Apr 13, 2022
Fantastic day trip - Pros
- packed itinerary
- beautiful sights
- cheapest price
- food included
Cons
- Had to chase operator for a pick up time, operator could have been more organised in that sense
General info and tips
- Prepare to get a little dirty on the trek to the waterfall. If you are going to walk it you are provided with wellington boots
- remember to bring some cash for tips
- bring the necessities: towel, hat, sunscreen, insect repellant etc
- full day tour, can be tiring but there is time to nap on the coach and also stops for bathroom break
Review provided by Viator
Jul 9, 2022
A great day out. - From Punta Cana it takes about 2hrs (expected). Then we got on a speed boat to get to the region of Samana. We then got on a old style bus to get up to El Limon - about 30mins.
They have a huge ranch of like 300 horses and you get a horse to take you down to the waterfall. Every horse has a guide who controls the horse (they walk beside you).
The ride down is muddy and broken cement/rocks. The horses apparently only walk 3 x week and only one ride a day. My horse was good and strong. Once the horse, you have to walk down 250 steps to the waterfall. It’s busy and amazing!
Once you walk back up to the horse, they will walk back up. The guide asks for a tip $20 or $RD1000. Apparently “they volunteer”. They did speak good English.
After the waterfall, you get taken to a restaurant by the coast for some lunch - it was okay.
Then onto a 45min speedboat to Bacardi Island, 1 free drink included. It was really pretty. Then back on the boat to the coach to go home.
It was really chilled, the guides were pleasant and had very good English.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
May 6, 2022
Good guides.The breakfast... - Good guides.The breakfast was worthless and good have been skipped. Lunch was good. Because we were the first hotel to be picked up, it added 2 hrs to the trip. Similarly, we were the last hotel to be dropped off, and we didn’t return until 10pm. An excursion from 6:30am until 10pm is entirely too long. Smaller vans delivering guests to a common location would be better.
Review provided by Viator
Feb 18, 2022
Great trip! Whales & waterfall was amazing. - This was a great trip. Make sure to bring a towel, bathing suit, change of clothes & water shoes or sneakers you aren’t afraid to get really dirty.
Whales were not super visible but did come out a few times. The island nice, horses & waterfall was beautiful.
BRING YOUR OWN SNACKS. Food is straight gross. I tried to feed the stray dogs and they didn’t want to eat it lol. Also bring some hand wipes or sanitizing wipes since the bathrooms are gross and have no running water.
Otherwise,
The trip was good all organized and we had good guides and drivers. They served some rum and coke at the end. They helped us with everything. Bring some loose cash to tip the guys along the way, the horse trainers really deserve it & the guys on the boat.
Everyone was nice and respectful.
Also, try the pineapple on the island! Comes with or without alcohol for $6.
Overall, a great experience, just be aware that you won’t get back to you hotel until around 10pm!
Review provided by Viator
Jun 8, 2022
Don’t go - Skip this, bad food, all day traveling, whipping the horses, having to pay the volunteers. Only thing that was cool was the waterfall. Just go see it on your own
Review provided by Viator
Dec 2, 2021
Not worth it - Too much time on the road and too little time for the actual attractions. No covid safety measures taken
Review provided by Viator
Feb 11, 2026
Not as advertised - This all-day tour of El Limon and Bacardi Island sounded too good to be true... it was awful. The initial pick up from our hotel was fine in a normal minivan. But there 1.5 hour ride to the boat, which they call comfortable was an old purple bus with curtains and absolutely no legroom. The tour guide spoke in whatever language needed at that point, but the rest of the tour was in Spanish. If you are excited about riding a horse be prepared to wear dirty helmets worn by others. Chance of getting lice a definite possibility. It's a horse ride though a lot of slippery mud, then a walk down 80 muddy stairs with limited railings to hold on to. The waterfall is beautiful however not easily accessible. Bacardi Island you get 1 hr and a voucher for 1 free drink. If you want a drink from a coconut or pineapple it will cost you $12 plus tip. Let's talk about the free breakfast and lunch. 🤮 whale watching was cool, but I see those back home. This was a disaster of an excursion. I do not recommend it as the trip did not clearly define what was expected. The food was nasty, safety was a big concern as well. I hope they will consider making a few changes to make this a more enjoyable experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jul 19, 2022
Crap tour full of bad food and transfers... To see a great waterfall for 30-60 mins... - Pick up time: 6AM.
Breakfast - Stale Bread + 1 slice water melon.
Transit on bus/coach - 3 hours (morning).
Boat ride - 1 hour
Bus Ride - 1 hour
Horse Ride - 45mins
Time at falls - 1 hour max...
Horse ride - 45 mins
Bus ride - 1 hour
Boat ride - 1 hour
Coach transfer - 3 hours...
Don't go unless you like being on a transfer..
Review provided by Viator
May 26, 2022
Take plenty of tips with you and be careful with additional services - Long bus ride to the ship, about 3h and of course 3h back. The starting point was Punta Cana.
After arriving at the section where the horse will continue, you will be reminded several times by the respective "volunteer" guide that he hopes to receive a generous tip.
During the approximately 1h boat trip back to the bus, extremely loud music boomed non-stop from the ageing speakers. If necessary. Take earplugs with you if you're more sensitive.
Last but not least, we never received the paid photos of the photographers who accompanied the tour group.
Even if Samana is really a place worth seeing, after this trip really remains a regrettable aftertaste.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Feb 9, 2022
They didn't even come and... - They didn't even come and pick us up from the hotel lobby. We were waiting for 40mins before they contacted us saying "your money will be refunded"
We were not late to the pick up point, in fact there 5mins early. Awful communication
Review provided by Viator
