Your Samana with Terry is your source for all of your touring needs in the Dominican Republic. Booking is easy via their website and their tour operators are super responsive via email or WhatsApp. We are frequent visitors to the Samana area, and have ways used them for all of our tours, excursions and boat rentals. Our tour operator, Eliseo picked us up for both of our tours on time and became a member of our group the entire time. He was friendly, funny and professional with us the entire time. We were celebrating a birthday and Eliseo took us to a bakery to pick up a cake and surprised us with a gift for the meme ver of our party celebrating a birthday. If you are visiting Samana, make sure to book all of your tours with them and ask for Eliseo.

I would highly recommend this tour. I was picked up from my hotel in Punta Cana at 6.45am along with 8 other guests from hotels in the area. The drive felt very safe and was a really interesting view of the countryside, small towns and villages. The panga-style boat ride from Samana Bay to Cayo Levantado was a little hairy - if you sit at the front, it is very bumpy and at the back you are likely to get soaked. However, Kim's boat for the whale watching is much more comfortable! We had an amazing time viewing a mother and baby whale. Kim and her team are knowledgeable, and follow the rules for boats viewing the whales (which others did not). My only caveat would be that the panga style speed boats are probably best avoided if you have back/neck issues.

I have tried to be as honest and fair in this review as possible so you can make up your own mind. We took the whale tour with Terry because we wanted to do the tour wth Kim Beddall's boat and from Punta cana Terry is the only one associated with Kim Beddall. Booking was easy and communication was good, our first planned date had to be changed due to bad weather and Terry communicated with us very well. We were picked up at 7 and there were already 2 people in the van from another hotel. The van was new, comfy and air-conditioned. We started off for the 2 hour ish drive to the port. About 40 minutes in to the journey the driver recieved a phone call and from our limited Spanish we understood him to say things like really? Are you serious? We obviously thought the tour was cancelled. What in fact had happened was that 2 people from the first pick up hadn't been at the pick up point on time and for whatever reason he either didn't have them on his list or just went without them so we turned around. We stopped at a texaco station where we could use the toilet and get snacks while we waited for the other couple to arrive. They arrived it was awkward and less comfy in the van!. We finally arrived at the little jetty where we were to get our small boat to Cayo levanto where we would pick up the bigger whale watching boat. I love boats, I've sailed since I was a child and I had read that this first crossing was rough but I didn't realise how rough it would be. 2 of us were ok with the ride the others at first were frightened that they would die and as the ride went on they wished they would because then at least it would be over. It truly was a hellish ride! On Cayo levanto we paid the marine sanctuary fee of 5 dollars or 250 pesos each and were rushed onto Kim Beddall's whale watching boat. As we were late there was no time to use the facilities or change and the best spots in the big boat were taken. We headed out to open water being told to look out for whale spouts, it seemed like every time someone on our side of the boat saw something the captain turned the boat so that the whales were now on the opposite side. We didn't ever get really close and unless you had a telephoto lens the chances of good photos or videos were next to none. All in all we saw about 12 whales, in the distance and I got a few nice photos and one tiny piece of video worth looking at. We were on the big boat about 3 hours. It was nice there was a toilet and they brought around snacks and soft drinks and gave us all sea bands to wear that were supposed to help with sea sickness. The swells were very large and it was very precarious to move around the boat. The wife of the late arrivals spent the whole trip throwing up, afterwards we joked that she should have spent her $200 on a good bottle of booze and had the same results! Back on Cayo levante we were led through a market to our lunch which was pretty standard fare chicken, fish, rice, salad and water but nice and adequate. We were then told that we would be getting a larger catamaran back so it should be a better journey, which it was, but by the smallest of margins. The island was pretty, but very crowded and after being told that we, as a group, could decide how much time we would spend there we didn't get a choice and half an hour after lunch we had to stand in the blazing sun with hundreds of others on the Dock for 40 minutes until our catermeran arrived. No beach time or swimming time. We took a drybag with clothes to change into and snorkeling gear but didn't get a change to do either. If you do decide on this trip wear your swimming clothes and put everything else in a drybag. Everything WILL get soaked through. The journey back was as wet and bumpy as the ride there but felt a little safer as the boat had 50 people plus 4 crew on instead of just the six of us on the small boat. Our driver was waiting for us and we piled back in to the van dripping wet. The driver played techno dance music all the way home and any reviews of the drive being also like a guide and telling us about the country on the drive didn't manifest. All in all I saw many more whales, closer up from my balcony when I went to puerta vallarta one December. Unless you're an absolute whale enthusiast with a lot of photography equipment and very good sailor with great sea legs I wouldn't recommend it. Terry and Kim can't control the weather or the whales however the speedboat option needs to be rethought and another way to get you from punta cana needs to be offered. We were all adults and half of us were terrified I wouldn't recommend taking children via this option. However our motto is it's better to do something and regret it than not do something and regret it. It was an experience and a tale to tell but an experience I don't wish to repeat.

