAY :

Adult : $95 USD Children (2 to 11 years old) : $47 USD

Things To Do in Samana - Best Excursions & Tours in Samana Dominican Republic.

Discover the amazing diversity and beauty of the samana peninsula and samana bay., excursions & day trips in samana:, cayo levantado, cascada limon, playa rincon, la playita beach, atv quad, jeep safari, los haitises, deep sea fishing, sailing catamaran, playa el valle, cascada lulu, whale watching, and scuba diving. explore the incredible natural beauty of samana.

READ REVIEWS of the Best Excursions and Tours in Samana on Trip Advisor

Tours, Excursions & Activities

All excursions, tours & activities to do in the bay of samana and on the peninsula, boat tours & boat rentals, sailing charters, waterfalls swimming, scuba diving, ziplining, whale watching, cave discoveries, safaris, atv adventures, sport fishing and much more, find also all private tours for your cruise ship spending the day in samana., samana sport fishing - deep sea fishing in samana bay dominican republic., deep sea sport fishing.

DDD Sport Fishing

Seafox 25 foot pro series boat, ddd sport fishing in samana bay dominican republic. come aboard our brand new seafox 25 foot boat for the best deep sea fishing in samana : catch mahi mahi, barracuda, wahoo, and sailfish in the deep blue waters of samana bay. see more, sailing yacht charters in samana bay dominican republic., sailing charter.

Samana Yacht Charters

Luxury private catamaran, private sailing catamaran tours from puerto bahia, samana dominican republic. come cruise & sail with us welcome aboard our privately-owned luxury yacht. la bella vita is samana bay's only sailing catamaran charter see more.

Sunny Charter Vacations

Aboard our 41 foot sailboat, sunny charter vacations in samana bay dominican republic. come aboard our superb 41 foot sailboat and lets go explore los haitises national park. also offering whale watching and full day charter to spectacular cayo levantado island. see more, best excursions in samana dominican republic., tour agencies.

Gregory Tours Samana

Low price excursions, gregory tours offers 10 private excursions & tours all over the spectacular region of samana peninsula & samana bay. we are located at the beach of cayacoa hotel. over 100 top reviews about us on trip advisor see more.

TIRSA™ Tours

Over 25 best tours, tirsa™ tours samana • over 25 best excursions and tours all over dominican republic • day trips: santo domingo, puerto plata, montana redonda, 7 beaches tours and so many more see all.

TOP™ Tours Samana

Best tours & excursions, top™ tours samana • do the best excursions all over samana peninsula & samana bay • day trips: atv adventure, waterfall limon, haitises park + cayo levantado island, etc. see more.

Tauro Tours Samana

Atv & buggy adventures, hotel & cruise ship tours all over samana peninsula and in samana bay. top day trips: atv & buggy, playa rincon beach, safari tour, waterfall limon, snorkeling tour, haitises park, etc see more, tour samana with terry, famed tours everyday.

#1 Tours of the Samana area according to Trip Advisor. Waterfalls, Zip Line, Quads, Fishing Charters, Horseback, Sailing, Los Haitises Park, Snorkeling, Whales Tours, Custom & Private Tours available everyday. BETTER than your Vacation Representative's offerings. See More

Zipline Samana

Rated #1 activity.

Samana Zip Line - Best Eco Adventure in Samana. The Most Amazing Zip Line in the Caribbean. 13 different Zips and Over 7000 Feet long! The only hands free, built in braking Zip Line in the DR! Same tour as in the hotel only 10% cheaper with more included! See More

Samana Boat Tours - Boat Excursions in Samana Bay Dominican Republic.

Boat tours samana bay.

Moto Marina Tours

Leader in samana boat tours, moto marina tours is the no.1 boat tour company in samana since 1986. boat tours to cayo levantado island, los haitises park and also whale watching. the most modern fleet of 8 boats, speed boats and sailing catamaran. see more.

EVA Boat Tours

Samana bay boat excursions, top boat tours - come aboard our new boats and discover with us los haitises national park and cayo levantado island (also called bacardi island). in season from january 15 to march 30, come enjoy our humpback whale watching tours. see more, samana scuba diving center - dive shop in samana town dominican republic., scuba diving & watersports.

H2O Diving & Water Sports

Padi scuba dive shop, scuba diving & watersports center located right at the port of samana. our certified padi instructors will take you at the best dive spots in and around samana. explore great diving in samana with us at h2o ozeanic caribbean. see more.

NAUTILUS Dive Center

Padi dive & water sports, nautilus padi scuba diving & watersports center in samana. do the best scuba diving all over samana peninsula. dive shop operated by friendly noel cacavelli. come for the best diving with us see more, samana whale watching tours - whale watching excursions at best price in samana bay dominican republic., whale watching tours.

DDD Whale Watching

Low price whale tours, whale watching tours in samana bay aboard new 40 foot catamaran. best low price of $49 usd per person see up close the humpback whales in samana bay. whale season in samana is every year from january 15 to march 31. see more.

Whale Watching Samana

With kim beddall, kim beddall, canadian animal advocate and conservationist, has been guiding whale watching trips in samana since 1983. kim has been instrumental in transforming samana into one of the world's top ten destinations. see more, las terrenas dominican republic excursions and tours - best activities and things to do in las terrenas., excursions from las terrenas.

Peninsula Tours Agency

Best tours from las terrenas, do the best excursions in samana with us at peninsula tours agency located in downtown las terrenas. owner and expert eco-tour guide henry rodriguez will take you all over the spectacular region of samana see more.

EXCELIA™ Dominican Tours

Day trips from las terrenas, top excursions from las terrenas with excelia™. do the best day trips all over samana: los haitises park, limon waterfall, whale watching, playa rincon + fronton, safari, zipline, saona island, sailing catamaran and much more see more, go samana™ travel guide.

