Samana

I also visited here while on a cruise – working on a cruise ship actually! We wanted to visit a waterfall and were told there were two options: the bigger one on horseback and a smaller one by taxi then foot. We didn’t have time for the big one so we did a short couple hour trip with some locals to the small falls. Some local children led us by the hands down to the falls, where we played with them in the water. It was a nice little afternoon. Yes, lots of poverty. Of course we have to pay for the excursion ($15 I think?) and tip the children who lead us around.

The small island of Samana in the Dominican Republic was just a one day excursion of a 8 day cruise. I would highly reccommend this as a place to visit. Heads up, many people there live in poverty, so if you are someone who views themself as ‘better than’ it may not be the place for you. But the people are so welcoming and soo incredibly helpful! It’s a very natural and rustic type place and incredibly beautiful. I only went for a 5 hour tour while there and spent some time talking with people who live there, so I’m not sure that I’ll be very helpful with anyone’s travel plans, but I’m here if ya have any questions!