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Published: April 9th 2015
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Samana, Dominican Republic
Los Haitises National Park. On the last day of our stay in beautiful Samana, we hired a car with an English speaking guide to see the El Limon Waterfall which is only 25 kilometers (15 miles) from Samana town. Miguel the guide came to pick us up at our hotel at 9 in the morning. On the way we stopped briefly to have a look at part of the Los Haitises National Park which is a protected virgin forest, although we didn't enter it for lack of time.
When we arrived at the place we saw a lot of ponies and mules with their handlers waiting for riders/customers. The waterfall itself is very secluded and accessible only by hiking (30 to 45 minutes) or by horseback riding (15-20 minutes). There is a restaurant located right at the entrance of the beginning of the trail, and where we had lunch later.
Now, I have never ridden on a mule before, let alone a horse and I was feeling a bit apprehensive as my handler helped me settle in, making sure my feet were firmly in the stirrups. However, once we started going it was fairly easy going, except for the poor pony
Samana, Dominican Republic
Sign at entrance to jungle trail. as the nature trail was quite rocky and steep at times along the way. The handlers also acted as guides, and the one I was assigned walked besides or behind me prodding the pony with his stick every now and then.
The area along the jungle route is predominantly agricultural, with home gardens and vegetable plots bordering plantations of banana, cacao, coffee and coconut. My guide was a young boy whose English was very limited, but he pointed out all the plant life and trees to me. Halfway along the jungle pathway I tried using French with him and he seemed more confident in that language, so we got along fine afterwards.
The horseback part of the trip ended at the ticket station where we had to pay 100 Dominican pesos (USD 2.50) to enter the waterfall area which is considered to be a national forest. At the station there is a small gift shop selling local handicrafts and souvenirs. From there it's a 10 to 15 minutes walk down to the main El Limon waterfall, no problem going down, but the steps back up can be quite exhausting. I had to take a couple of
Samana, Dominican Republic
Ponies waiting for customers at their 'stable' short rest stops to get my second wind! The guides will also accompany you to the waterfall and stay there until you're ready for the return trip.
El Limon Waterfalls is widely regarded to be the most beautiful waterfall in the Dominican Republic, and indeed, with its height of 171 feet (52 meters) it looked pretty spectacular. While we were there we saw other tourists, not that many though, as it was still relatively early in the morning. A few were swimming in the natural pool below the falls, and even my guide took a quick dip. At the end of the tour I gave them a tip of $10.00 each (for the two guides) which was expected, and they seemed quite happy with the amount.
Back at the restaurant we were served with a typical Dominican meal for lunch, consisting of rice, chicken and beef curries, rolls, a big plate of salad, beans and fritters, plus a dessert of fresh tropical fruits. Water and a big bottle of Coca-Cola were also provided.
The total cost for the waterfall/horse ride tour came up to USD65, including the lunch and tips, plus transportation which I
thought was reasonable.
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