In addition to the beach and palm trees, there are also cool places in the Dominican Republic. El Limon waterfall in the jungle of the Samana Peninsula, which is one of such places in the north of the country. A hike through a relic rainforest to one of the highest waterfalls in the Dominican Republic will greatly diversify your vacation. And the route can be passed even by people with poor physical fitness.
Table of contents:
- General Facts about El Limon Falls
- How to get to the start of path to the waterfall, map
- The route and the waterfall itself. Tips and photos.
- To the waterfall on horseback
- Price, opening hours, parking
- Guided tour to the waterfall
- Tip for the perfect visit to El Limon Falls
El Limon Waterfall
Further, you will learn everything you need to know to visit the waterfall, both on your own on foot and as part of an excursion group on horseback. There will be all the necessary information to easily get to such a cool attraction of the Dominican Republic.
For a complete list of the coolest attractions in the Dominican Republic, read in a separate large article.
General facts about El Limon Waterfall
Very briefly, I will not rewrite Wikipedia, but you should have an idea about this place.
- Height of El Limon – 56 m
- This is not the highest waterfall in the Dominican Republic, although tour sellers say so.
- In fact, El Limon is the third highest waterfall in the country.
- The first two: 121m and 83m are located in hard-to-reach places in the jungle, where a person cannot reach. Therefore, El Limon is the highest of the waterfalls in the Dominican Republic, which can be easily reached by an ordinary traveler, even on his own.
- El Limon reaches its maximum fullness and beauty from May to September during the rainy season. But even in the dry season, it will not disappoint you. About the season and weather of the Dominican Republic.
Important:
All photos from this article were taken at the end of February during the dry season.
Map of getting to the El Limon Falls
Before giving a map, there is one important point: there are 4 walking routes to the waterfall from different sides. All 4 are about the same length. But in this article there will be a report about the most important route, it is the easiest, there is the least difference in elevation and is considered the most beautiful. Since it is on this route that you approach the waterfall from the front and you will see such a view as in the photo below.
On other routes, you will approach El Limon from behind.
Map to El Limon waterfall
Useful information:
Download the free maps.me app on your phone, you will find excellent maps of the Dominican Republic that work without the Internet. And there is this trail to the El Limon waterfall, it will be very helpful for those who walk on their own without guide.
The waterfall is located in the center of the Samana Peninsula. Separately, follow the link to read an article about all the cities and interesting places of Samana.
It is quick and easy to get to the waterfall from: Las Galeras, Las Terrenas, Samana city. But at the same time, tourists come here from all over the country, even from Punta Cana. And from Punta Cana it is 5-6 hours one way. If you go to the waterfall from afar and on the January-March calendar, you just need to have time in one day to see humpback whales and reach EL Limon.
It is important to know:
Public transport does not go to the El Limon Falls. Only car rental, taxi or tour with transfer included.
The easiest, most comfortable way of course is by car. The link is a huge article about car rental in the Dominican Republic. There is probably all the necessary information and a million tips.
A taxi will not be very expensive, $ 20-50, from Las Terrenas – it’s only 21 km. If you are alone or together, without a car, you can consider mototaxi (motoconcho) from Las Terrenas – it will be cheaper than a regular taxi. And there he will wait for you to take you back.
How to get to the El Limon waterfall by car
If you chose a taxi or motorcycle taxi, then you will be brought to the entrance. If you’re driving yourself, here’s what you need to know:
- Parking is marked on the map above. Be sure to transfer your point to the navigator, and correctly.
- If you look carefully with zoom, then from the exit from the highway to the parking lot there are 400 meters.
- The exit from the highway is not marked at all. It’s just a gravel road through the village. Look carefully, we passed twice. Without a navigator you can’t follow the signs. By the way, so on all the sights of the Dominican Republic. This is their national problem – good navigation :).
- We left the highway and all the time along the same road, you can’t go wrong there, through the village to the parking lot.
- Throughout the entire 400 meters, you will find a bunch of homemade signs that this is where the official El Limon parking lot is.
- You have to drive to the very end, to the end of the road. There will be parking, and the same homemade sign as everywhere else, and a ticket office. Everything that happened before was how locals make money on tourists
Good to know:
The “official parking lot” marked on the map above is also someone’s yard. It was just fenced off for parking. Children take money for this parking after you return from the waterfall.
The route and the waterfall itself. Tips and photos.
Park your car and buy the entrance tickets right away. Keep in mind that you cannot pay with a card here, only cash, dollars or pesos.
Be prepared to face the initial and final pressure from the locals about how the road is difficult, dirty, and not walkable, and that you need to take a horse ride. If you refused, then go ahead to El Limon waterfall. If you’re interested in horseback riding, I’ll give more information later.
What you need to know about trekking to the waterfall:
- The length of the route is only 2200 meters
- On foot in one direction with stops to take pictures, drink water, admire the beauty of the jungle for 40-45 minutes
- The total height difference is only 140 meters. Moreover, most of this difference is at the very end of the route on the steps.
- The road to the waterfall is not perfect, but generally a well-groomed path. There is some dirt, there are areas with stones.
- My wife and I walked in slippers without any problems. Sneakers would be perfect.
- Also make sure to watch your step, not just the sides, if you don’t want to step in horse manure. Tourists also ride horses on this same road.
Important about shoes:
Along this route, there will be four river crossings. If you wear sandals, you will have no problems crossing but if you are wearing sneakers, you will have to take them off frequently. If it’s not a problem for you to get your sneakers wet, it’s best to wear them.
The first impressions are Wow! The waterfall is fantastic, you can swim, the time spent here is not limited. There are benches in the shade. The place is landscaped, but at the same time wild and right in the jungle. I personally think it’s one of the must-see places for everyone.
