Samana, dr - terry's tour #5

I am thinking of booking Terry's Tour #5 (Low impact Culture, Beach& Waterfalls in El Valle area). My only concern is that my mother may find the trek to the waterfall too hard to handle.

If you have done this tour, can you tell me how difficult the hike to the waterfall? Thank you.

I would go onto Terry's site & send him an email. He will answer any & all questions.

Did you ever hear back? I am wondering the same questions.

I am thinking of booking Terry's Tour #5 (Low impact Culture, Beach& Waterfalls in El Valle area). My only concern is that my mother may find the trek to the waterfall too hard to handle...................

I'm guessing it's the small waterfall? It's not a tough trek, about 5 - 7 minutes. You have a "guide" (kids making a few bucks). It does involve crossing a couple streams on rocks (guides hold your hands).

She can always stay at the little "hut" and wait. It's where they give the talk about local fruits, cocoa, etc.

I am thinking of booking Terry's Tour #5 (Low impact Culture, Beach& Waterfalls in El Valle area). My only concern is that my mother may find the trek to the waterfall too hard to handle.

 

If you have done this tour, can you tell me how difficult the hike to the waterfall? Thank you.

My husband and I just took this tour in the beginning of November. The hike to the waterfalls is not what I would consider low impact. We had an older woman on our tour who started the trek and then turned around. The "road" to the beach is something we would call a cow path - the roughness of the road was also uncomfortable for her.

A WORD OF WARNING - DO NOT BUY CIGARS AT THE CIGAR SHOP - THEY ARE COUNTERFEIT! MY HUSBAND BOUGHT SOME CUBAN'S AND DR COHIBA'S AND THEY WERE ALL FAKE!

Just returned from Low Impact tour in samana, I am 64, have a bad lower back & walked to the waterfall using my cane & some help from the locals. I paid for it the next day, I was so stiff all over. One of my friends walked also with her cane & said she wouldn't do it again. It is a trek on uneven ground, sometimes muddy from rain. Sounds to me ur mother may be better off sitting & waiting. There are drinks provided, pop, water & beer so that isn't an issue. She will have a p[lace to sit & wait. Hope this helps in ur decision.

Just returned from Low Impact tour in samana, I am 64, have a bad lower back & walked to the waterfall using my cane & some help from the locals.

Hi,

I just recently returned from a cruise that included Samana. While in Samana, I was part of a group that ziplined w/ Terry (some of us did his tour#11 while others added the zipline onto his tour#5, called "tour#5a"). Tours#11 and #5a went together in the same bus, with (later in the day) the tour#11 people being dropped off back at the port while the tour#5a folks would then continue on with their tour.

The operation was flawlessly done. Our ship got in around 930am, and I was ashore on the first tenderboat for non-ship excursions... which put me ashore around 1030am. We were all put into various safari buses (depending upon the tour each person took). Our tour bus left the port around 1115am, and we headed directly to the zipline first. Bart (the owner/operator of the zipline: walktheplankzipline) was along for the ride with us as well.

It was about a 30 minute drive to the zipline, and yes, calling them roads may be a bit optimistic-- that is why Terry puts you in a safari bus, after all.

Once at the zipline, there was a restroom, and we then all suited up and got back into the bus for the drive most of the way up the mountain. All along the way, both Terry and Bart educated us about their island and how the zipline was built.

There was a final ramp/path towards the very top of the mountain that you had to walk up. The guides were more than willing to assist anyone in getting up the ramp who might have needed it.

At the top is a big pirate ship, and then the zipping begins. You basically zip all the way to the bottom, repeatedly zig-zagging over the canyon with each successive descent. Bart's zipline is unique in that you do not have to do any braking whatsoever: you just take in the view and the system/guides will stop you at just right place/time for each zip.

The view was just gorgeous! Take a look at these photos:

http://photo2.walgreens.com/walgreens/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=13095850002/a=7602249_7602249/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=walgreens/

You are allowed to go upside down if you want to, and I did (on one zip). The zipline series ends near the tour#5 waterfall (see the photos), and then it was a short drive over to the beach for lunch. This was probably about 2pm. Lunch was generously sized and quite tasty, including chicken, local fish, and fruits. (lunch was so big that I actually only had a salad for dinner that night...).

After lunch, it was about a 40 minute drive back to the port, where I (and the other tour#11 people) got off the safari bus and went back to the ship. I think I took the 315pm tender back to the cruise ship. The remainder of the people continued onto the full tour#5. As far as I know, everyone (on all of his tours that day) made it back to our cruise ship on time.

After the tour was over, several of us were talking and we agreed that when we come back (on another cruise), we want to do the same tour again (rather than do something different - it was that good!).

So that is my two cents.