exploring samana

ben jammin · #1 08-10-2008, 10:56 AM

my wife and i are going to be in samana(las terrenas) in november. we were wondering as to the best way to sightsee and explore the peninsula. are 4-wheelers a good way to go? it seems our lodging is quite a way from the center of town and as we are both experienced on atv's i thought this would be a good option but wish for some local input. could we be able to visit salto limon, playa rincon and other points of interest on these 4wheelers or do you think it too far? we would also like to visit las hiatus(sp?) which looks like a trip from sanchez. thanks for any input from locals

fightfish · #2 08-10-2008, 12:10 PM

I would say that you could go anywhere on ATV's, but the distances may make a four wheeler a bad choice for transport as opposed to a rental car or bike. A car can be locked and store yor stuff, and a bike is faster and uses less fuel on the road than a quad.

ben jammin · #3 08-10-2008, 12:42 PM

thank you fightfish. we may just rent a small car and do a 4wheel excursion through a tour instead. we have 8 days and won't be in a hurry but we will need some transport as we will eat out most nights.

fightfish · #4 08-10-2008, 01:23 PM

If you are staying in Las Terrenas they rent quads there, and you may have more fun by yourself as opposed to a tour. The quad tours I've seen are a dusty line of tourists driving through cane fields led by a 'guide' and a side kick video taping the procession. Not everyone's cup o' tea.

ben jammin · #5 08-10-2008, 02:10 PM

what would be ideal is to rent a car and guide the first day to get provisions and to see the lay of the land and where the sights are and then to rent quads for the rest of the week. and we would not bring valuables so we would only have hipsacks and quad keys to protect. at least that is the plan. any other ideas would be appreciated. thanks again, ben

fightfish · #6 08-10-2008, 02:17 PM

Yes, you should rent quads for around town, shorter day trips, etc. The peninsula is not someplace you could really get lost, basically one road between LT and Samana, or Sanchez and LT, or Las Galeras and Samana etc. Get your quad for the week and take longer trips by public guagua, a fun and extremely inexpensive way to get around the area and the country. You should get a better rate on your quad if you rent it for more days. Remember, LT is very touristy with a lot of gringos vacationing and living there. Prices certainly reflect that fact.

sshabazz · #7 08-25-2008, 05:47 AM

My boyfriend and I just returned from Samana and we rented an ATV while we were there. I served us pretty nicely for the shorter trips that we took from Samana, but when we went from Samana to Playa Rincon, the trip we a little longer than we would have liked. I say if you can, rent a car for your longer trips (or take the gua gua) and an ATV for shorter distances.

RonS · #8 08-25-2008, 11:48 AM

Don't forget La Cascada at El Limon! Along the road from Samana to LT you can find farms/stables that rent horses for the trip up the mountain to the waterfalls. It's necessary to do a little hiking to get all the way to the falls, but if you're in decent shape, it's worth the effort. After the ride you can have a meal at the farm/stable or at one of the local Dominican roadside restaurants in Limon.

BermudaRum · #9 08-25-2008, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RonS

Don't forget La Cascada at El Limon! Along the road from Samana to LT you can find farms/stables that rent horses for the trip up the mountain to the waterfalls. It's necessary to do a little hiking to get all the way to the falls, but if you're in decent shape, it's worth the effort. After the ride you can have a meal at the farm/stable or at one of the local Dominican roadside restaurants in Limon.

Just returned from La Cascada at El Limon and the entire peninsula area. PM me if you wish and I will send you photos and info of the area especially El Limon and what you will see.

bluepumpkin · #10 09-04-2008, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RonS

Don't forget La Cascada at El Limon! Along the road from Samana to LT you can find farms/stables that rent horses for the trip up the mountain to the waterfalls. It's necessary to do a little hiking to get all the way to the falls, but if you're in decent shape, it's worth the effort. After the ride you can have a meal at the farm/stable or at one of the local Dominican roadside restaurants in Limon.

A few of my friends and I went to El Limon over the weekend. We decided against renting horses for the trip to the falls and were glad that we did that. We parked at the entrance, paid a guy 50 pesos to park and then hiked in. We followed the horse trail to get there. The people that rent out the horses will try and tell you it will take 1.5 hours to hike there vs. taking a horse. That is not true at all. It takes about a half hour either way. Besides, there are guides walking next to the people that are on the horses. You will need to pay another 50 pesos once you get to the entrance to the actual park. Because you are not part of a tour you can stay as long as you want and explore some of the other waterfalls right near by.