My tour of Samana (long)

[ziggydaddy]

I was in a group of 12 and we had not decided on any particular excursions or activities. I woke up early and watched them bring a small barge along side our ship. The barge had its own gangway and was used as a mobile docking area for up to 3 small shuttles. The shuttles were converted cats probably 26 - 30 ft long each with twin 200 hp outboards. Its only a guess but I would say each of the shuttles held about 50 passengers. I’m not sure how many total shuttles were used but there were enough to keep the a decent flow of passengers to the shore. I was told by several people that there was nothing of interest and no real shopping in the port, but we figured the shuttle ride looked like it would be worth the time just for the ride. The boat was anchored about a mile from the pier so it only took a couple minutes to ride in. The pier was basically a small dock not a lot to see just adequate enough to tie these shuttles up to. At the end of the pier there was a small shop/welcoming area with a bathroom and a couple of jiffy johns. As you exit the pier area you are inundated by taxi/tour people each wanting you to sign up for a tour. A very nice man told me for the sum of $30 each he would take my group for a tour then to a nice sandy beach, then to see a a beautiful waterfall, then to a cigar factory, and then back to town for some souvenir shopping and when we were done back to the ship in time for sail away. I hesitated and he brought the piece down to $25 I told him $15 and we agreed at $17 each. Six from our group decided not to go so our tour guide found 4 additional people to add to our group and away we went.

The roads were quite interesting. Our driver (who spoke no English) raced our van up and down back roads at speed up to 80mph only to have to jam on the brakes to avoid ruts and pot holes big enough to loose a small tank. As we cleared the bad parts of the road and got back on smooth pavement our driver speed back up only to reapply the brakes a few hundred yards down the road when the road became bad again. It was quite a ride and though several small villages. Along the coast and up through the mountains. As noted by others the area is quite poor but it is amazing to see this port before it becomes over commercialized. Our tour guide had our driver stop at a local store and he went in and came out with two trays of THE BEST pineapple I have ever tasted. I am not sure what beach we ended up at but it was beautiful. The sand was pure white and powder soft. Our guide introduced us to a woman who had a food stand on the beach and recommended we have her make us a REAL pina-colada. He said she would make us lunch and supply us with soda or cold beer and they also had a bathroom we could use. Well the bathroom was not very nice but we managed. My wife wanted a pina colada so we ordered one and watched her dig the center out of a pineapple she then beat up the contents and added the alcohol some fresh coconut milk and some ice and my wife had a great treat I ordered a large el presidenta beer and the total bill was only $8. We talked to some others from the boat who had very good and very cheep lunches but the lack of refrigeration kept me from joining them. There were fresh raw fish and crabs on the kitchen counters to choose for your lunch but they were intermixed with live bugs and all were unrefidgerated, I defiantly did not want to risk Montezuma’s revenge for the rest of the cruise. Back on the beach we had several locals selling everything from fake Cuban cigars to sea shells. Our tour guide helped negotiate a fair deal for those who were interested and kept those who were not from being harassed.

Back in the van we headed to our next tour site, a water fall. First our guide had our driver stop for cold beer and drinks. Then we pulled along the road for a very short walk to see a water fall. It was very small maybe 30 foot fall but very pretty. The local kids were skinny dipping jumping from the trees and rocks into the clear water, just to scale the trees and rocks and jump back in again. They made the climb effortlessly faster then I could have climbed a ladder to the same height. Back in the van we headed next to the cigar factory. Not really a factory but a shop with a man demonstrating how they make cigars. We each of us got a sample cigar to smoke. I purchased a bundle of 25 for $50 but really think for the same quality cigar I could have paid less on the internet. I wanted to buy authentic local cigars so I did not mind paying a little more. He also had better named cigars but all looked fake to my eye. I would rather buy from my local cigar dealer where I know what I’m getting. If I missed out on a great deal its my loss.

Back again in the van our driver and guide took those who did not want to shop back to the pier where they paid him and then took my wife and myself into town to shop for a few souvenirs. He asked if we wanted to go the local stores or to the flee market area. We choose the flea area. Our guide sent the driver on his way. (We told him we wanted to walk back to the ship when we were through.) Our guide stayed with us and helped negotiate our purchases. When we were done he walked us back to the pier were we paid him our $34 plus a nice tip. I enjoyed the day and was more then happy we did not stay on the ship. If you have any questions ask and I will try and answer you.

[Name Of The Game]

Thanks for the review. That was a good price but I don't think my mom would want us to risk our lives riding with a maniac. Were there at least seat belts in the vehicle? I don't blame you for not wanting to eat the food there.

[ziggydaddy]

the van we were in had no seat belts

[Name Of The Game]

Yikes. That's what I figured. :eek:

[familycruzer]

The van we had ... the door side door came open while on our way back to the ship and the driver did not understand English enough to pull over to let us close it. My 18 year old DD had to sit and hold it closed.

[Lady Patriot]

Taking a tour outside the ship's excursions definitely has its risks, as you've experienced, but it sounds like you had fun. Probably a good thing you didn't eat some of the local cuisine. Bugs just aren't my thing either. :eek:

But then again, we took a boat tour of Belize through the cruise line, and I thought the guy was going to drown us.

Thanks. We'll be there this fall.

[ziggydaddy]

We almost NEVER take ship tours. I find that most ship tours are over priced and over crouded. If you are a little carefull do your homework before going and keep an open mind you can find some great adeventures at great prices.

[biomedbob]

George:

 

We will be there in April. Still unsure of what we we want to do.

 

Thanks for the review. :)