The hike is worth it! - This was our second time in a month visiting with friends coming into the DR. The first trip we did the 5 mile round trip getting to El Limon from the lower waterfall. This trip we entered in from higher up and it was only 3 miles round trip and came to the waterfall from above. It was a much easier hike and would recommend either. It is pinned on the department of tourism site, and would use the company located there. reasonable rates and good guide, he even climbed a tree and brought down coconuts for our guests. Definitely a must do.

SO MUCH FUN!! - My sister and I just went to DR and this was our favorite excursion out of the 3 we did!! The reviews are very deceiving. This was an action filled day from start to finish. If you enjoy being outdoors and you’re fit this is a perfect excursion for you!! My sister and I both enjoy hiking and being outdoors. It’s an all day excursion you won’t be back until 6/7pm. My sister and I loved the whole ride to the destination because we got to see a lot of the DR countryside. We also learned so much history from the tour guide!!! Additionally they stopped at a gift shop which I think is so helpful when trying to get souvenirs for loved ones! Immerse yourself in nature and book this excursion!! (P.S this was the most beautiful beach all trip!!)

The beauty of nature - Fantastic sights& experiences, met who Wonderful people on my tour, and the horse guide was fantastic. I have no experience with horses but he made me feel safe & like a semi professional. Loved all the nature& beauty of this trip. The guide who met us for the trip was not good, miserable looking& unfriendly. There was a second guide we met part of the boat ride who didn't translate everything in English back to me, I was the only person who spoke English. I asked one person to translate for me so I new what was going to happen. I found that very unprofessional. Also he didn't make it clear what we were doing after certain events so I had to ask him directly which I didn't mind doing. He needs a burst of excitement & positivity, he made it so obvious he did not want to be there. I'm happy I met the nice Americans& South American people on that trip, they made my day more enjoyable. Also the horse tour guy was incredible 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 he took the time to take many pictures and videos of me. So greatful to him. Wish him all the best.

Too much time traveling - Our excursion began from a hotel located in Bayahibe at 5:30am and ended at 7:15pm. They have been punctual, something to be appreciated when it comes to so much time. We have spent too much time traveling, almost more than enjoying the distance to the destination. El Salto del Limón, as a place to visit, is worth visiting, it is really beautiful. Getting to the waterfall is not easy... The beginning of the path is done on horseback and at some point it is difficult. When you reach the entrance to the park, there is a small section that is done on foot (with the risk of slipping) plus a significant number of steps. I recommend bringing bathing shoes. The food was at the ranch itself where we took the horses. Simple, but delicious food. The second part of the excursion to Cayo Levantado (Bacardi Island) begins with a piña colada, which is very delicious. The negative part, which tarnished the part we most wanted, enjoying the beach, could not have been because of the jellyfish. All of us who bathed left with bites. I think it is a nice excursion, but you spend more time traveling than enjoying it.

Lovely location, awful treatment of horses - The trip was logistically okay but I wouldn't recommend it at all. Horses were not well cared for, guides were pushy and asking for tips. It was raining and our guides simply left us on the walk (250steps) down where as others helped their guests to prevent falls. Thr waterfall was stunning but again more pushing for tips/money from guides and local people. They've turned what should be a fabulous natural local attraction into a stressful and pushy place. Food at venue was lovely and well organised, for this reason I gave 2 stars. The final stop at Bacardi beach was nice but very rushed. You had 45min. Thr island is beautiful and would have benefitted from more time here and less time elsewhere. Would not recommend this tour to anyone given the mistreated horses and pushy guides. Given the cost as well it wasn't at all value for money or a pleasant experience