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Best private Excursions in Samana Dominican Republic.

Best tours all over samana bay & samana peninsula..

• Home Tours 1 to 5 Tours 6 to 10 Book Online Photo Gallery Contact

Get in touch with us. I am always easy to reach on my mobile phone (Same number on WhatsApp) locally or from all over the world.

Gregory Mejia +1 829-917-2380 +1 829-564-4381

See our exact location on the Google Map

Gregory Tours Samana • Enjoy our Best Private Excursions!

Well recognized in our field for over 20 years, blessed by great reviews on Trip Advisor, we offer excursions and tours in Samana Bay and all over Samana Peninsula for Hotel Guests and Cruise Ship Passengers.

We are located underneath the Famous Bridges to Nowhere " Los Puentes " on Playa Cayacoa just besides the Gran Bahia Principe Cayacoa Hotel in the beautiful small town of Samana.

We specialize in "PRIVATE" Excursions & Tours for small groups of 4 to 8 persons. And we also service larger private groups of up to 50 persons !

Come with us ! We have the Lowest Price Excursions for Hotel guests in Samana. And we welcome all Cruise Ship Passengers of this new season!

Tours starting from only $50 u.s. per person.

Discover with us all the spectacular beauty of Samana

Read our 125+ TOP Reviews on Trip Advisor :

Home Page | Our Tours | Photo Gallery | © Copyright by Gregory Tours Samana | JV Web Agency

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Las Galeras Samana Dominican Republic Best Excursions and Top Tours.

Winner of the Certificate of Excellente from Trip Advisor for 5 YEARS !

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Legendary Tours in Samana Pickup From All Samana & Dominican Republic Locations & Accommodations

Whales, waterfalls, ziplines, boat adventures, horseback. If you can imagine it, we do it!

Shore Excursions - Cruise Ship Tours

Choose your cruise ship excursion and we will pick you up at the dock!

Whales Punta Cana & Bavaro with Kim Beddall Tour PC#4A

Pickup From All Punta Cana Locations: Whales Tour with World Famous Kim Beddall!

Kim Beddall Whales Tour from Samana Peninsula Hotel #4A

Pickup at all Samana Accommodations. Observe humpback whales in their natural calving & mating grounds in Samana Bay D.R.

Tours from Hotels & All Samana Peninsula Accomodations

Pickup At Every Samana Location

#2 Four Beaches Premium VIP Tour

#13 Private Booze Cruise & Snorkel Tour - Party Barge

Enjoy a Private Motor Cat & Snorkel Tour Booze Cruise

Tours from Hotels & Air BNB Samana Area

#14 Los Haitises National Park & Cano Hondo Eco Lodge Excursion

This tour consists of a scenic boat ride across the bay to the Nature Preserve/Bird Sanctuary area.

#11 Zip Line, Waterfall, Safari & Culture Tour from All Samana Accommodations

Fly 350 feet in the air! WALK THE PLANK off the Pirate Ship at the top of the mountain.

#1 EL Limon Waterfalls on Horseback or Hike

Awesome opportunity to swim into a cave behind the falls.

#5 Cultural Highlights Tour

This tour is designed for those looking to see a little bit of everything including culture with low impact activities.

Punta Cana & Bavaro Tours

Whale Tours from All Dominican Republic - Outside of Samana

Whales with Kim Tour From Puerto Plata - Sosua - Cabarete

Enjoy a whale tour with legendary Kim Beddall of Whale Samana!

Whales with Kim Tour From La Romana - Bayahibe Area

Whales with Kim Tour from Santo Domingo - Juan Dolio

PC#3 Humpback Whales & El Limon Waterfalls from Punta Cana-Bavaro area

Observe humpback whales in their natural calving & mating grounds here in Samana Bay, Dominican Republic.

Whales with Kim Beddall Tour from Miches Hotels & Club Med

From Miches Area & Club Med: Enjoy a whale tour with legendary Kim Beddall of Whale Samana!

Cruise Ship Excursions

Shore Excursion Walk The Plank ZIP LINE - EX #11

Fly 350 feet above the Valley as you WALK THE PLANK off of the Pirate Ship at the top of the mountain.

Shore Excursion - Waterfalls EL Limon on Horseback or Hike - EX #1

We pickup at the dock!

Shore Excursion Relax on the Beach at La Playita - EX #2

Pickup at the Dock! Relaxing Beach Day at La Playita - Gorgeous Views

Shore Excursion Countryside, Beach & Culture on ATV/Quad - EX #3

Enjoy this ATV tour to the spectacular & secluded El Valle beach area

Shore Excursion Cultural Highlights of Samana Low Impact - EX #5

This tour is designed for those looking to see a little bit of everything including culture with low impact activities. (no horses and with minimal walking)

Shore Excursion Horseback Culture+Beach - EX #6

If you want to see the real Dominican Republic without a line of other tourists around this is your tour.

Our Happy Customers

Great day out with Kim and the crew. It was a calm day so no one experienced sea sickness, but they gave us sea brackets just in case. It was unfortunate for me that when we stopped to look at the whales, the boat rocked a bit and I fell to the ground so be warned to stay seated until the boat is still. All in all, it was an amazing experience and the tour is extremely is well organized. Highly recommend.

