everything you need to know to visit las terrenas, dominican republic
las terrenas, dominican republic
Where is las terrenas?
Las Terrenas is a coastal town on the northeastern coast of the Dominican Republic. It is located on the Samana peninsula. Las Terrenas is known for its white sandy beaches, but also for the rolling hills and jungle-like climate and forests more inland. It is north of Santo Domingo and quite a ways west from the resort-town of Punta Cana.
how do i get there? do i need to rent a car?
Coson Beach, Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
where do i stay?
We rented an AirBnB and our hosts were great! There are several other hotel or resort options, but we definitely felt safe in our AirBnB community. We stayed at Casa Zen which is on Coson Beach in the Los Nomades community. Most of the rental units that we came across slept at least 8-10 people, had their own pool, large outdoor spaces and were walking distance to at least one beach! We chose this one for their big indoor and outdoor spaces and proximity to the beach especially.
beaches to go to?
Playa Coson
Coson Beach is a 5-minute walk from the Los Nomades community. It’s a beautiful beach lined with palm trees!
Right along the beach (to the left) is a hotel with a restaurant called the Ocean Grill, which was perfect for morning coffee or an afternoon snack while relaxing on the beach! In terms of other places that are within immediate walking distance there is not much.
Playa Bonita
If you are up for a 30-40 minute walk (to the right of Playa Coson) then head to Playa Bonita for the day. It’s a pretty walk along the water that leads you to a boardwalk with several restaurants and bars to eat at. We probably would have spent more time here if we had the ATV for longer!
Playa Punta Popy
These beach requires a drive. There is a public parking lot here that was very inexpensive. It was a bit busy, but we were able to find some peace a quiet as we walked down the beach more. There were also some restaurants along the beach here that were super cute to check out!
Playa Las Terrenas
This was probably our least favorite beach. It did require a drive from where we were staying, but the others that we visited were much more pristine!
restaurants to eat at?
Our favorite restaurants along Playa Bonita: Beluga Beach Club & SO Beach Club!
Other than that we mostly took advantage of having our own space at home to cook meals. We found groceries to be very inexpensive and fresh! It was fun to wind down at night, having a home-cooked meal and eating outside on the patio.
We did have the option to hire a chef to come and cook for us one night, we opted not to, but reach out if this is something you’re interested in and I can send you the WhatsApp!
what else is there to do there?
Check out my blog post on visiting the famous waterfall nearby! Cascada El Limon.
hiking el limon waterfall
It all begins with an idea.
We spent one week in Las Terrenas, DR and adventuring out of town to hike to this was my favorite day.
how do i get to el limon?
The El Limon waterfall or ‘Cascada el Limon’ is only a short drive from Las Terrenas, about 30 minutes!
There are several ways to get here and access the falls, so keep reading. If you rented a vehicle and are driving yourself to the falls, use these coordinates: 19.28437 N, 69.43814 W. This will take you directly to the parking lot & trailhead. However, if you don’t have your own means of transportation, take a guagua (or a bus), a private taxi or sign up for a group tour that includes transportation.
We took our ATV to the falls and on the way there, there were several locals summoning us to come with them to the falls and use their tour guides, so… eventually we caved and went with one of them, better safe than sorry! But, by all means this does not need to be a guided hike per se.
We paid about 300 pesos ($20 USD) for the guide and then there was a national park access fee of 50 pesos per person.
how difficult is the hike to el limon waterfall?
So, to be honest, we were not expecting a hike. I was thinking that it was a short walk to a waterfall - I wore my waterproof birkenstocks which was not necessarily ideal. For an avid hiker it was a fairly easy to moderate hike, however for a beginner hiker it was definitely on the moderate to hard side! My watch clocked 3.12 miles and 900 feet of elevation gain! Be sure to wear comfortable shoes that you don’t mind getting wet and muddy.
And on the plus side, if you have hired a guide to take you and you aren uncomfortable with navigating down on the wet and slippery rocks, there are horses and mules that you could rent to take you down! There is also a small hut that is pictured above where you can purchase refreshments.
was it worth it?
YES. I’ve never been one to explore off the beaten path when going on a ‘beach vacation or take in the surroundings other than the beach, but I am so glad I did and this really changed my perspective when visiting new places that I would typically only consider are for relaxing on at the beach.
