Samana Cruises
Picturesque Samana Bay, on the northeastern coast of the Dominican Republic, is fringed with coconut palms and studded with islets. Inland are coconut-covered mountains, clear mountain streams and tropical rain forests.
The area was first visited by Christopher Columbus in 1493, but he was so fiercely repelled by the Ciguayo Indians that he did not stay. The first inhabitants on the island, the Taino ribe, were descendants of the Awawakan Indians in the Amazonia.
Located on the Samana Peninsula, is the town of Santa Barbara de Samana. The town was founded in 1756 by families brought from the Canary Islands expressly to colonize the area. The old town was destroyed by fire in 1946, leaving no evidence of its history. In its place is a modern city with broad streets, shops, restaurants and hotels