In any service related business, the soft product/experience is likely the differentiator. Hiring the right people to represent your brand makes the world of difference and Samana with Terry got it right! From our zipline team members (Ariel, Franci and Concho) to our ATV/culture guide Rubio, all made our experience unforgettable. My wife and I have ziplined multiple times before however, this was one of our most memorable excursions. We always felt safe, equipment was in good condition and we liked the unique breaking system. Ariel and Concho helped take incredible and unforgettable videos/photos with our own mobile devices. They were willing to help us push our comfort zone (no hands, upside down) which added to our special day. Amazing and thank-you! Really enjoyed learning about the DR, its culture and how they live off the land and have a strong sense of community. Rubio (aka Benjamin Franklin?) ensure he took to time to stop, point out things of interest and let us smell/taste many different things. Homemade lunch at the beach was the icing on the cake. The ATV experience was amazing. It allowed us to see the countryside, waterfall, beach, dirt/paved roads. We covered a lot of ground over the 6+ hours we spent on our tour. Rubio made sure we had enough variety to keep everyone happy and a little wet/muddy if we really wanted to. The information we received prior to our cruise ship arriving was very clear. We had no problem finding them. We were back at the tender for our ship with lots of time to spare.

to various gorgeous beaches with Terry before we left. Communication with Terry was excellent. Due to weather predictions with rough seas he contacted us quite in time, asking if we wanted to change the tour to another date when the weather would be better. Sure! So a couple of days later than originally planned we did the tour. The staff accompanying us was great and the locations were absolutely gorgeous! We had plenty of time discovering everything and to relax as well. The lobster lunch was great. If you don’t eat seafood, they serve other yummy food. We didn’t feel uncomfortable at the boat at all and enjoyed everything to the max. We’d definitely recommend this tour if you like to discover hidden unspoilt beaches and gorgeous views from the seaside.

We had arrived at Las Terrenas the night before. We had the private tour booked for the Los Haitises Park. Benjamin Franklin picked us up at our Las Terrenas hotel at 8am sharp the next day. Benjamin is a friendly, very informative and great guide! The boat trip across Semana bay is spectacular. The caves are very well worth it. Because we were on the private tour, instead of Levantado Island, we went to the Eco Lodge. It's a bit of a walk, but it was a wonderful surprise. Lunch was great! The trip back was bit rough, but that was fine. Before booking, I had a lot of questions, and Terry was great in email. I would advise taking the private tour. It was great being on our own in the many caves with Benjamin there to inform us and answer questions, and keep us moving along. All in all, Tour Semana with Terry was a great and very professional and friendly experience. Highly recommended!!

Legendary Tours Everyday Go Legendary Tours Go Tour Samana with Terry #LegendayTours #TourSamanaWithTerry THE #1 RATED TripAdvisor TOUR OPERATOR FOR A REASON

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Excellent whale tour - Peninsula Tours Las Terrenas

• Caribbean    
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• Peninsula Tours Las Terrenas

Henry was an amazing tour guide and by the end he felt like family. It was just me and my mom on... read more

Henry and Penisular Tours were absolutely wonderful!! The day began with them picking us up right... read more

Excellent whale tour

We did the whale watching tour with Henry as our guide! He was superb! He was professional, spoke good English and took care of us 6 gringos! The whale watching was phenomenal, the whales did not disappoint! Then we went to Cayo Levantado and had a good time! The luncheon was okay, I highly recommend peninsula and if you are fortunate to get Henry, it’s a win win!

We did the El Limon Waterfall tour and are completely satisfied and happy with everything we experienced. The transport was on time and in a newer enclosed bus and very comfortable. The guide to and from the waterfall was such a good person and showed us many things. He did not rush us on the walk and even helped my wife traverse some of the slippery spots. The waterfalls themselves were absolutely stunning and we stayed for as long as we wanted without pressure to move along. After the LONG AND HARD JOURNEY we were given a good Dominican meal and relaxed before heading back to our resort. Henry is the tour operator that coordinated everything and made sure our experience was perfect...

I loved the tour of the Haitices led by Henry. Everyone was very friendly and helpful to people with disabilities. Henry is so knowledgeable and gave a thorough history of the islands and caves. Breath taking experience. The natural beauty of Santo Domingo has left me in love and I will definitely come back again with more family.

Henry and his crew could not have given us a better day. It was a physical adventure and cultural experience. We loved seeing the terrain, hills, and beaches of this beautiful country. Thank you!

Henry, Katrin and the team were frank, efficient and good fun. A pleasure to deal with them. October is a slow month for them but they didn't go for quick bucks.

We took the Los Haitises Wildlife Refuge tour. Our group was about 20 people. Only four of us spoke English, and we had our own guide. His name is Hangry, and he was very informative. Luckily, we had wonderful weather! We traveled by boat across Samaná Bay to the mainland coast where the refuge is. We observed many birds in their habitat, explored 3 caves, learned about the pictographs, and trolled into the mangrove area. They gave us snacks while we were out and fed us a nice lunch with the local fare. The whole experience was very enjoyable!

Top Tours in Samana Province, Dominican Republic

Samana province tours.

• Sightseeing Tours
• Ports of Call Tours
• Private Tours
• Walking Tours
• Cultural Tours
• Historical & Heritage Tours
• Multi-day Tours
• Motorcycle Tours
• Archaeology Tours
• Hop-On Hop-Off Tours
• Up to 1 hour
• 1 to 4 hours
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• The ranking of tours, activities, and experiences available on Tripadvisor is determined by several factors including the revenue generated by Tripadvisor from these bookings, the frequency of user clicks, and the volume and quality of customer reviews. Occasionally, newly listed offerings may be prioritized and appear higher in the list. The specific placement of these new listings may vary.

