Tucked away in surprisingly rough landscape, surrounded by peaks covered in lush greenery, is the 52m-high El Limón waterfall. A beautiful swimming hole at the bottom can be a perfect spot to wash off the sweat and mud from the trip here, though it’s often too deep and cold for a dip. The departure point is the small town of El Limón, only a half-hour from Las Terrenas.
Just about everyone who visits does so on horseback, and almost a dozen paradas (horseback-riding operations) in town and on the highway toward Samaná offer tours (though it is not recommended to hire someone off the street, as there’s little saving and the service is consistently substandard). All outfits offer essentially the same thing: a 30- to 60-minute ride up the hill to the waterfalls, 30 to 60 minutes to take a dip and enjoy the scene, and a 30- to 60-minute return trip, with lunch at the end. Your guide – who you should tip – will be walking, not riding, which can feel a little weird but is the custom. Walking or on horseback, you will get wet as there are several river crossings along the way – rubber sandals are a good idea.
Spanish-owned Santí, at the main intersection in El Limón, is a good choice but also the most expensive. The lunch is excellent and the guides and staff (all adults) are better paid than elsewhere (though that doesn’t make them any more professional). If you book with a tour company in Las Terrenas, transportation to/from El Limón is often not included (guagua RD$50). Typically the tour (horse, guide and lunch) costs per person from US$35 to US$50. Most other operators charge around RD$650/300 with/without lunch; try Parada la Manzana, 5km east of El Limón toward Samaná, which has the added advantage – depending on your perspective – of being much closer to the falls as well as offering a pleasant new bar for cocktails, Apple Bar.
Tours may also be booked from Las Terrenas, some of which include transportation to El Limón by quad bikes, followed by the standard horseback ride and lunch (US$55); try Casa de las Terrenas. Otherwise, it’s a minimum 40-minute walk (from the main intersection in El Limón its roughly 5.6km), up a sometimes very steep trail over rough terrain and with even a river or two to ford. It’s not difficult to follow the path once you find it, though, especially if there are groups out on the trail. If you do make the trip independently you'll need to pay the entrance fee (RD$50).
