Winter Migration · Samaná Bay · Dominican Republic
Samaná Whale Season
Seven nights around Samaná Bay during humpback season — Cayo Levantado, Los Haitises, Playa Rincón, and Playa Frontón. Private, crewed, all-inclusive.
Private proposals within 48 hours
From
$11,750seven nights
Departure
Spanish Water · Curaçao
Aboard
Cap II · Flying Wing
Curaçao is our year-round home. Each December the fleet sails north — following the humpbacks that calve in Samaná Bay from mid-January through the end of March. From mid-December through early April, Cap II and Flying Wing operate from Marina Puerto Bahía on the Samaná Peninsula, sailing the calm green water of Samaná Bay, the karst-mangrove world of Los Haitises National Park, and the bay-mouth beaches at Cayo Levantado, Playa Rincón, and Playa Frontón. Six weeks of guests a season, by private introduction only. In April the fleet sails south again to Spanish Water.
The classic week runs Marina Puerto Bahía → Cayo Levantado → Bahía de San Lorenzo and Los Haitises → Las Galeras and Playa Rincón → Playa Frontón → back to the marina, with a shore day for the El Limón waterfall. From the yacht we cruise the bay and Los Haitises and view whales from a respectful distance; for the close approach, guests transfer to a permitted operator working under one of the 46 ASDUBAHISA / Ministry of Environment authorizations issued each season. Days bend around weather, the tide in the mangroves, and where the whales are — the captain finalises on day one over coffee in the cockpit.
Charter rates start at $11,750 all-inclusive aboard Flying Wing for a party of up to eight guests. Cap II — the 77 ft flagship — is available for the week from $32,500 for parties of up to ten. Both rates include the yacht, crew, fuel, mooring, marina fees, and full provisioning. The permitted whale-watching transfer, restaurant reservations in Las Terrenas, and the El Limón shore excursion are arranged on request.
Highlights of this charter
Humpback whales, in season
From January 15 through March 31, two to three thousand North Atlantic humpbacks return to Samaná Bay to court, mate, calve, and nurse. Mothers and calves come right inside the bay; breaching, slapping, and singing are constant from the deck of the yacht.
Los Haitises National Park
Eleven nautical miles across the bay — karst limestone hills rising straight out of the sea, mangrove channels, sea caves with pre-Columbian Taíno petroglyphs, and more than two hundred bird species. Genuinely unlike anywhere else in the Caribbean.
Cayo Levantado and the bay-mouth beaches
Cayo Levantado at four miles, Playa Rincón and Playa Frontón at the east end of the bay. White sand, palm fringe, cliff-backed snorkelling — and the calm green water of the inner bay between them.
All-inclusive — no surprise extras
Yacht, crew, fuel, mooring, marina fees at Puerto Bahía, full provisioning. The permitted whale-watching transfer, restaurant nights ashore, and the El Limón shore excursion are billed at end-of-charter cost.
Sailing this route with RexSailing
One fleet, two seasons
The same yachts, the same captains, the same standard of cooking — moved north for the four months the whales are in the bay, and home to Spanish Water the rest of the year. It is the elegant resolution to the hurricane calendar, not a compromise.
Truly private
Your party, your boat, your week. No shared groups, no fixed itinerary — each day shaped on the morning of, around weather, tides into the mangroves, and where the whales are working the bay.
All-inclusive
The yacht, the crew, the food, the wine, the marina fees, the mooring, the customs. The permitted whale-watching transfer, restaurant bills ashore in Las Terrenas, and the El Limón excursion are billed at end-of-charter cost.
Pair this charter with
Curaçao Week Charter
The signature week from our year-round home — Willemstad, the leeward beaches, Klein Curaçao, and Westpunt below the hurricane belt.
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Curaçao Yacht Charter
All Curaçao charter options from the Spanish Water base — half-day, full-day, and weekly aboard SISU, Flying Wing, or Cap II.
Explore →
Samaná Bay
The long sheltered bay itself — geography, anchorages, and what the cruising is like in the four months we are based here.
Explore →
Los Haitises National Park
Karst hills, mangrove channels, sea caves with Taíno petroglyphs — the flagship day inside the bay.
Explore →
Cayo Levantado
The small white-sand island four miles from the marina — the easy first-day anchor on every Samaná week.
Explore →
Before you enquire
When exactly is the whale season?
The official Samaná humpback season runs January 15 through March 31, with peak presence from late January through late March. We base the fleet in Samaná from mid-December through early April, which means the first and last weeks of the season are shoulder weeks — quieter on the water, with whales arriving or thinning out. Mid-season weeks are reliably dense.
Where do we join the yacht?
Marina Puerto Bahía, on the north shore of Samaná Bay at Santa Bárbara de Samaná. Most guests fly into Samaná El Catey International (AZS) — direct from Montreal, Toronto, Quebec City, and Paris-Orly — and we arrange a private transfer to the marina, about forty-five minutes by road. US guests typically connect via Santo Domingo (SDQ, ~2.5 hr drive) or Puerto Plata (POP, ~3 hr drive). Many guests stay a few nights at a villa in Las Terrenas first and transfer over on boarding day.
How do we actually see the whales?
Two ways, and you get both. From the yacht we cruise the bay and the approaches to Los Haitises, where humpbacks are frequently visible from deck — breaching, tail-slapping, mothers swimming with calves. For the close approach, guests transfer to a permitted whale-watching boat operated by one of the 46 ASDUBAHISA / Ministry of Environment authorized operators. We coordinate the transfer; the close-approach operator holds the permit. The framework is regulated by the Navy and the Ministry of Environment — only authorized boats may approach.
Is the food onboard?
Yes — three meals a day, prepared by our chef, drawn from what we provision at Puerto Bahía and Las Terrenas and what we catch underway. Expect Dominican coastal cooking with French and Italian influences from the Las Terrenas markets — local fish, plantain, fresh fruit. A restaurant night ashore in Las Terrenas or at the marina's Bannister Hotel is scheduled into the week on request.
Samaná weeks run from mid-December through early April only — six weeks of guests per season, by private introduction. Tell us your dates and party size, and we will hold the boat while we shape the rest.
Find the Right Yacht for Your Charter
Tell us your dates, group size, and preferred experience - we will match you with the ideal yacht.
Private proposals within 48 hours · Enquiries handled discreetly
RexSailing · Spanish Water · Curaçao