1. 3in1: Los Haitises N. Park + Yanigua Waterfall + Montaña Redonda

2. Cascada el Limón from El Portillo

3. Los Haitises Park & Cayo Levantado: Samaná unforgettable Journey

4. From Punta Cana: Amazing Samana Tour + Cascada El Limon

5. Los Haitises National Park Tour from Las Terrenas or Samana (Half Day Trip)

6. Samana Full Day: Waterfall, Safari and Beach

7. Samana Full Day -baracardi island, horses, lemon waterfall

8. Excursion Los Haitises + Cayo Levantado (Bacardí Island) from Santo Domingo

9. Los Haitises Day Trip with Montaña Redonda and Paraíso Caño Hondo

10. 27 Waterfalls With Locals Expert Guides from Damajagua Entrance

11. Ride Horses on the Beach

12. Saona Island Full-Day Tour from Las Terrenas with Lunch

13. Full-Day Tour of Cayo Levantado and Los Haitises National Park

14. Discover Samana, Bacardi Island, the Limon waterfall and the whales

15. Private Hiking to Salto el Limon with a Local expert Guide from Samana

16. Samana Full Day Cayo Levantado Bacardi Island and Waterfal

17. Adventure in the bay of samana and waterfall El limon from punta cana

18. Full-Day Trip to Limon Waterfall and Bacardi Island

19. ATV + Playa Rincon + Cano Frio + Boca Del Diablo+ Marble Mine

20. Full Day Excursion to Samaná from Punta Cana

21. Double Buggy from Samaná

22. 2in1: Los Haitises National Park + Yanigua Waterfall-SPA

23. El Limón waterfalls Tour (horse riding & swimming) with lunch

24. Zip Line from Samana

25. Full day tour Samana, Las Terrenas and El Limón from Santo Domingo

26. Zipline Adventure in El Limón

27. Los Haitises National Park with Montana Redonda, River and Lunch from Punta Cana

28. Full day excursion to Samaná from Punta Cana

29. Cascada Limon and Cayo Levantado From La Romana

30. Dominican Republic: See Almost it ALL in 6 Days, 1st Class Custom Tours

What travellers are saying.

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Samana Cruise Excursions : Do The Best Shore Excursions in Samana Dominican Republic.

Discover the most beautiful cruise excursions of samana peninsula and samana bay with your local expert guide euris agueda and his team, top shore excursions.

With more than 10 years of experience providing shore excursions to some of the world leading cruise lines such as AIDA Cruises, Royal Holiday and Celebrity Cruises guarantees you an incredible excursion experience.

We provide excursions for all cruise passengers taste and our varied range of tours includes innovative, active, family oriented and eco tours. Our top rated excursions and tours are: ATV Adventure, Playita Relax, Rincon Beach, our amazing 2 Secluded Beaches tour including snorkel and lunch on beach and of course our Limon Waterfall horseback riding tour. The key of our success relies in our capability of adapting to the latest trends and our commitments for high quality customer service.

We offer you

Our experienced, multicultural and professional team will provide you with varied and modern shore excursion programs using official guides speaking various languages. And we always GUARANTEE you to be in the Samana port 1 HOUR BEFORE last tender boat to your Cruise Ship.

Our Network

Our presence in Samana port located in the center town of Samana allows us to cover all your requests, offering you a distinct personal local touch. Our network will ensure a tailor made program including last minute requests. It means it doesn't matter what time you make your online reservation with us (Last minute, no problem!) we will guaranteed that you will be included in the tour.

Any size event

We arrange all type of size events, from small and intimate to big and popular events. We have comfortable and adapted buses and minivans as well as specialized and trained guides. We also offer you substantial discounts on excursions for large groups!

© Copyright • STS™ Samana Tourist Services • Best Shore Excursions Samana Dominican Republic

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Explora Ecotour

Unforgettable Private Nature Tours of the Dominican Republic

Samaná: The Tropical Paradise Tour

Our 3 day Samana Peninsula tour from Santo Domingo takes you to the top nature destinations in the Peninsula of Samana. This marvelous tour takes you to amazing  virgin beaches,  spectacular waterfalls, breath taking caves, a vast mangrove forest, and some of the most amazing tropical rain forest  in the Dominican Republic and the entire Caribbean.  The contrast between picture perfect beaches and lush green mountains for a backdrop, have earned the peninsula the reputation for being one of the most beautiful spots in the region. Our Samaná package is an unforgettable experience for all of us who truly appreciate nature.

Package: Samaná Peninsula Tour   *2 guest minimum

Duration of trip: 3 days, 2 nights

Visiting: Los Haitises National Park – Cayo Levantado Island – El Limon Waterfalls – Rincon Beach

Itinerary: Day 1:  Travel to Samaná Peninsula, visit El Limon Waterfalls for the day, then stay the town of Santa Barbara de Samana for the night – Day 2: Visit to Rincon Beach and travel back to the town of Santa Barbara de Samana for the night Day 3:  Visit Los Haitises National Park and Cayo Levantado Island, then drive back to Santo Domingo

Package Includes: Fully bilingual, certified ecological and cultural  guides*, All meals (Dominican style cuisine), Comfortable transportation*, Comfortable lodging at small hotels, Snacks, Non-Alcoholic Beverages

*Guides are fully trained in first aid response by the Red Cross

Pricing: Pricing begins at USD $850 per person for 2 person groups. The bigger the group, the more economical our per person prices. For larger group pricing, please contact us . *Kids age 10 and under travel free.

*Transportation: Packages include transportation to and from Santo Domingo, but other arrangements can be made. Transportation to airports is available for a small  fee. See our vehicles

On this tour you will be visiting the following nature preserves:

Rincon Beach – “The definition of paradise”

Our journey takes us to several unforgettable spots, including Rincon Beach, one of the top three beaches in the world, according to Condé Nast Magazine . Rincon Bay was also recently inducted into the prestigious “World’s Most Beautiful Bays Club” . This amazing beach will take your breath away. The lack of hotels or businesses on the shore give it the feeling of being totally wild and beautiful. This is one place you will keep reliving in your mind for years to come.

