The 12 Samana Whale Watching Tours That Earn Their Price

1.Samana: Bay of Samana Whale Watching Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 97 reviews · 3 hours · from $65Our pick

Set out from Moto Marina at 9:30 am for a guided whale-watching trip in Samaná Bay. Spend time in the Marine Mammal Sanctuary looking for humpback whales, with coconut, water, and soft drinks provided. Guides speak English, Spanish, French, and German.

“The whale watching itself was great, we saw quite a few. But this excursion was advertised as 3.25 hours. We didn’t leave the marina until 10:00 am and were back by 12:30 pm. We could have spent more time watching the whales instead of rushing to drop guests off at Bacardi Island.”

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2.Samaná: Whale Watching and Cayo Levantado Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 21 reviews · 1 - 10 hours · from $6

Meet at Samaná’s Malecón at 8:30 AM for a local-led whale-watching trip, then sail to Cayo Levantado for a typical Dominican lunch and beach time. Guides including Captain Mario speak English, Spanish, and French. Expect a full day, with whale sightings dependent on timing and sea conditions.

“The whale watching tour was well-organized and the boat was fine but I found two parts to be disappointing. The first is that the date scheduled was before most of the whales arrive. There can be up to 300 whales in the bay but at this point there were only three. Does it make sense to schedule a tour when there are so few whales? Second, the majority of the time is spent on Cayo Levantado, which has a nice enough beach but is much less interesting than seeing whales. Perhaps my expectations were unrealistic. Regardless, the guides were professional, friendly, and helpful.”

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3.Samaná: Whale Watching and Cayo Levantado Island Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 21 reviews · 1 - 7 hours · from $6

Meet at Samaná’s Malecón at 9:30 AM for a boat trip into Samaná Bay, where local guides look for whales in their natural habitat. Afterward, spend free time on Cayo Levantado, also called Bacardi Island, with beach time, lunch, volleyball, and coastal views.

“While we saw a few whales, it was quite irritating that most other guests disregarded our guides‘ instructions to stay seated when there‘s a whale on their side of the boat so that everyone can see it. Our view was pretty much blocked because of that for a big portion of the whale watching excursion and some guests even reacted quite rudely when we asked them to sit down so that we‘d also get a chance to see something. While this was absolutely not our guides‘ fault, who kept telling people to stay seated, it still significantly affected our experience. Additionally, it felt like all the boats (not just ours)…”

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4.Samaná: Whale Watching Tour with Snacks

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 19 reviews · 20 minutes - 7 hours · from $2Best value

Join a Spanish-, English-, or French-speaking guide at Samaná’s dock for a boat trip into the bay and Marine Mammal Sanctuary. Look for humpback whales, enjoy coconut, water, and soda, and return around 1:30 PM. Some booking options may include Cayo Levantado.

“Fantastic whale watching experience in Samaná. Smooth ride, great guide, and beautiful views.”

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5.Samana: Half Day Whale Watching Humpback Whale Watching

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 15 reviews · 1 - 5 hours · from $6

Set out from Samaná at 9:00 am for a catamaran trip toward the Marine Mammal Sanctuary, where humpback whales gather in winter. A live guide in English, Spanish, or French shares facts while you watch for whales and enjoy coconut, soda, and water. Delays and short viewing time are possible.

“le point de rdv n'était pas celui indiqué heureusement les dominicains sont gentils et se connaissent bien et nous on bien aidé. le départ s'est fait 1h après l'horaire de rdv soit 10h. de plus le bateau ne me semble pas approprié pour l'observation des baleines sans qu'on se dérange s'il y a du monde sur le bateau. la mer était agitée nous n'avons pas vu beaucoup de baleines et le bateau est vite parti. sachant que nous avions pris la demi journée seulement. Le bateau a quand même été au cayo levantado et nous sommes reparti avec un autre bateau car seulement 3 a ne pas participer à la…”

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6.Samaná: Whale, Cayo Levantado, & Kayak in Samaná Bay Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 9 reviews · 20 minutes - 7 hours · from $2

Start at Samaná Port with a catamaran ride through the Humpback Whale Sanctuary, then eat a Dominican buffet and swim at Cayo Levantado. Back in town, paddle calm bay waters and walk the Bridges to Nowhere with a guide in English, Spanish, or French.

