Samaná is a peninsula that was almost an island many years ago. It has kept its original island character. Samaná is crossed from east to west by a cordillera which rises to 650 meters, and offers a diversity of landscapes and panoramic views on the beautiful Atlantic Ocean and the Bay of Samaná.

The bay is 54 km in long and about 10 km wide. It’s a protected place where humpback whales come to breed between mid-January and mid-March.

You enter the peninsula through the small village of Sánchez at the bottom of the bay. The road leads to the main town of Santa Barbara de Samaná, commonly called Samaná. The Malecón is a beautiful promenade lined with a few palm trees. From here, you can embark for a trip to meet the whales, as well as from Los Cacaos, a small fishing village a few kilometers further north. From here, you can also go to Cayo Levantado, a paradise island where you can spend the day, or stay overnight in the only one hotel of the Island.

Las Galeras is the last village down the road. A little isolated, it is the ideal place to rest. Some foreigners have developed facilities dedicated to tourist relaxation. Beautiful beaches lie in the vicinity. Rincón beach is accessible by a dirt road. At first you will spot the beach from above: a forest of palms reaching the sea surrounded by majestic mountains. The beach is huge and still deserted. Dominicans offer fish and lobsters in fairly basic palm boxes. A river joins the sea, offering swimmers the choice between fresh and salt water.

You have to return to Samana to be able drive to the northwest coast. Before arriving in Las Terrenas, a very popular tourist resort for foreigners, you will enjoy the waterfall El Limón, 50 meters high, which can be reached on foot or horseback.

With its beautiful beaches, Las Terrenas has attracted a lot of foreigners, mainly French and Italians. You can find everything In Las Terrenas, which has become a famous tourist resort where the atmosphere reminds of places like St Martin and St Barth. Many activities, day and night, are waiting for you.

At the west end of the bay on the south shore is the National Park Los Haitises. It is 208 km2 of wilderness, uneven topography and lush vegetation, mangroves, lianas, ferns and a moist subtropical forest and it is also home to many animal species such as flamingos, albatrosses, pelicans, small rodents, turtles and various birds. There are numerous caves and many of them are covered with carvings of the pre-Columbian period. The park can be reached by boat from Sánchez, Sabana de la Mar and Samaná.

Sabana de la Mar and Miches are smaller towns on the Coconuts Coast. Small illegal boats uset to go from there to Puerto Rico. A museum telling about these dangerous trips is expected to open shortly in Miches.