It's not hard to appreciate the beauty of THE SAMANÁ PENINSULA , a thin strip of land poking from the Dominican Republic's northeast. Perhaps the most appealing part of the whole country, the region boasts a coast lined with beaches that conform strictly to the Caribbean archetype of powdery white sand and transparent green-blue sea.

 

Besides bumming on the beach, visitors come to see the thousands of humpback whales that migrate to the Bahía de Samaná during the winter. Whale-watching has become a thriving local industry, peaking between mid-January and mid-March. Most whaleboats depart from Santa Bárbara de Samaná (generally shortened to Samaná), the largest town on the peninsula and a welcome break from the more typical beach-oriented tourist resorts. If the hustle and bustle of more typical Dominican towns becomes too much for you, head east to Las Galeras , a pristine horseshoe of sand that, despite considerable development in recent years, still maintains an air of tranquillity. Along the peninsula's north coast you'll find the beautiful beaches of the remote expat colony of Las Terrenas , a burgeoning hangout for independent travellers.

The Carretera 5 (C-5) that skirts the Dominican north coast leads all the way from Puerto Plata to Santa Bárbara de Samaná. At Sánchez, which nestles in the northwestern corner of the rectangular bay, another good road with spectacular views crosses the mountains to Las Terrenas. Travellers heading this way can catch the half-hourly pick-up trucks from the Texaco station on the C5. Recently paved roads now link Samaná with Las Galeras and Las Terrenas although the road to the latter gets a little rougher after El Limón.