Travel Itinerary: Semana Santa in the Samaná Province

Greetings everyone! 😊 Next week I will be leaving for the Dominican Republic to celebrate Semana Santa, the Holy Week leading up to Easter, in the Samaná Province. 🐰🐣🌴

courtesy of Google images

The Dominican Republic is a Caribbean nation that occupies two thirds of the island of Hispaniola shared with Haiti.

the Dominican Republic and Haiti are two countries, which share the same island

Although these two countries share the same island, they couldn’t be further apart. While Haiti has been influenced by its historic French rule, the Dominican Republic has been heavily influenced by the Spanish. As well, while the French colonization of Haiti led to poor mismanagement of their natural resources and subsequent poverty, the Dominican Republic remains with an abundance of capital. They export sugar, tobacco, and coffee among other things, and have also developed an economy based around tourism. The most popular area of the Dominican Republic is Punta Cana, which is now filled with a plethora of high-rise condos and luxurious all-inclusive resorts.🍹

courtesy of Google images

Now, although these types of vacations can be great for relaxing or partying, depending on how you like to spend your spring break, I was looking for something a bit more local and a bit more off-the-beaten-path.

the Samaná Province of the Dominican Republic

As such, I’ll be flying into the city of Santiago and spending the whole week exploring the Samaná Province, one of the least developed regions of the country, full of secluded beaches, coastal jungles, and lots of hidden gems, like secret waterfalls and cliffside cafes.😮

El Cabito Restaurant in Samaná Province

The town where I’ll be based also has an upscale European vibe, plus it’ll be easy to travel up and down the province using local transport.

courtesy of Google images

Now, as always, you may be wondering, how does she afford to travel so much? Well, I’ll tell you that this trip was quite easy on any budget.💰 😂

courtesy of Google images

Using Skyscanner, I was able to find a flight deal with a low-budget airline into the city of Santiago. Additionally, my guesthouse will cost less than $15 USD per night! Now this area does offer the opportunity to enjoy lots of pricey excursions, like horseback riding, humpback whale watching, deep sea fishing, and scuba diving, so we’ll see where I decide to splurge. 🐎🐳

horseback riding in the Dominican Republic courtesy of Google images

whale watching in the Dominican Republic courtesy of Google images

As always, I look forward to sharing everything I discover in this relatively unexplored part of the country with all of you. Until then, take care and have a wonderful week! 😊

Samaná Province courtesy of Google images