Las Terrenas to Playa El Valle

[Opulent1]

Is there a direct road from Las Terrenas to Playa El Valle without going thru Samaná…

[Squat]

No, you have to go to Samaná, then to the "el Valle" road. You shall drive a 4x4 or some kind of Jeep, because it can be a bit tricky on your way back.

El Valle is beautiful, enjoy it now, before they start building resorts and other such things...

[Andy B]

Playa del Valle is covered in the Attractions section of A Visitors Guide to the Dominican Republic's Samana Peninsula As Squat said a 4 wheel drive or a vehicle with high ground clearance is required as not only is the road pretty bad (and steep) in places but you have to ford two small rivers. Pictures are posted on the SamanaOnline website.

[Me_again]

I don't know if it's mentioned on the URL above but there are/were local jeep safari type excursions that might make life easier. Don't know where it/they are from but one "caravan" of jeeps followed us in.

Perhaps this is unfair, since it is based on my single trip to Playa el Valle, but I'll offer advice if you're a beer drinker and going it alone. Get hold of a cheap cooler and stock it with plenty of ice and Presidente (or your preferred brand). The beer in the bar was quite warm when I was there. Disappointing.

[dahlia]

All this is true and the drive through the river is quite fun - there is a beautiful cascade to be seen on the main river, just drive onto the left along the river, or leave your car and walk, it is worth seeing. El vale beach is wonderful , and a river of fresh water comes out of a small cave, it is great.
BUT be EXTREMELY CAREFUL when the sea is going down, the current is very strong, and there are often people drown. Just enjoy it but keep in mind the danger.
Just to make you smile : there is a guy of the "marina " on charge of looking at the security. When asked "what do you do if someone is having problems ?" the answer was " I call the marina in Samana and they come with a boat".... Of course there are also fishermen who could help you , but better avoid any risk. When the sea is going up you can enjoy the water without problems.

[Andy B]

Originally Posted by dahlia

All this is true and the drive through the river is quite fun - there is a beautiful cascade to be seen on the main river, just drive onto the left along the river, or leave your car and walk, it is worth seeing. El vale beach is wonderful , and a river of fresh water comes out of a small cave, it is great.
BUT be EXTREMELY CAREFUL when the sea is going down, the current is very strong, and there are often people drown. Just enjoy it but keep in mind the danger.
Just to make you smile : there is a guy of the "marina " on charge of looking at the security. When asked "what do you do if someone is having problems ?" the answer was " I call the marina in Samana and they come with a boat".... Of course there are also fishermen who could help you , but better avoid any risk. When the sea is going up you can enjoy the water without problems.

The river crossing and the waterfall on the way to Playa del Valle you describe can be seen on the second page of the Waterfalls category in the Attraction section of the SamanaOnline website I cited above. Also, on the second page of the Playa del Valle category, also in the Attractions section, there is a warning regarding this seemingly innocent beach and a picture of a Dominican braving the high surf. Look for the Taino fish symbol on the lower right corner of the page to direct you to page two.

The breakers were about 6 to 7 feet tall the day I took the photo and the undertow (outgoing rip current) was fierce. Even though I'm an experienced swimmer having grown up on Florida's beaches and did a lot of body surfing in northeaster storms with huge waves, I wouldn't go deeper in the water beyond my waist that day. A number of drownings have occurred here during the winter months when the surf is up and the beach is the most treacherous. Take care.

[dahlia]

Congratulation Andy about that URL, very nice pictures and interesting information. TksI was told that you can reach El valle from El Limon on horses - and only horses - don't know if it's true nor how long it can take ??

[Andy B]

There are paths all along the coast and throughout the peninsula. At one time there was a horseback tour that went from Las Terrenas via el limon and del Valle to Playa Rincon that spent one night on the trail. I also understand the tour could be made with quad 4by4's. Either way it would be an arduous ride at best.

[atvJim]

My son and I traveled to El Valle from Las Galeras by atv. The dirt road is not that difficult and El Valle is "lost in time". A gorgeous hidden gem - visit El Valle and have lunch there. The gentleman who cooks and his kids were really terrific people.