Tips
- Take a snack and water with you
- Swimwear and towel required
- On the way to the waterfall, there is a mini bar/cafe in the jungle, where you can buy water, cola, pineapple and coconut. If it’s open. It’s a shack made of metal sheet, sticks and cow pies. Do not expect a menu, working hours or prices. You’re lucky if they’re open, if not, they’re closed. Tranquilo, amigo.
- By the way, we were surprised that the water in the waterfall is not cold, but quite comfortable in temperature.
Horse riding to El Limon Falls
As you approach the parking lot, you’ll notice the abundance of stables and horses. You will inevitably be offered the opportunity to rent a horse at least five times. Local guides will tell you that the roads are mostly non-existent, filled with dirt, rocks, and that it would be very difficult to walk. Keep in mind that this is all done in an attempt to persuade you to rent a horse.
Personally, the author believes that a horse should only be rented under the following circumstances:
- You have difficulty walking and are worried you won’t be able to make it to the destination.
- You have a strong love for horses and have never ridden one before, but have always wanted to. This would be an opportunity to fulfill that dream.
- You have extra money to spare.
Please note that for each horse, a local boy will be assigned to lead the horse throughout the journey. Despite what you may be told, you will need to pay for the boy’s services in addition to the horse rental, and it is not possible to take the horse without him.
About the difficulty of the path.
If you are uncertain about your physical condition and have read other reports that the trail is difficult, consider this. A boy aged 7-8 walks this route 3-4 times a day on foot, while leading a horse with a tourist. Do you think you will be able to make it on your own? 🙂
If it takes about 45 minutes to walk one way, then riding on horseback takes 25-30 minutes. And still, the last big descent to the waterfall is done on foot. Horses can’t go the last 300-400 meters, they are not allowed to go any further.
The price horse ride at the El Limon Falls
The standard price for horseback riding is 20 USD. Your guide will accompany you there and wait for you for an hour on the way back. Negotiations usually start at 30-40 USD. If you are good at bargaining, you can get it for 20 dollars. If not, it will be 30 dollars.
At the end, you will be asked for a tip, which is supposed to be a payment for the work of the horse guide boy. On one hand, they promise you that 20$ is for everything and there will be no extra payments. On the other hand, it’s a child who does his job well. He leads the horse, even if you’ve never ridden one before, there’s nothing to be afraid of. He takes you through difficult areas and makes sure that branches don’t hit you in the face.
It’s customary to give the boy 10 USD for his work at the end of the trip.
In total, the cost for one person if you decided to go horseback riding is about 30 USD
Opening hours, parking, ticket price for El Limon Falls
The following is important information.
- The cost of parking is 100 pesos (2 USD). Pay upon return.
- The price of a ticket to enter El Limon Park, whether on foot or on horseback, is 50 pesos (1 USD).
- Operation hours: none. But from 8 am the ticket office is already open
Good to know:
There are no gates to the park, nor any access system. Even if you arrived early and no one was there. Feel free to go to the waterfall, pay at the exit.
- Tickets are sold until 4-5 pm, there is also no exact time. But if you arrive in the evening, you need a flashlight, since without it it will be difficult to return back if it gets dark.
In summary, if you visit El Limon waterfall on foot like my wife and I did, your expenses will be 100 pesos (parking) and 100 pesos for two tickets, for a total of 200 pesos for two people (which is slightly less than 4 USD). If you decide to go by horseback, you will need to add another 40 USD twice, for each horse. So, the total cost for two people will be 84 USD. You can make your own conclusions.
Guided tour to El Limon waterfall
Are you vacationing far from these places, such as Punta Cana or La Romana, and still want to visit the waterfall? And do you not want to deal with negotiating with locals and arranging transportation on your own? There are options for excellent guided tours. This is especially great for those staying in other parts of the country.
Follow the link to find all the excursions to El Limon Falls: El Limon Falls, Samana and Bacardi Island! And in terms of cost, if you plan everything independently, it will be more expensive with the added cost of transportation. But in this case everything is included in the price.
It is important to know:
I recommend buying a tour of several attractions of Samana at once. In one day you can visit 2-3 cool locations at once
Tip for a perfect visit to El Limon waterfall
This waterfall is a very popular spot among tourists and local Dominicans. It is always crowded with people on the trail and swimming in the waterfall. On weekends and holidays, people from all over the country come here to visit. If you want to take pictures without many tourists in the background, it is best to arrive early in the morning, around 8 am. We arrived at 8:10 am and were the first ones to enter the park. The ticket seller wasn’t there yet but he caught up with us shortly after and we paid for our tickets.
During our visit, we spent 45 minutes on the way there, an hour and a half at the waterfall, and 45 minutes on the way back. As we were leaving around 10:30 am, we noticed that a lot of people were already on their way to the waterfall. On our way back, we passed about 50 people.
The El Limon waterfall in the Dominican Republic is a true gem. If you’re looking for a secluded and peaceful swimming experience in a jungle waterfall, the best time to visit is early in the morning around 8 am. This attraction is suitable for people of all fitness levels.
To sum up, El Limon waterfall is a must-visit destination in the Dominican Republic, especially if you want to avoid the crowds. Get there early and enjoy the beauty of the jungle waterfall. I wish you a great experience and beautiful photos!
Resources to help you plan your dream trip to Dominican Republic
- Flights at the best prices with discounts
- Car rental: DiscoverCars – a largest international resource
- Hotels and apartments:
- Vacation packages:
- Tours, excursions and extreme activities:
- GetYourGuide – more than 800+ tours and water activities.
- Viator – 3500+ tours and excursions in Dominican.
- Comprehensive travel insurance: EKTA
- Internet and Calls:
- Airalo – eSIM with internet package.
- Drimsim – universal SIM card (or eSIM) in any country in the world.
- Taxi and airport transfers: Intui.Travel