Las Terrenas beach
On foot
The town's own beach, right by the seafront. This is the everyday one: you swim, you eat anywhere along it and you walk back.
HomeThings to do in Las Terrenas
Things to do in Las Terrenas
The nine beaches around here, the day trips worth the drive, what to do when you don't feel like lying still, and where to eat well. Every place with its spot on the map, from people who have lived here since 2014.
- 9beaches in this guide
- 25-35 minto the El Limón waterfall
- Jan-Marwhale season
- Dec-Aprdry season
The beaches of Las Terrenas
Nine beaches and every one different, seven of them within twenty minutes. These are the times from the centre of town.
Punta Popy
On foot
Right next to the centre, heading east. It's the liveliest one: flat, shallow water, kitesurf schools and plenty of locals at sunset. If you only watch one sunset, make it this one.
Playa Las Ballenas
10 min on foot
West of the centre, and you get there along the sand itself. Calm water and a good spot for snorkelling. And to clear up the usual question: the name comes from the three islets you can see offshore, not from whales. The humpbacks gather in Samaná bay, on the other side of the peninsula.
Playa Bonita
10 min
Paved road and a long arc of sand lined with palm trees: gentle waves on one side and calm water on the other, which is why almost everyone learns to surf here. Parking is limited, and that's why a lot of people turn up on two wheels or on a quad.
Playa Cosón
15-20 min
More than seven kilometres of sand and coconut palms, the big beach of the area. You get there on the boulevard, paved all the way. There are few places to eat, and the classic one is Restaurante Luis: grilled fish right on the sand.
Playa El Portillo
10 min
East of town, along the El Limón road. Golden sand, shallow water and a reef just offshore, which makes it good for snorkelling and for children. It's also the windy spot: kitesurfing and windsurfing.
Playa Escondida
On foot from Bonita
A small cove between Playa Bonita and Las Ballenas, reached by forest paths. There are no facilities of any kind: take water and head back while there's still daylight.
Playa Morón
25-30 min
Small, almost deserted and with waves. Parts of the road are unpaved, so a quad or a buggy really is the right call here; after heavy rain, better leave it for another day.
Playa Rincón
1 h 25 · full day
It's outside our area, past Samaná and Las Galeras, and it's one of the most beautiful beaches in the country. The road is fine as far as Las Galeras; the last stretch is a dirt track that a normal car can handle in dry weather with some patience, and that calls for a 4x4 after rain. You can also get there by boat from Las Galeras.
Day trips from Las Terrenas
What you can do in half a day or a full day, heading out of town.
The El Limón waterfall
Half a day
The classic trip and the one we get asked about most. Around 20 kilometres of paved road to the village of El Limón and then a trail you climb on foot or on horseback, up to a fall of about 40 metres with a natural pool to swim in. Going on your own and paying just the entrance fee and the horse works out considerably cheaper than a packaged tour.
Los Haitises National Park
Half a day
You drive to Sánchez or Samaná and carry on by boat across the bay. What you see is limestone hills rising straight out of the sea, mangroves, caves with Taíno rock art and colonies of pelicans and frigatebirds. It's the most biodiverse park in the country.
The humpback whales
Mid-January to late March
Every winter Samaná bay fills with humpbacks that come here to breed, and February is the peak month. The boats leave from the seafront at Santa Bárbara de Samaná, a little over an hour's drive from here. If you'd rather not get on a boat, there's a free land-based viewpoint at Punta Balandra, on the way to Las Galeras.
The coffee and cacao route
Half a day
Country tracks through the interior, between coffee and cacao plantations, stopping at a family farm where they show you the whole process and you taste everything. It's done on a quad because the terrain calls for it. We run it as a guided trip, or we rent you the vehicle and you go on your own.
Cayo Levantado
Half a day
An islet in Samaná bay that can only be reached by boat from the Samaná docks. One thing worth knowing: half the island belongs to a hotel and is off limits; the public side has palm trees, sun loungers and fish shacks.
Santa Bárbara de Samaná
1 hour
The provincial capital. The seafront is the centre of everything and all the boat trips leave from there. The most striking thing is the footbridges crossing over to the cays, which are free to walk and have great views.
Las Galeras
1 h 25
A fishing village at the end of the road, far quieter than Las Terrenas. It's the base for Playa Rincón, Frontón and Madama, and for diving at Cabo Cabrón.
What to do if you don't want to lie still
Las Terrenas is a place of wind and water, and that shows in what there is to do.
Kitesurf
Punta Popy is the spot, thanks to the flat, shallow water, with El Portillo as the alternative. There's wind almost all year; the strongest months run from June to August, and it drops off most between October and December. There are schools on both beaches.
Surf
Playa Bonita to learn, with gentle waves and a school on the beach itself. Cosón for intermediate level, and Morón if you're after somewhere quieter. The north swell mostly comes in between November and March; in summer the waves are smaller and better for starting out.
Diving and snorkelling
The Las Ballenas islets have tunnels and caves to dive, and you can snorkel straight off the beach. El Portillo has a reef just offshore. The best diving on the peninsula is at Cabo Cabrón, going out from Las Galeras.
Hiking
The trail from Las Galeras to Playa Madama and Playa Frontón is the best known; you can walk there and come back by boat. Closer to town there are the forest paths between Playa Bonita, Escondida and Las Ballenas. And the climb up to the waterfall, of course.
Horse riding
The classic is riding up to the waterfall from the ranches at El Limón. But the seven kilometres of sand at Cosón are probably the best place around here to ride.
Fishing
Deep-sea boats go out from Las Terrenas after mahi-mahi, wahoo, tuna and marlin. There are also gentler inshore trips, usually combined with snorkelling.
Eating and going out in Las Terrenas
The place everyone heads for is the Pueblo de los Pescadores: an old fishing hamlet right on the sand, in the middle of town, turned into the restaurant quarter. It burned down years ago and was rebuilt. You'll eat French, Italian, Spanish and Dominican there, which is exactly what Las Terrenas is: a Caribbean town with a large European community, mainly French and Italian.
The other artery is Calle Duarte, where the shops are and where our office is. And if you fancy eating with your feet in the sand and no tablecloths, the shacks at Cosón and the outlying beaches grill fish straight off the boat.
Try the fish in coconut sauce, the signature dish of this stretch of coast. For breakfast, mangú with fried cheese and egg. And if you want the Dominican everyday plate, ask for la bandera: rice, beans and meat. One practical warning: outside the centre almost nobody takes cards, so carry cash in pesos.
We rent vehicles and run tours, so we're not the best people to ask about restaurants and places to stay. If you want specific recommendations, the local directory Todo Las Terrenas keeps a fairly complete and up-to-date listing by category.
So what will you get around on?
We're a local rental business in the centre of Las Terrenas. Tell us where you want to go and we'll tell you what suits you best.Which vehicle suits you, depending on how many you are
