Delightful Dominica
My thoughts on the island which changed my outlook on the world.
Not many people really know much about Dominica, and often mistake it for another Caribbean island, Dominican Republic. To be brutally honest with you, I knew not a single thing about this island, other than it was an ex-Commonwealth nation. Yet, after visiting this island at least 8 times, it has become one of my favourite places on earth.
A few facts about Dominica for you (thank you Britannica.com):
- Dominica lies between the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique.
- It was first discovered by Spanish explorer, Christopher Columbus on the 3rd of November, 1493.
- The capital of Dominica is Roseau.
- The first colonists of Dominica were the French in 1632, but with the ‘Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle’, this meant that the islands were agreed to be treated as neutral ground and leave it to the Caribs, in co-operation with Great Britain. The British and French had many wars with one another over the island, and in 1805, after the French burned the capital of Roseau to the ground, they were forced to withdraw and give the island to the Brits. As of 3rd November 1978, Dominica has become a fully independent nation, but still is a member of the Commonwealth.
- English is the official language of Dominica.
- Dominica is one of the poorest islands in the Caribbean, with most of it’s income coming from agriculture which is frequently destroyed by hurricanes. Hurricane Maria which struck the island on the 18th September 2017, was a catastrophic Category 5 storm which killed 65 people, and destroyed pretty much, all buildings on the island.
On first arrival to Dominica, I didn’t really know what to expect. But the vista that approached me as I stepped off the ship into the city of Roseau, was one that will stay in my mind forever. Just look at this!
I felt like I had walked on to the set of Jurassic Park! Funnily enough, the film ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest’ was mostly shot here! Amazing huh?!
Dominica’s tourism board market’s itself as “The Nature Island” and to be honest, you can see why. The island has a very luscious, green appearance and is the most heavily forested island of the Lesser Antilles. One of my guides who I was lucky enough to be shown around the island by, Moses, told me that the island apparently has NO poisonous or harmful creatures on the island.
On my first trip out to Dominica, my 2 lovely Swedish colleagues (Axel and Tove) and I decided to check out what to do on the island. We decided to ask one of the taxi drivers at the port exit (TIP: there are MANY taxi drivers here, but they all charge a relatively good price, if you get to know them better!) what would be the best thing to see on our first visit to the island. This guy, known as Reynold (who I will mention frequently throughout this post) told us that Trafalgar Falls was the most essential thing to see. At a price of $15USD, we got in a taxi and were transported through the mountainous landscape of the green island. In the distance, we saw the mesmerising Trafalgar Falls.
Named after the infamous Battle of Trafalgar, the twin falls have 2 different identities. The one on the left, at 85metres high, is known as ‘Papa’ — which according to my tour guide Moses, is because it is tall and thin, like the men of Dominica. The waterfall on the right, at 30 metres, is known as ‘Mama’ — because like the women on the island, it is short and fat (his words, not mine!).
After paying $5USD at the entrance, the ‘hike’ to the falls is around 15 minutes in total. Once arrived, you can’t help but be overwhelmed by the velocity and size of the falls. Guests are encouraged to clamber amongst the rocks of the falls, at their own risk. TIP: If you are planning to go to any of the Caribbean Islands or clamber waterfalls like these in Dominica, purchase a pair of ‘sea shoes’, commonly worn by children in the sea. They really stop you from getting sore feet!
The weather on this day, was a little grey, as you can see from the picture, but a warm 19C — warm for a Brit and 2 Swedes! As we clambered around the falls, it started to rain, but for the first time in my life, I wasn’t mad at it raining! I sat on a rock, looked up at the falls, and had a euphoric moment of pleasure — I had a ‘I can’t believe that this is my life!’ moment. The roar of the falls, the rushing of the rapids, breathing in crystal clear air and the slight smattering of rainfall on my face was truly magical. All worries, and cares in the world, ceased to exist! After 2 and a half hours of adventure at the Trafalgar Falls, we decided to head back ‘home’ to the ship, and say farewell to Dominica.
As Dominica was a part of our regular itinerary, we were lucky enough to stop at the island around 7 more times in the 4 months that we were sailing the southern Caribbean.
The other times we went to Dominica, we were spoilt for choice as to what we could do there. Dominica, according to my local guides I had, has 365 rivers — that’s one for every day of the year! My ‘main man’ Reynold, always sorted us with a good priced tour and superb tour guides who took us around the island — being crew on a cruise ship means that you get a LOT of money off. But if there was one guy I met from all of my time in the Caribbean islands who really inspired me, it was the amazing Moses.
Moses, an island native, had been a taxi tour driver on the island since he was 18 years old. He gave a tour that was completely incomparable to any other tour I went on the Caribbean. In our group of around 8 people, he told us all about the history of the island, stopped at viewpoints to allow us to take pictures and even stopped to hand pick us beautiful and fresh lemongrass. Yet, Moses’ story is something that really touched me. He told me that he was really badly affected by Hurricane Maria in 2017, and his home and possessions were completely destroyed, and not long after this, his wife died. You could see when he was telling us this story, how much it really affected him. But he carried on with our tour; with a good sense of humour and joy.