Simply the best tour if you are planning on seeing the whales. Kim and her staff were excellent. She will explain all about the whales and they are able to do so in several languages. We were able to view three whales and she explained all the behaviors. Professional start to finish. If we take guests back, we would certainly use this trip. Others that combine the island visit will get you a glance and move to the island. This trip was focused on the whales, so know what is important to you before you choose who to go with. Would make one note, if you get seasick take your precautions as some on the boat became ill due to the rather choppy waters that day.

Tour Samana With Terry ⁩ ⁩ ⁩ ⁩ ⁩ ⁩ ⁩ ⁩ ⁩ ⁩ ⁩ ⁩ ⁩ ⁩ ⁩ ⁩ ⁩ ⁩ ⁩ ⁩ View all Tour Samana With Terry 4.5 (27) OVERVIEW UPDATES SERVICES REVIEWS PHOTOS Google review summary 5 4 3 2 1 4.5 (27) Reviews Allguide 4 email 3 Sort by Most relevant Newest Highest Lowest Eric Brock 4 reviews 4 minutes ago NEW Today we had a lot of fun. We did a combined waterfall tour and cultural tour. The waterfall was very beautiful, and I always love hiking. It was about 2 miles of rugged terain round trip. We chose not to ride the horses, but if you …More Jacqui Jordan 10 reviews·6 photos 5 months ago We went on a tour of Samana and the surrounding areas. The original tour we signed up for was the culture tour of El Valle but after the hurricane it was unpassable. Terry emailed me and offered a refund or to have a tour of different area. …More Bryan Schinkel 20 reviews 4 years ago My wife and I used Terry for a tour to Playa Rincon on March 16th. He responded to all my emails quickly and seemed well organized. We were picked up right on time at the hotel and our driver/tour guide was very friendly and spoke English …More Dayna Tomaselli 2 reviews 5 years ago Terry was so helpful through email with my questions and requests. We booked several transports from airport to 2 different lodging locations and back to airport. We also did the Zipline Tour. My husband and I had such a great time with …More 1 Pedro Torres Local Guide·30 reviews·36 photos 6 years ago Terry knows what a tourist will enjoy. My family of 5 enjoyed everything we had time for with Terry and associates. Plenty of food and Drinks on each trip and well organized to keep street pedlers away. Tom and Natalie Sadler 3 reviews 4 years ago Awesome tours from awesome people! This is THE place to book tours in the Samaná peninsula. I’ve been on almost every tour they offer and have had a blast every time. They’ll bend over backwards to make sure you have a terrific time. 2 Michael Napolitano Local Guide·50 reviews·26 photos 4 years ago Took this tour a few years ago, horseback to El Limon, then boarded ATVs to Rincon; got to see a lot of the countryside, tour guide didn't speak much english, but was quite friendly. A great experience. Philip McLean 2 reviews·1 photo 5 years ago Terry is always a real gent and eager to please by going the extra mile to make your holiday to Samaná unforgettable. Dirk Wetzel 7 reviews·5 photos 3 years ago Fantastic tour, nice contact via e-mail with Terry, everything perfectly organized Emily Rafferty 6 reviews·1 photo 8 years ago We did quite a few tours With Terry, we had a blast on all of them. Kai Feketefoldi Local Guide·117 reviews·99 photos 6 years ago These guys have amazing places that you can visit. Check them out if you want to have a thrill for your next stay! András Tordai 9 reviews 6 years ago Its a 5 star service from Terry and his team. Highly recommended!!! 1 jsiniciativadigital Local Guide·14 reviews·10 photos 6 years ago Best tours ever with this guide!!!!!! 1 Jasper Sonderen Local Guide·136 reviews·1047 photos a month ago (Translated by Google) I had a fantastic experience at Tour Samana With Terry. From start to finish I was helped perfectly. I had a number of wishes and they helped me plan everything so that I could do what I wanted to do: whale watching …More Photo 1 in review by Jasper Sonderen Photo 2 in review by Jasper Sonderen Photo 3 in review by Jasper Sonderen Photo 4 in review by Jasper Sonderen +6 Ivan Weis 1 review a month ago (Translated by Google) We did a whale watching tour in the morning, lunch and El Limon waterfall. It was a beautiful day, with driver and guide Eliseo. He picked us up at the …More Liliana Ferreyra 9 reviews a year ago (Translated