Between January and March, humpback whales gather in Samaná Bay in extraordinary numbers. The bay lies less than an hour east of Las Terrenas, and boat tours from Samaná town take visitors into the bay where the whales are mating, calving, and socialising throughout the winter. This is one of the best places in the world to watch humpbacks at close range, and a good day on the water will produce multiple sightings of breaching, tail-slapping, and the surface behaviour that makes humpbacks the most theatrical of the large whales.
Tours depart from the Samaná waterfront and typically last three to four hours. The boats are regulated — there are rules about approach distances and engine noise — and the whale encounters are genuine rather than staged. Biologists sometimes accompany the boats and can explain what they are observing in real time. A whale sanctuary was established in the bay in 1986, and Dominican regulations around whale watching have been relatively strictly enforced compared to other Caribbean nations.
From Las Terrenas, the trip to Samaná takes about 40 minutes by road. It is worth combining the whale watching with a visit to the town itself, which has a pleasant waterfront and a more Dominican atmosphere than the expat-flavoured Las Terrenas. Book whale-watching tours in advance during January and February, when demand is highest.