Departure from France and arrival in Santo Domingo.
Welcome at the airport with assistance in French and transfer by private taxi to your Villa Colonial hotel in the heart of the colonial quarter in a double room with breakfast for 1 night.
Located in the heart of Santo Domingo's colonial district, Villa Colonial is an old building that has been restored with charm and elegance. There are 11 comfortable rooms in this small, well-kept hotel, and breakfast is served in the gazebo by the swimming pool.

After breakfast, pick up your hire car directly from the hotel.

Optional excursion
Visit to the colonial quarter with a private English-speaking guide, including entrance to monuments.

Lunch on your own.

Departure for the Barahona region, in the south-west of the country, a 200 km, 3-hour drive. We pass through banana and sugarcane growing areas, before crossing the arid and semi-desert zones that characterise this region, including the Azua desert, home to a variety of cactus species.
Check-in and overnight at the hotel for 4 nights.

Optional excursion

08:00: Departure from the hotel.
09:00: Break in Oviedo Park.
11:00: Departure by boat from the village of La Cueva for Las Aguilas beach.
Creole lunch on the beach (to be paid for locally).
3pm: Return to La Cueva.
16:30: Swimming in the natural pools of Los Patos.
6pm: Arrival at the hotel
Dinner on your own and overnight at the hotel.

Optional excursion

Isla Cabritos National Park is home to Lake Enriquillo, which covers an area of 200km². The lake lies 30m below sea level and its waters are 3 times saltier than the sea.
08:00: Departure from your hotel.
10.00: Boat tour of the lake, crocodile and bird watching
13:00: Typical village lunch (to be paid for locally)
2.30pm: Visit to the Taïno cave
15:30: Swimming in the natural pool.
6.00 pm: Arrival at your hotel
Dinner on your own and overnight at the hotel.

Optional excursion

08:00: Departure from the hotel.
09:00: Departure by boat to visit the Lagoon. Walk between the Lagoon and the sea,
12.00: Lunch at your leisure on the Ile aux Iguanes.
14:00; Short digestive walk with panoramic views over the lagoon. Return by boat to Oviedo.
17:00: Return to the hotel.
Dinner on your own and overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast and departure for the Samana Peninsula: 6-hour drive.
Crossing the island from south to north-east, coconut groves and rice fields as far as the eye can see, then the magnificent road that crosses the northern Cordillera to the village of las Terrenas.

Things to do in Las Terrenas and on the Samana Peninsula:

Visit small colourful villages, discover the lush vegetation along the coffee route, walk on Robinson's beaches and have lunch with your feet in the sand, take a boat trip and dive into crystal-clear waters,.... or simply do nothing!

Check-in at Costa Las Ballenas, on the "Playa Bonita" beach, a charming hotel decorated with care and perfectly integrated into nature, facing the sea.

Free dinner and overnight at the hotel

Breakfast at the hotel.

Optional excursion

Morning departure from your hotel by mini bus to Sanchez. Board fast boats and cross the bay of Samana.
The visit continues in the caves where the Taino Indians have left pictograms and petroglyphs on the walls, a moving reminder of a bygone age. The park also boasts 120 species of sedentary and migratory birds. Sailing between the Mogotes (islets of karstic formation, unique landscapes in the Caribbean), to the mouth of the underground river "el Naranjito" where prawn fishermen still practice in a very authentic way.
Creole lunch on a small beach in the bay
Return to Las Terrenas around 3.00 pm.
Rest of the day free
Dinner on your own and overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Optional excursion

Departure from Las Terrenas: 8.00 am
Taxi across the peninsula, along the cordillera: an impressive landscape of coconut groves overlooking the ocean on one side and the bay of Samana on the other.
At the very end of the road: Las Galeras, a small fishing village with an indolent rhythm, where the boats are waiting to take you to Playa Fronton and Playa Madame, real Robinson beaches, still untouched. Snorkel in the crystal-clear waters before setting off for the majestic Playa Rincon.
Swim in the turquoise sea and relax before returning home.
Return to Las Terrenas: 17h00
Dinner on your own and overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Optional excursion

Departure at 08:00. Arrive at the ranch, meet and greet, and a guide will accompany you to your horse (small, very docile horses). After 45 minutes on paths lined with lush vegetation, you will discover magnificent waterfalls, one of which is around 50 m high. You can cool off in a natural pool at the foot of the waterfall.
On your return, stop off at a ranch for a typical Dominican lunch.
Our tip: it's best to take this tour in the morning to avoid the heat and to take advantage of the zenith at the waterfall site.
Option to do it on foot. Excursion in a small group with an English-speaking guide.
Return around 1.30pm.
Rest of the day at leisure.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Optional excursion

Departure from the hotel at 8am for the "Harmony with the Whales" excursion (20 Jan to 31 March only).
The difference between whale watching and simply looking at a whale lies in the information provided to the observer; knowing what species they are and how to identify them, discovering why they come to Samana Bay and what makes them unique. It's not just about having an unforgettable experience, it's also about understanding why it's our duty to protect all marine mammals in their natural environment for generations to come.
Back at 12:30.
Drive to Santo Domingo airport (approx. 1hr 45mins) and return your hire car before your return flight.