Samana, DR

Samana, Dominican Republic, is a destination for nature lovers and adventurers. Green, green mountains, long beaches, solitude, lively little towns in between, turquoise waters. Samana is also a romantic destination, and several of its small hotels are perfect for honeymooners. Samana is also a good choice for experienced scuba divers. And the place to stay if whale-watching is high on your agenda. It is the place to sit on a porch or in the shade of a palm tree, sipping something cool and discover the rare feeling of being happy just being alive.

Beaches on the north side of the peninsula: Playa Bonita (fun waves), Cozon (fun waves, can be rough), Las Terrenas, El Portillo and Playa Popy (always tranquil waters). Playa Rincon is on the north side, but needs to be reached via the Samana road or by boat. Once you are in Las Galeras, there are daily small boat ferries to Playa Rincon beach, a spectacular 2 km. bay.

Beaches on the south side of the peninsula: Playa Galeras (about an hour and a half from Las Terrenas) and Cayo Levantado. Cayo Levantado is an island of about one square kilometer, made of a protruding coral reef which protects Samana bay from the Atlantic waves. With its lovely white sand beaches flanked by tall coconut trees, this island is a popular day outing with boat loads of tourists arriving daily.

Samana city. Samana city claims an unusual history and, as a result, an unusual character. It was settled by two shiploads of freed American slaves around 1824 and, to this day, many residents speak English as a first language. The US cultural influence is also apparent in many of the last names of the settlers of this area. Urban renewal is improving the overall look of Samana city.

Las Terrenas town. Worth a stroll. Lots of shops feature all sort of beach wear and gear. Great supermarket in town, restaurants, delicious pate and pastry shops, reflecting the European influence.

El Limon Waterfall. Take the El Portillo road going East and stay on it until you get to the town of El Limon. The waterfall is about 300 meters above sea level and has a 40 meter drop that ends in a very deep but swimable pool of crystal clear waters.

Los Haitises National Park. Easily reached by a short boat ride across the Bay is Los Haitises National Park. This area is known as having one of the most important rainforests and mangrove reserves in the entire Caribbean, complete with keys and caves. You can only enter the park with a certified guide. Day excursions can be booked from most hotels.

Mountain biking, hiking, horse riding
There are few destinations as great as Samana for these ecotourism sports. Be on the lookout at your hotel for tour operators that offer these activities. Note that there is no better way to really see the area than by mountain bike, hiking or horse riding. End the day with a plunge in a deserted beach. Horse riding excursions that will take you through jungles and paradise beaches are offered at many hotels. Highly recommended.

Caving
Samana has many caves for exploring. Check out the availability of excursions offering sightings of petroglyphs and pictograms from the days of the Indian settlers. Samana is known as the site of the first battle between the Indian settlers and the European conquerors - the Battle of the Arrows.

Rock climbing
Rock climbing enthusiasts should look into the Playa Fronton excursions. Playa Fronton is located at the end tip of Las Galeras. It is a spectacular beach, even if you are not into climbing.

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Punta Cana-Bavaro

This beautiful area is found on the eastern tip of the Dominican Republic. Its beaches of fine white sand are bathed by the warmth of the Caribbean Sea and the calm waters are due to the natural coral reefs that surround them. Only at a few miles from the International Airport of Punta Cana, this tropical paradise rests over 420.000 square meters of tropical gardens and glorious vegetation. Complete touristic complex, first class resort along its coast. The ideal place to practice sports, especially water sports and golf. Ideally for relaxing, pleasure and fun .

There are enormous amount of attractions and activities that you will find entertaining. Historical sites, visits to surrounding islands, Jeep tours, four wheel tours (ATV Tours), water tours and many more. These tours are offered by your appointed representative. If you´re a more adventurous person you might want to rent a car or jeep. May be you like sports like golf, scuba diving, deep sea fishing, snorkeling, windsurfing, banana boat, water skiing, we have it! If you are looking for night life entertainment Punta Cana and Bavaro offer: Discos, casinos, various tropical shows and musicals, with the rhythm of our merengue. Guaranteed to have unforggetable memories to take back with you.

Punta Cana was discovered in 1969 by a group of Northamerican citizens while flying their aircraft over the eastern coast of the Dominican Republic in search of a place to set up a Marine and Merchant school. It was at that moment, they discovered the marvelous streach of virgin beaches with white sand and calm waters of emerald color protected by natural barrier of coral reefs in all of the extended beach zone; that is known today as Punta Cana and Macao. These investors bought almost a hundred thousand hectare of this marvelous land, not knowing at the moment what they had in plan for it. Even though they knew it was a great investment, asking Frank Rainieri (today President of Punta Cana Group)to be their consultant in this zone. Later on the first small group of tourist bungalows were built with a small landing strip, this is where the first tourist landed, in an area called “Yauya” ( Indian name of this zone). Casa2That is when Rainieri started to form a partnership in this undertaking; even with the political difficulties of the Country they decided to offer Club Mediterraneé the construction of a greater importance; that was how and when a 350 rooms hotel was built, that today is knows as Club Med. A short time after the construction of the International Airport of Punta Cana was started, inaugurated in 1984, this contributed the continuous growth of this area. Today this zone is visited by more than two millions tourist a year. In 1990 the the UNESCO (Organization of the United Nations of Educations) declared Bavaro and its beaches “Patrimony of the Humanity”.