by Google) It rained torrentially all day. That prevented us from riding to Cascada El Limón. We were very cold since they had not warned us about the possibility of rain, so we were all homeless. I got sick because of it. The …More Tour Samana With Terry (owner) a year ago First, you never went on a tour with us. I looked up your name and you absolutely did not go on this tour with Tour Samana With Terry. Also, it appears that you should have written your review about the weather and not about the tour operator. JAIME CASTILLO 53 reviews·28 photos 3 years ago (Translated by Google) Unserious and irresponsible company. Having reconfirmed 02 times upon my arrival. They did not pick me up from the lodging in Las Terrenas to the Haitises Tour and Cayo Levantado. I don't recommend... …More Tour Samana With Terry (owner) 4 years ago First of all we drove 40 minutes to pick you up even though you were the only person going on the tour that day. The hotel that you had on your reservation was not the hotel you were staying at. We asked you to meet us at a public location nearby and wouldn’t hear of it. We are very sorry that we missed you but we did everything we could despite all the confusion caused by this. Ybis Rodriguez Local Guide·212 reviews·801 photos 6 years ago (Translated by Google) A landmark in samana (Original) …More Photo 1 in review by Ybis Rodriguez 1 angel cedeño Local Guide·26 reviews·9 photos 6 years ago (Translated by Google) Very entertaining, (Original) Muy entretenido, jose antonio Trinidad Local Guide·385 reviews·6 photos 4 years ago (Translated by Google) recommended (Original) recomendada Anne-Marie Van Leeuwen 10 reviews·18 photos 2 years ago Miguel Dishmey 2 reviews 4 years ago Luke Look 7 years ago Stefanie Radtke Local Guide·28 reviews·71 photos 3 years ago Eric Brock 4 reviews 4 minutes ago NEW Today we had a lot of fun. We did a combined waterfall tour and cultural tour. The waterfall was very beautiful, and I always love hiking. It was about 2 miles of rugged terain round trip. We chose not to ride the horses, but if you don't want to hike, that is an option. I got some great pictures of my wife swimming around. Very romantic. It was not too crowded, about 30 people in the area. As spectacular as the waterfall is, the lunch was even better. We had a Dominican flag: rice, beans and chicken. The spices were very mild (not spicy Iike some Caribbean and Mexican cooking can be), but very tasty. Traditional wood fired cooking, it was delicious. 2nds were free; the cooks were very hospitable and came out to talk to us. On the way back, our tour guide, Elijah, stopped off to show us traditional cooking of coconut bread. It is absolutely wonderful, like a very sweet corn bread in the United States. Love the flavor and smell of coconut. Elijah seemed to know everyone, and I can tell he is well liked by all the business people at each of our stops. His knowledge and friendly smile were wonderful. What a great guy. I loved listening to his stories of growing up in the country and how the Dominican Republic is changing. Terry's company is wonderful. If you have any questions, need to change anything or have a problem, Terry responds in less than an hour by email (or call him by phone or Whatsapp). It is like you have your own personal travel agent for free! I want to thank you, Terry, for a wonderful day. I really got a sense of the friendly people of the Dominican Republic. It was a perfect trip! Eric

Did the Whale Watching with Kim from Grand Bahia El Portillo and had a great day! Eliseo was out guide and provided transportation. Every thing was on time and went off without a hitch. Eliseo provided more than a drive, more like a short guided tour! Very informative and answered all our questions. The whale watching was done on a large boat complete with washrooms. The staff are incredibly knowledgeable with great service. We got to see several whales playing. The boat ride is a bit rocky but to be expected as you are on the open ocean. The staff have all the tricks to help prevent seasickness and we were fine. Back on dry land Eliseo was waiting for us right at the dock. On the trip back he even made a stop for us to get more coconut bread! You have to try this bread! Fantastic! Terry’s outfit provides relaxed professional service without being or feeling rushed. Highly recommend them!

