Samana Full-Day Tour with Whale Watching and Horse Riding

Posted By : Expedition802549
We book this tour with one of the tour operators at our resort!

This is the worst and most horrible tour we have ever done!

Let me detail:
1. The boat did not have life jackets for the 70 passengers . When I asked about them the tour guides just turn around and went away. There was no safety talk, capacity restrictions, etc.

2. We were told that there were whales. I new it was just a lie because whales are not in the area in April.

3. The horse ride was extremely dangerous and horrible. The path was extremely unsafe and the horses were mistreated. Definitely animal cruelty. You have a horse guide the entire time because it is so dangerous that any fall would be catastrophic. The horse guides are unpaid people that work off the tips.

4. We were promised snorkeling. There was no snorkeling at all. We were given 1 hour in a beach that was the only good thing of the entire tour.

5. The food provided, forget about it! Bring something to snack on.

6. They will stop over several places to get you to buy local goods.

Bottom line, in my opinion, save yourself money, and a day of your holidays and avoid this tour
Rating :
Posted On : 2022-04-25 12:55:35

Posted By : melvin_t
Loved the tour! Boat ride was interesting😅. Pedro was a great guide and everyone was very helpful to help with my disability
Rating :
Posted On : 2022-03-16 09:18:51

Posted By : Carla_G
The whales were incredible they got super close to the boat and put on an amazing show. The boat was so full though it was hard to squeeze in and see them or get pictures. Even so that was the best part of the day. The islands were so busy and the wait to use the bathroom or to get drinks took up most of the time there. It poured the entire day and the horse riding was cancelled but they also cancelled the chocolate and coffee part even though we were already there. If they had let the driver know in advance we could have saved over an hour driving there for nothing. Lots of moving from this boat to that one and at one point they overloaded a boat by double and forgot to put gas in it so we changed again. Also had to change from one bus to another, the day was very disorganized. They told us at both islands a time to meet and said if we weren't there they would leave but we waited over 30 minutes for a small group of the same people twice which put us behind all day. They were with a tour guide who worked with the captain so they waited twice. Overall quite disappointing except for the whales and I would not waste the time to do it again. If you go take your own food, the breakfast was a plain cheese sandwich with one piece on lunch meat and the lunch was less than good plus it's a really long day
Rating :
Posted On : 2022-03-08 14:30:08

Posted By : branimiratodorova
It is a very long tour, we we picked at 6:30, on booking they told us we would be back in the hotel at 5:30 but we arrived at 10:30. Most of the time is travelling, waiting for people to gather and etc. The overall activities are fine but for the house ride - pure torture of the animals.
Rating :
Posted On : 2022-02-24 12:04:47

Posted By : V2978XXmartine
Very lovely day, though was a very long day. 13 hours in total. But travel aside it was a great day, saw whales, rode horses saw a lovely natural waterfall.
Rating :
Posted On : 2022-02-16 13:01:34

Posted By : Berthold_A
A fully loaded program, leaving home at 6 a.m. and coming back at 10 p.m. In the bus and during the day we didn't understand the tour guide, mostly because we weren't explained the program. We felt a bit like a cattle pushed around. And both tour guides and participants were grumpy. It was great to see the whales and we were happy that the boat trips were arranged in order to have the highest chance to see whales! The beach was great as well, but we didn't spend a lot of time there. Followed by a lunch in a beautiful place, very rushed however. In the evening before, the tour guide sent us a message to cancel the safari and horse ride to El Limon, to be surprised that it was done after all. Once arrived in the village we ended up in a chaos of horses and people, both being pushed around. Due to lack of explanation it felt unpredictable. The experience was both great and very wet. We didn't bring any dry clothes, so the boat ride back was extremely cold and wet. To enjoy the program to the fullest we would suggest to shorten it a bit and we would suggest Viator to put on their website to bring a rainponcho (given that it rains often at El Limon) and a set of dry clothes for afterwards. That said, it ended to be a day of great experiences!
Rating :
Posted On : 2022-02-08 10:40:36

Posted By : Bryon_M
Yes, it does say full day. Well, it was more than a full day. This was a 15 hour day. I got picked up, on time at 630am. I got dropped off at 945pm. Some of the details are not accurate in this description. But it didnt affect my review, whatsoever.

