Samana

Introduction

Island beach

© greatgrandmaR

Samana is a city along the northeast coast of the Dominican Republic. Samaná is the name of both the peninsula and its biggest town, as well as the bay to the south. It's worth noting that to locals, Samaná denotes only the largest town, Santa Bárbara de Samaná, which makes a great departure point for whale-watching or an excursion to Los Haitises Park across the bay. The bay is home to some of the world's best whale-watching from mid-January to late March. It was settled originally when a sailing vessel called the Turtle Dove, carrying several hundred slaves that had escaped from Philadelphia, was blown ashore here in 1824.

Sights and Activities

• Whale Museum of Samana - the Whale Museum, an entire museum dedicated to whales and their lives. In addition to the many exhibits featuring migration patterns and life as a whale, the centerpiece of the museum is the forty foot humpback whale skeleton. Address: Avenida La Marina, Samaná 32000, Dominican Republic, Phone: (809) 538-2042, Hours: open daily from 8:00am to 5:00pm from mid-January to mid-March. During the rest of the year they are only open on weekdays from 8:00am to 3:00pm., Price: 75 Dominican pesos
  

  Whale bones

  © greatgrandmaR

• Whale Watchind (15 Dec 2016 - 30 Mar 2017) - About 2,000 humpback whales from all over the world come to have their calves in the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean.off the shores of the Dominican Republic
• "La Churcha" - The historic Dominican Evangelical Church is the oldest original building left in Samaná. It came across the ocean from England in 1881 in a hundred pieces and was reassembled here. In 1946 a city-wide fire wiped out most of Samaná's wooden buildings and Victorian architecture; this church was miraculously saved Address: 2 blocks north of the cruise ship pier, Phone: 809-538–2579

Sleep

Keep Connected

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Post

INPOSDOM is the national postal service of the Dominican Republic and unfortunately, although things are getting better, is not known for its fast and efficient services. It takes at least a few weeks for your letter or postcard to arrive in the USA and even longer for Europe or other continents. It costs from RD$3 to North America and from RD$4 elsewhere for standard letters and postcards. Post offices generally are open from around 8:00am to 3:00pm, though in big cities and tourist resort areas there are sometimes longer hours and you can usually give your postcards are major hotels and resorts as well at all times. Stamps are available at post offices, but at many shops and kiosks and some hotels as well. Sending packages is not recommended through the official postal service, and it's much better to use good international courier companies like UPS, TNT or DHL.

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