We went with one of Kim’s tours today. It was fabulous. The boat was great and Kim and her team were highly knowledgeable and helpful throughout. They clearly know the waters well as we enjoyed seeing plenty of whales and even a scarce leatherback turtle. The team provided assistance to those who suffered on the water (!) and offered biscuits and sweets. Kim speaks in French, English and Spanish which catered for everyone on board. We would highly recommend anyone using this service.

Stay far far away from this tour guide. My family and I and 15 other people unfortunately had the bad luck of chosing this company to take us from miches to samana to see the whales on a larger boat. The boat that arrived for us was just an old pirogue when other tours had large catamarans. The boat was really very dodgey, no safe access from the dock to the boat and the life jackets onboard belonged in the garbage. The water this day was very rough so not even certain they should have allowed us to go out in this type of boat. Here is where the misadventure starts. I should start by saying we had 10 young children on board and two elderly. We can only describe this trip as our worst nightmare, final destination kind of thing and I am not exaggerating. The boat was going at top speeds cutting and jumping through large swells for 30 minutes but seemed like a lifetime. Everyone on board was screaming and crying . Holding on for dear life. We begged the captain to slow down. Could not understand why he was driving so fast. It was violent and dangerous. Just a very traumatizing experience for all. When we arrived closer to the offloading dock he sped up even faster cutting infront of another boat that had clearly arrived before us. And atlast we understood. He was late and the large whale boat full of people were all waiting on us. So basically we risked our lives not to lose his cut of the pie (money). We were all frazzled, some in pain, some in tears and visibly shaken when we were ushered immediately onto the other boat. Just grateful to make it back to land alive. For the rest of the whale watching trip we couldn’t relax and did not enjoy the tour . We asked for another captain or boat for our return but this was not possible. After the whale tour we were taken in land to have a lunch prepared for us. It was very disappointing to say the least and after spending so much we expected something better. We were also only offered one bottle of water or soda per person for all these hours. Imagine this! The boat was late again to pick us up to take us back to miches and all 20 of us spoke up to the captain about being more careful heading back. Our entire day was ruined and I have literally nothing good to say about this experience. It wasn’t just that it was uncomfortable but it was most definitely dangerous. Non of us signed up for an adventure thrill seeking day. We had our children and parents with us. Safety must come first. The captain should even be reported to the authorities for their recklessness and endangerment of the 20 people on board this boat. Breff Save your money or chose another tour guide company.

We chose the full day whale tour combined with a trip to Cayo Levantado. Everything went very smoothly and they are great with communication before hand so you know exactly when and where you will get picked up. Bear in mind that this trip takes a really early start and you may get a pick up time of around 6am. Smooth hourly by air conditioned coach to the port and then on to Cayo Levantafo to get picked by by Kim's boat for the whale watching. We saw about 5 whales during the trip (separately not in a single pod). Magnificent experience. After the whale watching, you get returned to Cayo Levantado for a late lunch and some beach time. There are several shops selling souvenirs and coconut rum drinks, or you can just rent a beach chair for a while. Terry allows the group to decide on the when they would like to leave the island and while it may be tempting to stay late, bear in mind that depending on where your resort is (usually Punta Cana), the journey back may take some time. Definitely recommend!

We went on a tour of Samana and the surrounding areas. The original tour we signed up for was the culture tour of El Valle but after the hurricane it was unpassable. Terry emailed me and offered a refund or to have a tour of different area. We are so happy we told him we still wanted to go. There were 3 adults and a 4 year old and the guide Elijah was amazing! He took us to a cigar factory, a cocoa tree, coffee trees, and a fish reserve. We got to walk the bridge over the ocean and stop for the most incredible Coco Locos. After we had lunch at a local place on the water and had fish in a coconut sauce. Then we stopped to have fresh baked coconut bread and candy. Before this trip I thought I hated coconut but it turns out I love it. If you have a chance to go with Elijah take it! It was amazing!