I did this particular tour twice, as we got the tour for only $15 (WOW!). So I will give you some bullet points about the stops on this tour.
- Emerald Pool — Located in the Morne Trois Pitons National Park, the 40 foot waterfall is by far one of the most visited attractions in Dominica, and it’s hard not to see why. The crystal clear waters of the Emerald Pool make it an attractive sight for swimmers and waders. An entrance fee of $5USD applies and a 5 minute walk to the falls later and you come to the majestic waterfall.
- Jacko Falls — Not too far away from the Emerald Pool is Jacko Falls. It might seem a little less impressive out of the waterfalls on first impression, but in my opinion, if you want a less crowded experience, it’s by far the best option to visit. Again located in the More Trois Pitons National Park, it’s only just off the main roundabout which links the towns of Roseau and Atkinson. At $2USD, it’s the cheapest of the attractions to visit. The climb down to the falls takes only 2 minutes, and the pool is impressive. The HIGHLIGHT however of visiting the Jacko Falls is the most delicious Rum Punch I had in the whole Caribbean, which is made by a local lady. They ask for a donation for the price of a small cup, which is apparently infused with honey and various local ingredients.
- Titou Gorge — A highlight for anyone who loves the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ movies, Titou Gorge is located not too far away from the city of Roseau. The site requires you to wear a lifejacket if you decide to swim to try and get to the dramatic waterfall. At $2USD, that’s very cheap. The swim to the waterfall get’s harder and harder as it goes on, and eventually, you come to a majestic, roaring waterfall that is trapped in a cave-like rock formation. The force of the water is immense, and one time we went, it rained so much that a swim to the waterfall was IMPOSSIBLE. But the time we did get to the waterfall, we cheered and screamed! TIP: 100% go with a group of people, especially when clambering to the falls, because, well, you WILL need help!
In terms of places to visit for a drink on the island for a sense of the local people’s spirit, look no further than going to ‘Ruins Rock Café’ in Roseau. They offer delicious locally made rum, amazing Creole/Caribbean food and a bustling atmosphere, often filled with Cruise Ship passengers.
In retrospect to sometimes the cold and refreshing waters of Dominica’s waterfalls, you can also enjoy the thermal springs, which has become a place of true relaxation for tourists and locals alike. ‘Tia’s Hot Springs’, nestled in the small village of Wotten Waven, offers many thermal hot baths located right next to a beautiful stream. At $10USD for guests and $5USD for crew, the baths offer a perfect place of escapism amongst the nature in Dominica — we saw many small lizards! My wonderful colleague Vasiliy Belousov, created a fantastic video of our day at ‘Tia’s’, which you can see to your left. The volcanic springs I think was one of my favourite days in Dominica, as it was so nice to just switch off from social media and ship life and embrace myself in the loving arms of Mother Nature! Tia’s Hot Springs also has a a restaurant, ‘Tia’s Bamboo Restaurant’, which offers Creole food, at very reasonable prices.
Finally, another place to visit in Dominica is Champagne Reef. The bay which is a 10 minute drive from Roseau, attracts snorkelling and diving enthusiasts due to it’s bubbling waters. Surprisingly warm, the reef has an abundance of trumpet fish, seahorses and rays. Also on the beach for those less adventurous, is a beach bar selling coconuts and locally made rum — honestly, try the coffee rum! My friends and I couldn’t stop raving about how good the rum was, we had double servings — and sore heads!
As fore-mentioned at the beginning of this post, I said Dominica really changed my view on the world. Obviously, despite the beauty and majesty of the island’s nature, there is one problem; this island has quite severe poverty by Eastern Caribbean standards. 39% of the island’s population is considered to be below the poverty line, which no doubt has greatly increased due to Hurricane Maria in 2017. On the way to the Champagne Reef, you pass many different types of housing and property. One second, you’re looking at a rather swanky large house with fantastic views, and the next, you’re looking at a shack made of nothing more than corrugated iron roofs. It really made me realise that although the Caribbean is a very glamorous location, in terms of the nature, the people that live here can often have little but nothing. It truly was for me, one of the first times I witnessed poverty on such a scale. But, despite the poverty, the people of Dominica were by far some of the nicest people I met in my 4 months in the Caribbean. The people were loyal (shout-out to Reynold!), kind and caring. Moses, the guy I mentioned earlier, was an example of a guy who didn’t really have much money, but what he did possess was kindness and a heart.
The thing that is really going to be interesting is how the Caribbean will cope through the global Covid-19 pandemic, especially as islands are refusing entry to cruise ships; the Caribbean’s livelihood being it’s tourism trade…
