It’s not that easy to get to Samana, but once you’re there, it’ll be worth all the effort.
The best way to survive the muddy trails and rocky slopes on the way to the El Limon waterfall is to trust the surefootedness of Pedro the horse.
Visitors can do the 2.5km trek through the thick forest on foot too. But after heavy rainfall the previous day and seeing the horse rental station at the start of the trail, it’s an easy call.
“With a horse you are on the safe side on the way there,” says the guide, reminding that you can always walk back.
The Salto El Limon is located in the heart of Samana, a peninsula in the north-east of the Dominican Republic. Harder to reach than the main tourist areas, it offers much more than the long palm-fringed beaches for which the Caribbean country is famous.
In Samana, active, eco-minded holidaymakers are in their element.
After three quarters of an hour, Pedro’s done his bit. The last stretch is a gentler hike through jungle-like surrounds towards a distant roaring. Then the view opens up to the 40m-tall waterfall coursing down a rock face framed by lush green leaves.
El Limon pours into a natural swimming lagoon, so the first reaction after the trek on horse and foot in this balmy tropical climate is to take a refreshing dip.
Stopping to cool off at the foot of the Salto El Limon waterfall. — Photos: MICHAEL JUHRAN/dpa
For more intrepid visitors, the next stop is the Samana Zipline, which whisks you over spectacular scenery at up to 65km per hour and up to 100m high. Tethered on safety cables, you can zip with an instructor or solo – even upside-down if you like.
For those who prefer to stay on terra firma, try your animal befriending skills in the Monkeyland walk-through enclosure. Here, dozens of squirrel monkeys descend on gifts of watermelons and papayas and may perch curiously on a visitor’s head or shoulders.
In the bay of Samana, boating, diving and snorkelling are only a seashell’s throw from you, but you can also find solitude. On the dreamy Playa Rincon beach, merengue rhythms waft from a small restaurant, while hardly another person can be seen along the 3km-long shoreline.
“It’s different in the weekends,” says Carlos Romero, who is involved in Samana’s development at the Tourism Ministry. “Then it’s party time for the young people and picnic time for families.”
Dense mangrove forests in Los Haitises National Park.
The large, wind-protected bay with its soft sand then turns into a hotspot for locals. Beach vendors sell coconut bread and barbecues, children make their first swimming attempts in a shallow stream flowing into the bay.
No trip here is complete without seeing the Los Haitises National Park, one of the crown jewels of the country’s national park system. A catamaran tour will take you there from the regional capital Santa Barbara de Samana.
After 40 minutes on the open sea, the boat winds through a landscape of rugged sandstone rock formations jutting 30m high.
These islands provide ideal nesting ground for bird colonies, and pelicans, herons and other seabirds float by on the sea breeze. Especially striking are the male frigate birds, which signal their readiness to mate with their bright red throat pouches and vie for the favour of the females.
Finally, the catamaran stops at a mangrove-lined bay. The owner of the excursion agency, Ileana Messina, accompanies her guests through the grottos and the almost 1km-long cave of the Cueva de la Arena.
Around you are pictograms, petroglyphs and reliefs left by the ancient Taino natives during their fishing trips. Running through the length of the cliffs, this wonder world is located right in front of the palm-lined beaches.
Santa Barbara de Samana is the capital of the peninsula.
On the return journey, the boat’s crew promotes an exuberant atmosphere with generous servings of rum and coke, and coconut meat. This makes the crossing to the small, picturesque island of Cayo Levantado, 5km from Samana Bay, all the more fun.
It is known as “Bacardi Island” because of the commercial filmed here in 1970 for the rum producer. True to form, the passengers get that “Bacardi feeling” as they whet their appetite for a beach lunch on the island, sat amid its palms, white sand and turquoise water. – dpa