Overall the trip was satisfactory and it was good to see more of the Dominican countryside a d mountains. Pick up was prompt and the journey was pleasant- around 2 hours or just over each way. The whale trip was great and we saw 6 whales during it- as it was a nice day we sat out front and sea sickness bands were provided (though unfortunately my partner was the only one of the group to become affected after the first hour)- drinks were provided. Kim was also informative but this is run as a separate enterprise by Tour Samana with Terry. Communication was good before. It was also good to spend around 2 hours of the day (in 2 stints) on Cayo Levantado. A lovely place but also quite busy in afternoon. Lunch was satisfactory though had a better lunch the day before on another trip. Unfortunately there are a fair few flies on the island eating area which was off putting but cannot be helped by the operator! The main downside of the trip, which has been requested not to be mentioned in other reviews but which is important is the 'speedboat' trip across and back from the island. It was truly death defying and despite wearing a winter waterproof jacket we were all soaked to the skin and had sore eyes from the salt at the end of both trips. It's like the worst log flume ever without safety harness (or life jacket!?) I don't know how to write a review without mentioning this. The trip isn't cheap- around £300 GBP or $410. For this price I would imagine surely they could arrange a safer and more comfortable mode of transport. The day earlier I had paid a cheaper price for a luxury day long catamaran cruise around the same distance from Punta Cana and I really would advise the operators to think about a better and bigger boat for the big Atlantic waves! And ours was a fairly calm day too! The boat was literally falling apart in some places. When a lot of the reviews focus on this it really does take away from what COULD be the perfect trip. Hence 4 stars as it was worth it for the whales, island and lovely minibus trip but be fully aware you may as well strip to your swim gear, save your dry clothes... and pray!

The beaches are beautiful! The service provide also very good meeting all our desires. The tide can be a little bit rough, but the boat captain was great and kept us safe!

Due to the situation with the Coronavirus, our cruise was suddenly cancelled. I contacted Terry and in less than 48 hours we had a full refund. He was friendly, and very understanding. Even though we did not get to experience a tour with him, based on the business dealings alone, I would attempt to go Samana and take a tour.

This was the Best Whale Watching trip ever! We booked in February and so glad we went with Whale Samana. The biologist owner, Kim Beddall, was on board giving the talk and she has worked in Humpback Whale research and conservation for decades. My degree was in Marine Biology and she worked with the same world renowned groups I did in the US, The Center for Coastal Studies in Province town and Allied Whale in Bar Harbor. They participate in the ongoing Humpback Whale studies to track and study the migration of the Whales from their North Atlantic feeding areas to their birthing area around Samana. The scientific narration was engaging to all ages (my kids 10,15) and interesting. What a joy to see my kids awed and engaged for hours with these majestic creatures! There were 4 languages offered on our day and more available if needed. It's a large, clean, safe and sea worthy boat with modern safety features. They even pass out free water, soft drinks and snacks! Kim Beddall is kind and warm and there were 2 additional terrific naturalists and a photographer (for the whale research) and an excellent captain and friendly staff. Kim has worked hard to help set up the Internationally recognized Whale Sanctuary around Samana and develop safe practice rules for tours viewing Whales so as not harass them. if you care about the Whales and people of Smana and want to have fun doing it, this was a great trip you can feel good about. I'm glad we booked ahead because in country we were bombarded by street hawkers trying to sell us a whale watch trip. Most of the other boat trips are pricier than Kim's and the boats are tiny and in very rough shape. One such boat, about 18 feet long was out watching the day we were and it was a windy day and the people on that boat got tossed around a lot and no bathroom. I lived at sea for years but I would not have set foot on one of those rickety buckets. Anyway, it was fantastic and I recommend it most highly and hope to go back for more, thanks! Zan Knecht, PhD

I was scheduled to take a tour with Terry, which I needed to cancel due to the coronavirus. I notified him of my desire to cancel, and almost immediately received a credit back to my credit card. With all of the confusion at present, it was wonderful to have such a clean and efficient response; we will certainly tour with him once able. Thank you.