Samana Dominicana
147
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
Celebrity Cruises (5 Cruises)
Costa Cruises (20 Cruises)
Costa Fascinosa
20 Cruises
Crystal Cruises (27 Cruises)
Crystal Serenity
11 Cruises
Crystal Symphony
16 Cruises
MSC Cruises (12 Cruises)
Ponant (4 Cruises)
Royal Caribbean Cruises (40 Cruises)
Star of the Seas
10 Cruises
Silversea Cruises (1 Cruises)
Frequently Asked Questions
By tender, in the heart of Santa Bárbara de Samaná, or directly at Cayo Levantado depending on the line. There is no alongside berth for large ships: they anchor in the bay.
Yes, and it is the best way. The town rises above its waterfront, and the two pedestrian bridges known as the bridges to nowhere lead to wooded islets with the finest view over the harbour.
Mid-January to late March only. Thousands of whales leave the North Atlantic then to calve and mate in the bay. Outside that window, no whale-watching trips operate.
Boats head out in the morning to the breeding grounds under regulated supervision. Blows, breaches and fin slaps sometimes happen within tens of metres, and some captains drop a hydrophone so you can hear the males singing. Places are limited, so book early.
An islet fifteen minutes away by boat, with golden sand, leaning palms and clear water. Older locals still call it Bacardi Island, after a 1970s rum advertisement. Its public section suits a few hours of swimming with no other agenda.
One thing, done properly. In season, whale watching in the morning then Cayo Levantado if the schedule allows. Off season, the town on foot plus Los Haitises, or El Limón waterfall. Do not try to combine El Limón and Los Haitises: each takes half a day.
A cluster of mogotes, jungle-topped limestone humps rising straight out of the sea, on the far side of the bay. Boat trips weave among mangroves and caves decorated with Taíno pictographs, under flights of frigatebirds and pelicans.
No. You reach it on horseback or on foot from the ranches in the nearby village, about an hour of effort on a trail that is often muddy. The ranches provide mounts, helmets and guides. The reward is a swim in the pool beneath a forty-metre fall.
The Dominican peso; US dollars are accepted. Carry cash for guides and ranches, where cards rarely work. The language is Spanish, with traces of English inherited from the African-American freedmen who settled here in the 1820s.
Pescado con coco, fish simmered in coconut milk, the culinary signature of the peninsula. You will find it along the Santa Bárbara waterfront, at stalls and unpretentious little restaurants.