“Hicimos la excursion de Ballenas y vimos dos madres con crias! El guia fue muy atento. Luego de la comida en Cayo levantado hicimos kayaks y los niños la pasaron bien. Buena excursion para familias. Gracias!”

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7.Samana: Whale-Watching and Cayo Levantado Full-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 9 reviews · 6 - 7 hours · from $6

You’ll cruise from Samaná into the bay to look for humpback whales, with snacks, water, soft drinks, and a live guide in English, French, Spanish, or German. Afterward, enjoy beach time and an optional buffet lunch on Cayo Levantado, also called Bacardi Island.

“una bella escursione che consiglio di fare. noi l'abbiamo scelta perchè scendevano dalla crociera lì e coincidevano i nostri tempi. in teoria. in pratica invece l'incontro era alle 9.15 ma siamo partiti dopo 1 ora di attesa in un bar. Poi siamo stati due ore a vedere le balene. forse troppo tempo perchè diversi partecipanti hanno iniziato a stare male e hanno vomitato. diciamo che anche 90 minuti sono sufficienti. cayo levantado stupenda. alla fine la barca di ritorno ha fatto un pochino di ritardo e siamo corsi in nave senza poter visitare la città. peccato. se fossimo stati in orario avremmo sicuramente fatto un giro. in conclusione non ho…”

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8.Whale Watching + Cayo Levantado

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 8 reviews · 1 hour · from $6

Meet at Samaná’s Malecón at 8:30 AM for a local whale-watching cruise, then continue to Cayo Levantado, also called Bacardi Island, for a typical Dominican lunch and free beach time. Guides include Freddy and Il Grande, and private trips are available.

“Wow, le balene va a fortuna vederle e spesso da lontano ma certamente entusiasmante, Cayo Levantado e super una spiaggia fighissima”

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9.Samana: Whale Watching and Cayo Levantado Full Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 5 reviews · 1 - 7 hours · from $6

Take a boat from Samaná into the winter waters of Samaná Bay to look for humpback whales, then continue to Cayo Levantado, also called Bacardi Island. Your guide speaks English, Spanish, or French. Snacks, drinks, a buffet lunch, and beach time are included.

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10.Samana: Whale Watching and Cayo Levantado Full Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.2 · 4 reviews · 1 hour · from $6

Meet at Samaná’s Malecón at 8:30 AM for a boat trip to spot humpback whales, then continue to Cayo Levantado, also called Bacardi Island, for a typical Dominican lunch and free beach time. Guides speak English, French, and Spanish. Hotel pickup costs extra.

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11.Whales Watching Half Day Experience

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 4 reviews · from $89

You leave around 6:00 a.m. for a long boat journey from the Punta Cana area to Samaná Bay, where you get 45 minutes to watch humpback whales. Breakfast, transport, a guide, and a starfish pool are included. Lunch is not.

“Booked this excursion for clients, triple checked that they could be picked up at resort... tour operator cancelled excursion night before without reason or warning”

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12.Whale Watching Tour in Samana Bay from Las Terrenas

★★★★★★★★★★3.0 · 2 reviews · from $125

From Las Terrenas, spend about six hours watching humpback whales in Samaná Bay, then visit Cayo Levantado for beach time and a Dominican lunch. Pickup is offered, the group is capped at 30, and guide Papa George is named in the tour feedback.

“This tour was sold as a Whale Watching Tour, however, we only spent 40 minutes in Whale watching and 4 &1/2 hours at the beach, this was very misleading. Also the tour giude named Papa George used profanity a couple of times, finally the Read more”

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