Los Haitises National Park – “Lush tropical rainforest and  wildlife preserve”

Los Haitises National Park is the largest nature preserve in the Dominican Republic. It is home to more than 100 species of birds, nearly 800 species of plants, and lots of exotic animals that live in the hills, mangrove swamps, and waterways of this immense wildlife sanctuary. Some of these being the Ridgeway’s Hawk, Hispaniola Parrot, the Solenodon (a species more than 60 million years old), Jutia, and the Antillean Manatee, just to name a few.

Our journey takes us across beautiful Samaná Bay by boat for a tour of the park, this is  the best way to see first hand the largest mangrove forest in all the Caribbean. Around us, it is hard not to notice very peculiar land formations,  or small compact hills known as the karstic system in geology. These are typical of the region,  and are the result of 40 million years of geological upheavals.  This type of terrain is only seen in a few other places on the planet. These limestone hills or “mogotes” contain hundreds of caves, and underground rivers, mostly unexplored by man.

We are surrounded with evidence of indigenous life, as we visit several immense caves containing hundreds of pictographs and petroglyphs depicting Pre-Columbian life on the island, these having been studied by scientist from around the globe. Most of them date back 1500 to 500 years and give us a clear picture of Taino Indian life before Columbus arrived on our shores.

El Limon Waterfalls – “The Caribbean’s finest”

No trip to Samaná or the Dominican Republic would be complete without visiting “Salto El Limón” or El Limón Waterfalls. Many say this is the most beautiful waterfall in all the Caribbean. Nestled deep within the mountains of the Samaná Mountain Range, the falls are surrounded by lush green tropical rain forest, and small cacao plantations which produce some of the world’s finest chocolate. Our day begins with a light hike  or horseback ridealong the banks of the Limón River. Our route takes us to several other smaller waterfalls along the river, none as big but just as beautiful as the 130 foot high El Limón Waterfall. This is just one of the countless natural wonders that can be found in the Peninsula of Samaná.

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The Samaná Peninsula Travel Guide

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It’s easy to appreciate the beauty of the SAMANÁ PENINSULA , a thin strip of land poking out from the Dominican Republic’s northeast corner into the Atlantic Ocean. Arguably the most appealing part of the whole country, the region boasts a coast lined with spectacular beaches that epitomize the glorious Caribbean archetype of powdery white sand, vast banks of swaying coconut trees and transparent green-blue sea. Away from the water, the Cordillera Samaná, an imposing mountain range thick with sixty different types of palm tree and possessing a few impressive waterfalls, supports the peninsula, most of it penetrable only by horse.

Las Galeras

Las terrenas, playa bonita, playa rincón, brief history.

Perhaps more than for the beaches and spectacular geography, visitors come for the opportunity to see up close the thousands of humpback whales that migrate to the Bahía de Samaná during the winter. Whale watching has become a thriving local industry – with regulations in place to preserve the safety of the whales – peaking between mid-January and mid-March, when sightings are virtually guaranteed. Most whale boats depart from the town of Santa Bárbara de Samaná (generally shortened to “Samaná”), the largest on the peninsula and within easy shouting distance of several terrific beaches – including Cayo Levantado , the original Bacardi Island. If the hustle and bustle of the more typical Dominican towns becomes too much, head east to Las Galeras , a pristine horseshoe of sand that, despite some development in recent years, still maintains an air of tranquillity. A short drive away are the Cuevas de Agua , the peninsula’s most impressive Taino archeological site; alternatively, take a boat ride north to isolated Playa Rincón , one of the country’s top beaches. Along the peninsula’s north coast you’ll find the remote expat colony of Las Terrenas , a burgeoning beachside hangout for independent travellers with a decent nightlife scene. Day-trips easily made from here include to untamed Playa Bonita , the largest Samaná beach of all and horseback excursions to the remote and thundering waterfall Salto El Limón .

Until the late nineteenth century, a narrow channel separated the Samaná Peninsula from the Dominican mainland, making it a hotbed for pirates, whose smaller ships used the channel to evade the bulkier galleons that couldn’t make it through.

Since then, sediment has slowly glued the peninsula onto the mainland; where once the water flowed, a fertile flood plain lies, packed with rice paddies. The peninsula’s gateway town Sánchez is situated here. Once a famous port that now derives most of its income from shrimp farming, it is of little intrinsic interest to visitors but is an important transportation hub, providing guagua connections with Samaná and Las Terrenas.

Top image: Playa Moron in the Samana peninsula in the Dominican Republic © Lydd.fr/Shutterstock

Set in a narrow horseshoe-shaped cove at the eastern end of the peninsula, the sleepy outpost of LAS GALERAS is gradually being brought into the mainstream. The road from Samaná has been improved in recent years and the number of lodgings and restaurants continues to rise steadily though they have so far been small-scale, low-impact developments. Despite this growth, the small village has managed to maintain its peaceful and timeless ambience, and its main attraction, a sweeping curve of pure white sand, upon which an almost unbelievably turquoise sea laps gently, remains as beautiful as ever.

Set midway along the peninsula’s northern coast, LAS TERRENAS has grown into one of the country’s tourist hotspots, especially since the arrival of the international airport at El Catey in 2006 and the new highway from Santo Domingo that has made Las Terrenas an easy weekend retreat for wealthy Dominicans from the capital.

There are two distinct areas to the town: the beachside glitz and glamour of the hotels, bars and restaurants and the inland Dominican barrio, which has been built up into a warren of rough dirt roads with dirt-cheap housing to accommodate the masses of workers needed to sustain the tourism. There is some resentment between the Dominican and foreign communities, centred on the well-founded perception that the expats are making all of the money off the booming tourist business.