Really lower your expectations - Highlights: waterfall (15 min), beach (1 hour 15 min) with great pina colada. Downsides: not an informative tour, not transparent on photo shoot package, long journey. As many others have mentioned, this is a very long tour (13.5 hours for us). Given the large region we were covering, I’d give them some leeway on the underestimate of time. For context, we paid USD$150 each for the tour, which is supposed to be 10 hours long and cover the following: * Day trip around Las Cañitas and Bacardi Island from Punta Cana * Catamaran tour, horseback ride, beach trip, and more * Guided tour balances informative commentary and free time * Lunch and two drinks on catamaran included * Hotel pickup and drop-off included We started the tour by driving in a van and stopping at different hotels/resorts to pick up the tourists. The first break was at a little gift shop where you can use restroom and get snacks/souvenirs. This section took about 1.5 hours. We then drove about 2 hours to get to capitán/ sabana de la mar to switch to a catamaran, which took us to el limón after a 45-min ride. No water/ refreshment was provided during this time. For such a long trip, I’d expect the tour guide to have a decent amount of knowledge about the history of country, people’s way of living, and current situation, but our tour guide seems to only say things when they came to mind, and mostly made jokes about mama Juana (local rum wine) and how guys will tell their wives they’re working while they may be out drinking and fooling around, which is not the kind of informative tour we were expecting. It was also difficult to understand him at times given the language barrier. To his credit, he was speaking to both an English speaking group and a Spanish speaking group, and warned us about the tipping request we would get at the horse riding point because of the economic situation. Overall, I think the company should provide some formal training to its tour guides—it doesn’t take that much effort, just provide them some talking points with basic information mentioned above so the tourists would learn more about this country. At the end of the boat ride we were transferred to an open air safari truck that took us to the horse riding spot. Our tour guide told us another local guide would take care of us, but in fact that “guide” was only there to take pictures, dictate the poses and interrupt us when we were trying to enjoy the view at the waterfall, which we only had 10-15 minute for, so they can sell us a package in the end. This seems like a bait and switch and we didn’t expect it with the price paid. It should’ve been made clear at the beginning and give people a chance to opt out. Since there was no real guide for the next 2 hours, we had to follow the crowd and figure out what to do next which was a little chaotic and frustrating. The horse riding portion was a round trip that took about 1 hour, and there was a bit of hike in the end to reach the waterfall (took about 10-15 min for us but we saw some older folks struggling coming back). A horse guide was assigned to each horse and spoke little English. My guide was very nice and diligent and was with me and the horse the whole time. He didn’t mistreat the horse and clearly has good relationship with it and can guide it through whistle. My partner’s guide on the other hand, had a reed. On the way back, his guide also slowed down to have a private conversation and said the tour company only paid for the horses, not the staff wages, and therefore asked for $20-25 USD as a tip. It would be nice had the tour company communicated more openly about their partnership and how much tipping should be given. A Dominican buffet was provided at the end of horse riding and the food was actually very good. After lunch (about 1 hour), we were transferred to the Bacardi island (about another hour of transferring) to enjoy the beach and a free pina colada, which was the highlight of the trip. We had about 1 hour and 15 min at the island. The trip back was long (about 4 hours via catamaran and van) but the ride was smooth. People were given a small cup of coke, which presumably covers the “2 free drinks on the catamaran”)

The horses are treated horribly. - To get to the waterfall you have to ride a horse for about 20 minutes each way. These horses are being abused. They looked malnutrition and they looked like they work all hours of the day with no break. I swear I felt like crying when I saw their faces. They looked so unhappy and tired. The road to get to the water fall it's muddy and difficult, very rocky. It just broke my heart to see how they were being treated. Not worth seeing the waterfall for.

Not good, expect to lose alot of money - My boyfriend and I spent a lot of money on this excursion and was let down, it started out great with amazing tour guide Emilio and bus driver Bryan they were amazing can’t fault them. When we reached the waterfall part of the excursion that’s where it all went wrong, horses looked very malnourished and were being whipped with sticks, the women were rude and continuously asked for tips, when we gave them a tip we were told it wasn’t enough and then guilt tripped by being told about their family. She even went as far as telling me how much the tip should be which was about £20 each for her and her friend. We also believe we were scammed in the shops as I brought a necklace, bracelet and keyring which cost £40 and my boyfriend brought 7 small items which cost £400. Was a shame because the waterfall was beautiful and so is the country the people just wrecked it for us

Waste of a journey - If you don't like travelling avoid.got picked up 7.00am .got on coach only to get on another 10 min away.then had a stop at a shop/coffee amongst other coaches.45 min stop .later arrived at boat for a qhr crossing ,then onto another jungle bus to reach the destination @11.15.... 30 min horse treck to waterfall quick swim then bk on horse to eat in at the end of the horse treck.40 min maybe, coach.bk to boat 90min stop at gin Island 1 free pinaclada.bk on boat to get coack bk to coffee shop again 15min stop.then last stop exchange coach for last 10 min bk to jewel .all in toll I would say 4hr 30min of activities and 7hrs plus of travelling. Had read a review after booking could not cancel. Man at desk said 1hr journo boat.

Awful - Terrible conditions for the horses! The paths to it are rocky, very steep and muddy! Horses are hit to go faster or even in the face to go slower! Horses are very thin and no consideration is given to the weight placed on them. When they return, they don't even get water! Guides are only focused on tips! We didn't know this was the idea otherwise we wouldn't have even gone!