Day 7: Salto el Limón
The night of our arrival at Samana I did some deep research on how to go about getting to this waterfall and found an awesome blog that talked about their experience during this adventure. I screenshot the main points and was ready to go!
That morning, after some coffee, we got in the car and drove about 20 minutes into Samana to reach our destination. We made a quick stop to buy breakfast empanadas and drinks then we continued on to the waterfall. Once there we found a parking area with people who try to sweeten a deal for you. They rent you a parking space for the car, horses which each comes with a guide, and a very appetizing meal for after the tour. We went with the parking and horses but declined the food because we wanted to eat closer to the beach.
They helped us on the horse and started the tour around 10am. No one in our group had ridden a horse before but it seemed that that didn't bothered us. We got riding like nothing and all I could think about was "what on earth am I doing?" And that was nothing, I had yet to realize what I had gotten myself into. For 45 minutes we traveled through a mountain with very steep high and low pathways. I can still remember going down the first pathway. It was rocky on the sides with the middle being full of wet slippery dirt. I worried that my horse would lose its balance and that I would fall face first on a giant rock. Then it was over and I was happy. We crossed a river and it was beautiful! The cold clear water with a steady flow, my family each on a horse, the weather wasn't too hot (specially because it was still early in the morning), and everything around us was greenery and so calm and quiet. It was all so peaceful! There were several times that I would panic because we were too close to the edge with a huge dip that if one was to fall there was no coming back from it. I mean it guys, it was scary! Soon we reached a beautiful area that overlooked the mountains and even ocean. It was all breathtaking. Not in a million years did I imagined I would found myself "hiking" a mountain in a horse but boy was I glad it was not just a dream. We took some pictures and continued moving. Again I remember another steep hill. At this point all I could think about was having to come back on this same trail in order to make it back to the car. I won't even be surprised if my tour guide was getting a little annoyed with my freaking out every 5 minutes.
We came to a stop at about 10:50 where we parked our horses and took a quick rest before finishing the trail by going down some steps. If I remember correctly there was a little over 200 steps. That was not even near as bad as going down the steps of El Yunque in Puerto Rico. And it only took about 15 minutes each way without stopping.
Gosh it was beautiful when we finally reached our destination. The water had this beautiful clear green color and the waterfall itself was so high and breathtaking. It was everything I had envisioned and saw online. The water was super cold and everyone was enjoying themselves to the max. Especially the kids. This will be an unforgettable experience for them I am sure. AJ still talks about the horse ride till this day. Just a couple days ago during dinner he said "Come on Marcos, Lets go. Vamonos" which was what the tour guide would say to the horse that he was on with his daddy.
If it was up to AJ he would have brought the horse home lol.
Can I just add that the tour guides were amazing! They helped out so much and helped with AJ (putting him on his children as we went back up the steps) as well as carrying my huge beach bag that had our towels and other belongings. The one even stayed behind in the rest are with my aunt that decided not to go down to the waterfall because she was afraid she wasn't going to make it. She said that she was thankful for making it that far and that we should go on down without worries. I was a bit hesitant to leave her but there were other people there and she had drinks and snacks. Then her tour guide told us not to worry about her that his job was to keep her safe and that he was going to stay with her if she didn't want to go downbeat how nice was that. It definitely took me off guard.
We stood in there about an hour just talking, swimming, and enjoying everything around us. It wasn't extremely pack, it was just perfect. We even saw some people climb a certain height and jump off. I was able to catch this really awesome one from high up but never saved it to my phone after posting it to snapchat so now it is gone :( other people jump from a lower distance but I didn't have my camera with me. We left everything out if the waster with the tour guides. They said their job was to keep us safe, hold our belongings, take pictures of us, and make sure we had a great time. Now wasn't that nice! They sure work hard for their money and earned every bit of it. We weren't require to pay/tip them because they came with the horse fee (total of $12 American money) but they do depend on the tips as their pay so hubby tipped them $20 each. I read that some gave less and some gave more. Since Junny laid for 5 of us we did that much but would have probably done more if it was only 2 of us. So keep that in mind if you ever go on this adventure.
We made it back to our car around 1:15pm and carried on to the beach for dinner. We ended up finding this adorable little spot right on the beach whose food was out of this world. So delicious! So full of flavor and super cheap. For 7 of us we ended up paying less than $75 and everything was seafood. From shrimp, to fried fish, fish in a coconut sauce, a mix of shrimp octopus and kunt, served with rice, beans, avocado, salad, fresh natural juice, and coffee. Omg one of the best meal of this trip. This place was for sure a hidden gem.
We stayed about another hour after eating taking pictures and then we walked over to the hotel and chilled in the pool till about 10pm. This day was more than a success in my book. Usually my plans never turn out as I envision them but this one surpass it in more ways that I could have ever imagined. I would love to go back to Samana in future trips. The town alone was very appealing to me ;)
Thank you Samana for the wonderful experience!
Weekly pictures of my boys 33/52 (late)
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