Las Terrenas sees its busiest time in the summer when, during July and August in particular, it’s swamped with Europeans. The larger hotels and resorts catch most of the traffic but there are enough independent travellers and backpackers to keep the smaller bars and restaurants busy, and everybody tends to come together later in the evening to crowd out the livelier bars and discos to the early hours.

The town makes a pleasant base-camp from which to explore the northern part of the Samaná Peninsula, including the less-developed beaches on either side, such as Playa Bonita and El Portillo – home to the vast Bahía Principe El Portillo resort ( w www.bahia-principe.com ) – that hold even more appeal than the one in town. Aside from exploring these, a day-trip to the El Limón waterfall is highly recommended both for the journey there on horseback and the view of the fall itself.

Visiting El Salto de Limón

If you want to avoid the tour-bus crowds, arrange an early morning or late afternoon visit from El Limón. The 52m waterfall is accessible by horse from any of the operators below (as well as several outfits in Las Terrenas) and takes roughly three hours round-trip. You can also walk but that‘s only advisable when it‘s very dry. The path cuts across a broad river before climbing into the palm-thick mountains. As the waterfall comes into sight, the horses are tethered at a small way-station where you can have a drink before making the steep descent to the fall. The walk is well worth the effort to see the torrent of whitewater dropping precipitously off a sheer cliff in the middle of the wilderness forming a natural pool at its base, where you can swim . You need to be in decent shape and well shod, especially after a lot of rain when the boggy route can be treacherous. You‘ll also need to wear long trousers for the ride.

The local community-based ecotourism association now has its own excellent website ( gosamana-dominicanrepublic.com ), which gives details in English, including phone numbers, of the dozen legitimate operators in the area and where they’re located. However, tour quality and the rates charged do vary among the providers, as does what is included. Whether you come on a tour bus, or as an independent traveller, you should establish beforehand whether the price covers: transport to the parada (in the case of an organized tour); the park entry fee (RD$50); drinks and/or a meal, generally a combination of chicken, rice, fried plantain and a smidgen of salad; and the guide – who walks alongside you and informs you about the surrounding countryside, probably in Spanish. If the guide’s tip is not included, find out from the operator (again before you sign up) what the norm is.

The pick of the bunch, and so preferred by a lot of the larger tour operators , is the combined ranch-restaurant Santi Rancho , just south of the intersection on the road to Samaná. Their waterfall trip currently costs RD$750 per person, which includes the horse, guide and park fee and they now also offer canyoning down Río El Limón.

Also highly recommended is Parada La Manzana ( t 916-0892, e [email protected]), located a few kilometres south of El Limón and run by Antonia and Martín, who, in addition to organizing a good trip, also prepare an excellent traditional lunch. Consider also Parada Ramona and Basilio ( t 956-5526), where you can also learn about their home-grown cocoa.

Playa Bonita , 3km of uninterrupted beach that begins just west of Playa Las Ballenas, is a picturesque and tranquil strip of sand, backed by trimmed grass dotted with palm trees and an offshore reef that provides some of the best snorkelling on the peninsula. It’s seen a fair bit of development over the past few years, but most of it has, thankfully, been discreet and tasteful with new hotels set well back from the seafront behind grassy lawns, increasing the number of places to stay and eat without detracting too much from the unspoilt character. Stay the night and the sunset will leave you reeling, as will the canopy of stars.

Hidden from the rest of the peninsula on the upper prong of its easternmost end, Playa Rincón boasts the top Samaná beach, bar none. Its pristine condition is maintained by its inaccessibility, with just one rocky road leading there from Las Galeras. Although rumours that a major hotel chain is set to start building on the beach have been doing the rounds for years, development has been kept mostly at bay.

Tucked away at the base of the Bahía de Rincón – which is buttressed on both sides by enormous capes – the beach has long been a favourite of wealthy Dominican city-dwellers who camp out here with their families for the night. Of all the warm, clear waters on the island, Rincón has the very finest – moderately deep with manageable waves and a bright turquoise transparency that can’t be matched – combined with a 4km stretch of whiter-than-white sand and a sprawling coconut forest behind it.

Death by coconut

If you’re in the vicinity of coconut trees , be careful where you park your car. All Dominican car rental agreements have a provision explicitly stating that insurance will not cover damage – usually shattered windshields or dented hoods – inflicted by a falling coconut. More unfortunate, an average of six people per year in the Dominican Republic die from being hit by one of the plummeting fruits. Tropical storms are the most frequent culprits; the high winds sometimes launch dozens of them through the air like cannon shot. Many of the larger resorts and hotels employ people with long poles to knock the fruits from their trees before they have a chance to fall.

Protected on its southern side by an elongated strip of land that breaks apart into a series of small islands, SANTA BÁRBARA DE SAMANÁ possesses a remarkably safe harbour. Naturally shaped to blunt the impact of hurricanes and tropical storms and with shoals and breakers allowing entry via only one small bottleneck, it’s the perfect spot to ward off unwelcome intruders. Strangely, this tremendous strategic potential has never been fully realized, despite five centuries of international political wrangling.

Looking out over the harbour today, you can still get an idea of the great city Napolean envisaged. A flotilla of sailboats stands behind the palm-ridged island chain; the port and the wide-open promenade that borders the water bustle with activity; and in place of the impenetrable French fortress that was to jut atop the rocky promontory across from the town is the whitewashed, newly renovated Gran Bahía Principe Cayacoa resort. Beyond it, a narrow bridge extends to the two nearest cays. This is due in part to French-descended President Joaquin Balaguer’s own failed act of hubris – the transformation of this sleepy town into the largest resort complex on the planet, its design mirroring Napoleon’s to the letter. In the early 1970s he tore down the city’s remaining Victorian architecture, widened the streets, built three large resorts and secured a World Bank loan to construct several more hotels and an international airport. A bridge was constructed that extended from the eastern point across two of the small islands, in line with the vision of Napoleon, and a restaurant was built on the second. When Balaguer lost the election in 1978, though, the project was scrapped and the tourism complex was moved to Playa Dorada near Puerto Plata. The restaurant never opened and the bridge leads merely to its ruins. Today, the bridge seems like an apt symbol for the town itself, which has a distinctly half-finished and neglected look to it – part neatly maintained holiday town, part forgotten backwater.

