Cabo Cabrón and Boca del Diablo: Samaná's Wild Coast on Foot
A different Samaná
Most of what draws people to this peninsula is soft: palms, pale sand, warm shallow water. The coast east of Las Galeras is the opposite. Cabo Cabrón — often called Cabo Samaná — is a headland of high cliffs and hard rock where the Atlantic arrives with nothing in its way, and the landscape is dramatic rather than pretty. The national park protects a stretch of forest and coastline that has stayed largely undeveloped, and walking it is the only way to see most of it. If you have had three days of beaches and want the scale of the place instead, this is the day to spend.
Boca del Diablo
Boca del Diablo — the devil's mouth — is a blowhole where the sea forces through a channel in the rock and fires upward, sometimes several metres, with a sound you feel as much as hear. How impressive it is depends entirely on the swell: on a big day it is spectacular and soaks anyone standing close; on a flat calm day it barely performs. It is reachable by a short walk from where vehicles stop. The rock around it is sharp and slippery where it is wet, and there are no railings, so keep well back from the edge and keep children in hand.
The trails and the rock pools
Paths run through coastal forest to viewpoints along the cliffs, and in places down to pools in the rock where the water is startlingly clear and turquoise. Some of these are swimmable when the sea is calm and emphatically are not when it is running — the same channels that fill them gently on a flat day will fill them violently on a big one. The walking is not technical but it is uneven, rooty and exposed to the sun in stretches. Distances look short on a map and take longer on the ground. Go with someone who knows which pools are sensible on the day.
Timing, water and shade
Start early. This coast faces the sun for most of the day, shade is intermittent, and the walking is warmer than the sea breeze suggests. Carry more water than feels necessary — there is nowhere to buy any once you are out there — plus a hat, sunscreen and closed shoes with grip. Afternoons bring more heat and, in the wetter months, a decent chance of a shower. Mornings also give you the calmest sea for the pools and the best light on the cliffs, which is when this coast looks like the reason you came.
Frequently asked questions
Is Boca del Diablo always impressive?
No. It depends on the swell. On a big day the blowhole fires several metres and soaks bystanders; on a flat calm day it barely performs.
Can you swim in the rock pools at Cabo Cabrón?
Some of them, when the sea is calm. When there is swell running they are dangerous, because the same channels that fill them gently also fill them violently. Take local advice on the day.
How difficult is the hiking?
Not technical, but uneven, rooty and exposed to the sun in stretches, and distances take longer than the map suggests. Closed shoes with grip and plenty of water are the two things that matter.
Ask About Guided Hikes