Santa Bárbara de Samaná is the town the peninsula is named after, and it is a strange and likeable place: founded by freed African-Americans who arrived in the 1820s, still English-speaking in parts, built around a bay full of whales for three months of the year.
The tour goes through the market first, which is where you see how the town actually eats, then to a Dominican house and a local school. The cigar factory is the stop people photograph: the rolling is done by hand, in front of you, and you can buy at the door.
There is time left for shopping before heading back. It is the easiest day on the catalogue and the one to book when the sea is rough.
The Samaná city tour runs Thursday and Saturday from six people, and costs $35 from Las Terrenas or $30 if you are already in Samaná.