Before European colonization the harbour was one of the settlements of the Ciguayos – an initially distinct ethnic group that was ultimately assimilated into Taino culture – that dotted the peninsula’s south coast. The Ciguayos lived near the Caribes and borrowed some aspects of Caribe culture, including the bow and arrow, elements of their language and black and red body paint. When Columbus landed at Playa Las Flechas just east of town in January 1493, the Ciguayos greeted his men with a flurry of arrows that forced the Spaniards back to their ships. A week later, the admiral met Chief Cayacoa aboard the Niña , repaired their differences and formed an alliance; the Ciguayos later assisted in subjugating the remaining four Taino caciques , only to be pacified themselves in the early sixteenth century.

Spain officially founded Santa Bárbara de Samaná in 1756 with transplants from the Canary Islands. In 1795, though, Spain handed the entire island over to Napoleon Bonaparte , in exchange for territory he controlled in Spain. Bonaparte quickly had blueprints drawn up of his dream New World capital, to be located in Samaná, but widespread chaos on the island – including a revolution in Haiti, two British invasions and civil war among the French commanders – prevented Bonaparte from taking control of the Dominican Republic for almost a decade. When the French finally received their colony in 1802, they were besieged by both a well-organized Haitian force and another British invasion and they soon capitulated.

The United States , too, went to some effort to acquire Samaná, inadvertently toppling two regimes in the process. In 1855, General Pedro Santana entered into formal negotiations with the Americans to allow for the annexation of the peninsula and its harbour, a move that proved fatal to his government as Haiti – eager to prevent the US from gaining a foothold here – invaded and Spain sent aid to local rebels. Santana’s successor, Buenaventura Báez, reopened negotiations in 1870 with President Ulysses S. Grant, who wanted Samaná to become the US’s main Caribbean port, finally agreeing to annex the island for US$150,000. The treaty was rejected by the isolationist US Senate, so the desperate Báez turned instead to private American investors, who signed a 99-year lease with him that gave them total political control over Samaná. Before the Americans were able to take it over, though, Báez was deposed and the contract rescinded.

African-Americans in Samaná

A large portion of Samaná’s residents are descendants of African-American freemen and women who emigrated here during Haitian rule in 1824–25. At the time, a movement in the United States worked to repatriate thousands of freed slaves – seeking to escape the pervasive racism in the States – to West Africa, but stories of malaria epidemics made Haiti, the world’s only black republic, a more attractive option for many. Six thousand emigrants were temporarily housed in Santo Domingo’s Iglesia Las Mercedes before travelling on to various points across the country. About half ended up in Samaná, which the Haitians wanted to develop into a naval base. Despite sustained persecution by the Trujillo dictatorship in the 1940s and a general lack of interest by today’s younger generation, the settlers have managed to maintain their culture to some degree.

Some of Samaná’s older African-American population – many of them clustered within the sprawling Barrio Wilmore that borders the C-5 from the town’s west entrance – preserve an antiquated form of English, an oral history of the community’s struggles and an array of folk tales and legends. One ongoing custom is the series of yearly harvest festivals , community feasts with African-American church music held every Friday from late August to the end of October, a tradition that harks back to the yam celebrations and rice festivals of West Africa; check the bulletin board at the back of La Churcha for dates and locations, if you’re interested in attending.

Cayo Levantado

Six kilometres out in the bay lies CAYO LEVANTADO, the original Bacardi Island photographed in the 1970s rum campaign, though the famous swaying palm from the ad has since been uprooted in a tropical storm. Fortunately, hundreds of others still line the soft white sands. It is now owned by the Bahía Principe group, who run the sole hotel, the Gran Bahía Principe Levantado ( www.bahia-principe.com ; US$151 and over) that takes up two-thirds of the island, while welcoming a steady stream of cruise-ship passengers throughout the year to a public beach at the other end of the island. Yet more visitors take the ferry over from Samaná (US$10) and most whale-watching tours and excursions to the Parque de Los Haitises stop off here for an hour or so, which can make it very crowded in high season. Moreover, with the extortionate food and drink prices and constant hassling from vendors, this is no Robinson Crusoe-esque paradise. There are many better places on the peninsula to spend a day on the beach.

Cuevas de Agua

Around 15km east of Samaná, just off the main road, an unmarked road leads northeast to a series of prominent limestone caves, collectively known as Cuevas de Agua , which once served as homes for the local Ciguayo population. The tiny farms adjacent contain some of the most extensive archeological sites on the island; for a small feel some of the residents will happily guide you round a selection of the petroglyphs and show you small Taino cemi sculptures that have been unearthed at the site.

Humpback whales

Humpback whales have used the Dominican Republic’s Samaná Bay and Silver Bank coral-reef sanctuary as a nursery and breeding ground for thousands of years. Taino drawings on the limestone caves of Los Haitises depict breaching whales in the Bahía de Samaná and Columbus made note of their presence here in 1493. The whales return each December after nine months of relentless feeding in the North Atlantic; by late January more than four thousand of them, the entire northern Atlantic population, move around the waters of the country’s northeastern coast. They’re at their liveliest in Samaná’s tepid depths, as males track females, compete for attention and engage in courting displays, while mothers teach their calves basic survival skills. Don’t allow yourself to come here during the winter without taking an excursion to see them; the season generally runs from mid-January to mid-March.

