Beaches

Las Terrenas [1] is known for its beaches. The road from Samaná [2] to Las Terrenas turns into the main drag, Avenida Duarte, in town. Once it runs into the town’s cemetery, a sharp left turn will take you to Avenida Francisco Alberto Caamaño, which leads you to Playa Las Terrenas, where you’ll find many restaurants and bars in the Pueblo de Los Pescadores.

Continuing west, some of the area’s best beaches can be reached either by motoconcho (about a 10-minute ride) or by foot along the coastal road or on the shore itself. If you decide to walk along the shore, a pair of water shoes is a good idea, since you have to cross a rather marshy area.

Playa Las Ballenas and Isla Las Ballenas offer good snorkeling and diving opportunities. Advanced divers head to the offshore shipwreck and the underwater cave of Isla Las Ballenas, as do snorkelers for the tiny island’s coral reefs.

Playa Bonita, or Pretty Beach, is a nice alternative to Playa Las Terrenas, not because it is more beautiful but because this stretch of golden sand is consistently less crowded. Some of the hotels that reside along the shore of Playa Bonita manicure the strips of beach near them, but the rest of Playa Bonita, although nice, tends to be scattered with natural debris. Farther west along the coast, the delightful and untouched Playa Cosón appears thick with vegetation over six kilometers of golden sand.