Things to do
5-
Cayo Levantado
Palm covered island in the middle of the bay, known locally as Bacardi Island after an old rum advertisement filmed there, with a public beach at one end and a resort holding the rest. Ferries cross from Samaná in about twenty minutes. Day trippers arrive around midday, which is when the sand and the beach bars are busiest.
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El Limón Waterfall
Water falls into a cold pool in the hills behind the peninsula, reached on a muddy walk of half an hour or so from the village of El Limón. Horses and guides are offered at every trailhead, though the ride is optional. The path stays slippery for days after rain, and boots matter on the descent.
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Park
Los Haitises National Park
Mangrove channels, karst islands and caves with Taíno pictographs fill this park on the south side of Samaná bay, with frigatebirds and pelicans nesting on the rock stacks. Access is by boat only, from Samaná, Sánchez or Sabana de la Mar, on a half day trip. Rain is common and the caves are dark, so a torch helps.
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Playa Rincón
Two kilometres of pale sand between headlands on the north side of the peninsula, backed by coconut palms and reached by a rough road from Las Galeras or by boat from the harbour there. A stream runs cold into the sea at the western end. Shacks behind the beach grill fish at lunchtime and there is no development beyond them.
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Other
Samaná Bay Whale Watching
Humpbacks migrate from the North Atlantic to breed in the bay between January and March, and licensed boats leave Santa Bárbara de Samaná each morning to find them. Regulations cap the number of vessels near a whale and set an approach distance. Seas are choppiest in the afternoon, so early departures are steadier and are worth reserving in advance.