Adult humpbacks grow to nearly 15m in length, weighing up to forty metric tonnes and are black with distinctive white patches. Their name comes from the singular arching of their backs when they dive. Their mouths are filled with baleen , hundreds of fibrous sheets that hang from the upper jaw and act as a sieve that traps tiny crustaceans. On their bellies are ventral folds – retractable pleats extending the length of their bodies – which expand, allowing the animals to hold massive amounts of food. Their enormous tails possess unique patterns of white blotches, which marine biologists use to identify individual whales in a similar way to human fingerprints.

Among the behaviours you may see while whale watching are: breaching – hurling the entire body above the surface before landing back down in a spectacular crash; chin breaching – bringing the head above water and slapping the chin against the surface; lobtailing – raising the tail and smacking it against the water; flippering – rolling the body and slapping the flipper against the water; diving – arching the back and then sticking the tail straight up in the air in preparation for a deep descent; and the trumpet blow – a tremendous, low blast that can be heard from several kilometres away.

Humpbacks also engage in the whale songs for which the species is well known – an eerie combination of moans and chirps formed into short phrases that are shuffled and put together in a basic form of communication. Only males sing and they do so far more frequently here than in the North Atlantic – which leads to speculation that songs are used to find a mate. Humpback groups in each region of the North Atlantic develop their own distinctive music, but a single song prevails while around the Dominican Republic. This is constantly evolving, probably due to the breeding success of the males who deviate from the original. Therefore, each winter starts with last year’s song but this is slowly revised over the course of the ensuing three months.

All of this is done to advance the serious business of mating and birthing that takes place in Samaná. The female gestation period is a full year, so calves that are conceived in the bay one year are born here the next; there’s a good chance you’ll see at least one of the babies, which can weigh over a tonne and are light grey. Mothers give birth at two-year intervals and shed up to two-thirds of their body weight while nursing; if twins are born – as they sometimes are – the mother is forced to choose between them, as her body cannot feed them both. The thick milk enables infants to grow at the astonishing rate of over 40kg per day.

Whale watching as a local tourist industry was begun in the 1970s by Kim Beddall, then an itinerant scuba instructor with no formal training as a marine biologist. She’s spent the subsequent twenty-plus years lobbying for government protection of the whales and creating an economic incentive that will protect them should the international whaling ban ever cease. As a result, more than forty boats in Samaná offer whale-watching tours every winter and regulations, again instigated by Beddall, are in place to try and ensure that the vessels don’t harass the animals.

Piracy in the Samaná Bay

The Spaniards made little use of Samaná harbour for the first two centuries of their rule, paving the way for pirates to take advantage of the narrow Samaná Channel and the snarl of limestone caves within the dense swamps of Los Haitises. The most notorious of these ne’er-do-wells was England’s Joseph Bannister , an official government privateer condemned to outlaw status by the 1670 Treaty of Madrid between England and Spain. In 1690 Bannister was anchored at Samaná with a frigate and another smaller vessel when two English warships tried to enter the harbour to arrest him. Bannister took his boats to the nearby island of Cayo Levantado and moved his men ashore along with some heavy artillery. The incoming warships were thus put directly in the line of fire and 125 English soldiers were killed as they cruised into the teeth of Bannister’s defences. Bannister’s large vessel was also destroyed in the melee; when his two-hundred-man crew found out that the ship was gone – and that the smaller one could accommodate only a quarter of them – they stampeded aboard the light craft, forty of them killed in the process. Bannister, though, got away and the islands surrounding the Samaná harbour have been known ever since as the Bannister Cays.

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Yankee 1 Go LG Go LT Go S Greg Isleta Valerio Willmore Rick H Payano Henry Paul Payano En Patrick Noel Vidal 1 Tauro Payano Es Cove Espino Tremont Whale S DDD 1 DDD 2 DDD 3 DDD 4 SBV GDR Eric 1 Eric 2 Eric 3 Eric 4 Eric 5 JV Agency JV Agency EURIS 1 EURIS 2 Juana 1 Juana 2 William Emilio Jose L JV Agency Rick 2 DDD 5 MAC Rawan Ricks Pedro Antonio Juana 3 JV Paul SEO Paul SEO Jose A. Fredy 1 Fredy 2 Yokairis Brendan Brendan Brendan HL Alberto Geury Rafael Florence Renee Jessica Victoria Anis Jose Paul SEO Geidy FEDE 1 FEDE 2 Marjorie 1 Kimbara Jonny Elizabeth Yani Fredy Amal Marjorie 2 Thane Tim Paul SEO

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Yankee 1 Go LG Go LT Go S Greg Isleta Valerio Willmore Rick H Payano Henry Paul Payano En Patrick Noel Vidal 1 Tauro Payano Es Cove Espino Tremont Whale S DDD 1 DDD 2 DDD 3 DDD 4 SBV GDR Eric 1 Eric 2 Eric 3 Eric 4 Eric 5 JV Agency JV Agency EURIS 1 EURIS 2 Juana 1 Juana 2 William Emilio Jose L JV Agency Rick 2 DDD 5 MAC Rawan Ricks Pedro Antonio Juana 3 JV Paul SEO Paul SEO Jose A. Fredy 1 Fredy 2 Yokairis Brendan Brendan Brendan HL Alberto Geury Rafael Florence Renee Jessica Victoria Anis Jose Paul SEO Geidy FEDE 1 FEDE 2 Marjorie 1 Kimbara Jonny Elizabeth Yani Fredy Amal Marjorie 2 Thane Paul SEO