David & Sandra
Things To Do
Whale Safari
Go on a whale adventure and see these majestic animals in the wild! Whale season is up until March 15...so if whales are your thing, this would be one of the first things you would want to do on your trip. Boats go from around Samana bay, we recommend going on a catamaran boat which is a lot more stable and you won't feel the waves as much. Usually the whalesafari includes a lunch at Bacardi Island too. Prices range between $20-$60 dollars a person depending on boat.
Los Haitises National Park
This is our favourite place here. You will feel like you travelled back in time to a hidden tropical paradise. Take a boat ride on the slow river amongst mangroves and then out on the ocean in the midst of countless little islands and discover some of the native indian's caves and enjoy a great variety of birds, who some of them only can be found here. Maybe you will see some wild dolphins playing in the water too. Just make sure not to go on a Saturday or Sunday. That's when the boats with tourists go there and it can get crowded. Opt for a private tour during weekdays combined with a lunch and afternoon at the beautiful eco hotel Paraiso Caño Hondo with natural pools.
Horseback riding ... on the beach!
This is a fun adventure for anyone who loves horses. To get there you will first ride through a small Dominican community and a little bit of forest. Once on the beach you are free to gallop around as much as your heart desires. This trip also includes a local meal in a small outdoor beach restaurant for when your butt needs a break from the saddle. A brother here will help arrange this trip and I will post his information down below shortly.
El Cabito Restaurant
Hanging over a cliff with a panoramic view of the ocean makes this whimsical restaurant one of our favourites. Price ranges in the mid to higher end. Expect to spend around $30 dollars a person with food and drinks. You can also come here for just drinks too. Food wise we would recommend their paella with fresh seafood. They also make a really good vegetarian paella. The road to this place is a windy little dirt road through the bushes and it is located close to Las Galeras. So maybe a good way to end a day exploring one of the beaches over there. We would recommend getting there at around 5-6pm so as not to miss the sunset. Important to note: this restaurant is usually closed on Mondays. Here is the phone number if you want to call first and make sure they are open. +18098202263
Playa Rincon
This is considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and it really is stunning. To the far left side of the beach is a beautiful crystal clear cold river that ends in the ocean. Walk/swim up the river and then let the current take you all the way down again floating like Baloo through the jungle. To the far right is the most beautiful part of the beach. They also have sunchair rentals there and drinks/snacks. We recommend bringing your own lunch if you can. Great for snorkeling! You can see alot of small colorful fish here. We loved renting a canoe to paddle around with. You can also walk over even further to the right and you will find a more private absolutely beautiful part of the beach. Anywhere in the middle that strike you as a perfect beach spot will be good and most likely very empty. Just put your towel down.
Service in the Campo!
We think one of your best experiences will be to join us in the preaching work in our beautiful campo (countryside) territory. For those of you who will be staying a few days after our wedding can help with the memorial campaign that starts the day after! Here in Arroyo Barril we have big territories to cover with the invitations. People here are very friendly and hospitable, often you get invited to sit down and talk to the whole family. They have great respect for the Bible and they love to talk about it. You don't speak spanish? No problem! You can be paired with someone who does and thanks to our many videos you can give an excellent witness simply by showing one of them. Or just put on a big smile and follow along.
Zipline Adventure
We have not done this personally yet but we have friends that really recommends these ziplines. Its a few hours tour with 12 ziplines and it really does look awesome! It is $60 dollars pp if you can drive there yourself. It is not difficult to find at all. Or they will come pick you up at your location and include drinks for $89 pp. Check out the website for more information!
Playita
This is a very beautiful and very relaxed beach. Comfortable and family friendly with beach chairs to rent and several restaurant options right on the beach. Sand is very white and soft and water bright turquoise blue. They also have canoe rentals. This beach is right by the town Las Galeras that offers even more restaurant options very close by. And this is a good beach to combine with, for example, El Cabito to end the day since its close too.
Limon Waterfall
The entrance fee is 50 pesos (around $1 or 10 sek). There is free parking at the entrance and from there its an easy 15 min walk to where the waterfall is. The walk is beautiful and flat most of the way. You will not need a guide or horse to get there so tell the pushy vendors no. Once you get to where the big waterfall is you will pay the 50 pesos by the stairs going down to the fall. And it's a looong staircase with lots of steps down. So this might not be for you if you have problem walking in stairs. Don't miss the beautiful smaller waterfall and natural pool if you walk pass the big fall and down a bit further. That's a good place to swim. I have linked to where the entrance is to park your car. On the map you will see there is another entrance as well with a much longer walk if you like walking.
Surfing at Playa Bonita
There is a good surf school in Las Terrenas located on Playa Bonita that we enjoyed taking a couple lessons from. There are many options but we recommend Pirata Surf School, they offer by far the best boards on the beach and the instructor is a long time surfer from Germany and speaks perfect english. They do both beginner lessons and more advanced. They also do just rentals if all you want is a board and no lessons.
The Beach Restaurant
This is another one of our favourite spots that we have had lunch at a couple times. This place is very tranquil and romantic right on the beautiful beach Cosón just outside of Las Terrenas. It is a small colonial-style wooden villa with French owners. It is on the pricier side for being in DR, so count on spending around $30 per person for food and drinks. But you can also just come here for drinks or dessert. Food is very well made with fresh ingredients, they have a lot of seafood on the menu. And they have sunchairs to use after you ate.