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Las Terrenas

Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2025

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Los Puentes, Bridge to Nowhere, in Samana Bay.

©Danelis Sena/500px

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Overview

Once a rustic fishing village, Las Terrenas is now a cosmopolitan town and seems as much French (approaching a colony) and Italian as Dominican. The balancing act between locals and expats has produced a lively mix of styles and a social scene more vibrant than that anywhere else on the peninsula. Walking in either direction along the beach road leads to a beachfront scattered with hotels, tall palm trees and calm, aquamarine waters.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • A young man diving off El Limon, the waterfall at Samana, Dominican Republic

    Cascada El Limón

    Las Terrenas

    Tucked away in surprisingly rough landscape, surrounded by peaks covered in lush greenery, is the 52m-high El Limón waterfall. A beautiful swimming hole…

  • Playa Bonita

    Playa Bonita

    Las Terrenas

    A getaway from a getaway, the appropriately named Playa Bonita (Pretty Beach) is only a few kilometers west of Las Terrenas. It's not without…

  • Playa Cosón

    Playa Cosón

    Las Terrenas

    The sand at Playa Cosón, 8km west along the main highway from Playa Bonita, is tan rather than white, and the water greenish rather than blue, but it’s a…

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