First, you get picked up at your hotel, then you get taken to a gas station, where you hop on another vehicle. Now, with this being said, there is no regulations on transportation here. So you are traveling at your own risk. The day before, there was a 4 bus accident, killing the driver of one of the motor coaches. The vehicle I transferred, although was probably mechanically safe, if was small, as 2 full size adults could not fit, safely, in a row. God forbid, and accident happen, the end result would not be good. Luckily, the driver I had was very safe and got us to and from our destination. The trip to the pier at Miches was 2 hours long, each way. Once we got the the pier, we were told there was "breakfast". Their version of "breakfast" was a ham sandwich (with one piece of ham and one slice of cheese on stale bread) and 2 pieces of pineapple. I did not partake in this, as I saw some people throwing most of this away. Even the stray dogs were not eating it. After this "meal", they separated us in to groups. I was part of the "Pedro Familia", as Pedro was our guide. We boarded a catamaran, with about 50 people on board. We travelled about 30 minutes, out to the bay of Samana, along with other boats. We had 4 sightings. None, very close. The whales would only be visible, for maybe a minute each time. So, one they were spotted, you would race to where they are, then they would disappear. So it was a waiting game. For our last sighting, our boat "pilot" kind of ruined the experience. We had 2 whales, surface about 30 yards away from us, and parallel to us. So instead of staying in the same direction, where everyone could see this, he switched the direction of the boat, kind of ruining the sighting. After this, we boated over to Cayo Levantado. I guess this was just to see the small island. This was nothing spectacular. We were here for about an hour. You got a coupon for a free soda. We met Pedro back at the boat and then went over to Samana, for lunch. This was a buffet style lunch. Nothing horrible, nothing spectacular. We ate for about 30 minutes and then got on the "safari truck" and drove to the horseback area. There was no stop at a "house" like the description says, which was ok. The day before I saw about the cocoa and coconuts. We got off the trucks and there were a bunch of horses and handlers. It seemed as if the handlers were focusing on everyone else but me. Not that I expected to be recognized right away. It just seemed like I didnt exist. I finally got paired up with someone. I rode on a horse named "Macho". Now, some of the previous reviews were spot on about the horses. These were smaller horses and a little on the thin side. Now, I am not a fan of PETA, but they would have a field day here. This was my first time on a horse, and the handler was telling the horse to go faster than what i was really comfortable with, passing a lot of other people. The terrain was rough, and muddy. This couldnt have been good for the horse. We reached our destination, where we would walk down to the waterfall. Walking down was somewhat east. Going back up is not for the faint of heart. It's a rough climb back to the top. The waterfall was ok. After climbing back up, we went back, again a little faster than I cared to. And the mud got everywhere on your shoes and legs. They do offer rain boots to rent, and socks to buy. Probably not a good day to wear white sneakers. As we approached the end, the handler started his pitch for a tip. And he should be tipped. I didnt understand what he was saying. But then he said how much are you going to pay me. He suggested I pay him $50. And that just ruined the experience for me. My whole mood changed. Then he said $20. I gave him $8, as I had to tip other people in the tour. If I had the extra funds with me, I probably would have no problem tipping $20. But also due to the fact that he rushed the horse, when there was no need to, then that deserved less than $20.

So, after that awkward experience, we got back on on the safari truck and went back to a pier, where we got on another catamaran and boated back to Miches Pier. We got back on the same small van and left at 7:10pm. And as I mentioned above, I got dropped off at 9:45pm. This was such a long day, that I cancelled my excursion that I had scheduled for the next day. After dealing with the handler, who made things uncomfortable, and the 15 hour day, I just wanted to sleep in.

Now, just a side note. If you are observant like me, if there are pretty girls in your group, pay attention the the guides and how they act around them. One of the photographers was really "thirsty", in the way he acted around 2 girls in my group. And then he went to 2 specific horse handlers, and led them to the girls. It was kind of pathetic the way they were acting. But it led to some good entertainment.
Rating :
Posted On : 2022-01-19 19:22:34

Posted By : Lyana_K
Great seeing the whales but very rough waters, be sure to take motion sickness patches, also you will probably get very wet especially if seas are rough. Horseback ride was beautiful but not for the faint of heart. Walk down / up stairs to waterfall are steep and plentiful, not handicap accessible. Lunch was good, island stop was gorgeous. Very helpful guides. Horse guides rely on tips bring extra $$$ for tips. 15 hour day...
Rating :
Posted On : 2021-03-30 16:52:46

Posted By : Tobi
Everything was as promised. No rush and enough time at each destination. Highly recommended and much appreciated
Rating :
Posted On : 2021-03-24 12:42:34

Posted By : wilturn
Started out bad. Many delays waiting for people. Their transportation was not allowed to come on the Hard Rock Resort property so we had to wait for a taxi to take us to the entrance. We were ready at 7 AM. Then we waited and waited. Finally took off in a big bus. We made two stops on the way waiting for people to go to the restroom. Finally arrived about 2 1/2 hours later. Beautiful scenery on the way. They had a very basic breakfast waiting for us. Got in a decent boat which took the swells well. Took us awhile, but we found a mother and baby Humpback. Beautiful!! Took the boat to a small restaurant. Very poor lunch!!! They definitely need to up their game on that!! Went to 4 wheel drive truck to go to National Park. Rode horses to waterfall. Very excellent experience. I was concerned that some people tipped very little. That is how these people make their living. Took truck back to Samana. Our ending experience was very negative. The guide keep stopping at ATMs so people who didn't plan ahead for tips could get money for his tip. We wasted more than an hour doing this. His decision caused us to get back very late...9:30 PM. I hope they will make improvements. I do recommend the experiences we had, but maybe a different company would be a little more professional.
Rating :
Posted On : 2021-03-17 14:47:11