There are so many islands in the world that one life is not enough to visit all of them, but if you make a list of the best, then the island of Dominica will enter the top five, and maybe the top three. Very close to the American coast, but as if so far away, Dominica is a country favored by tourists worldwide. This article will tell you about 10 reasons why you should travel to Dominica, a heavenly corner of the world.
First of all, let's tell you a little bit about the island itself.
Where is Dominica located? Dominica is not easy to find on the map because it is located in the Caribbean archipelago. Inattentive tourists may even confuse the island of Dominica with the more famous – the Dominicans. We hasten to say that these are completely different islands!
1. Secret Beach
Dominica and the capital of Dominica, Roseau, is famous for its black sand beaches. The small island, located on 750 square kilometers, is completely surrounded by beaches, but the highlight of Dominica is the secret beach! It is not easy to get there, so tourists must be prepared to descend from a cliff between dense thickets. Besides time, you will spend a lot of physical strength on this. Once you reach the beach, which may take an hour or more, depending on your travel speed, you will have to walk north for another two hundred meters. There are several rocks at the end of the beach, from where the 40-meter impressive waterfall Wavine Cyrique Falls, going straight into the Atlantic Ocean. After what you have seen, we are sure that you will lose the power of speech for a few minutes and fully recover your strength.
2. Boiling Lake
Dominica on the mapis located on the Caribbean Sea. As we know, the Caribbean islands can surprise not only with beaches and sands but also with other natural attractions. Due to the volcanic origin of the island, you can find a real boiling lake in Dominica! This thermal lake is located in the Morne Trois Pitons National Park. Getting there without a guide is dangerous, so tourists should not go on a trip on their own. However, the route is very popular, and you can easily find a tour of boiling lake in any hotel or the city center and purchase it online. The trip will take about 7-8 hours. At the end of the difficult route, you will reach a volcanic lake, a water temperature of about 90 degrees Celsius. In addition to the lake itself, on the way there, you can enjoy the beauty of the rainforest, dizzying mountain scenery, and sulfur springs, where you can swim and recover. It is worth noting that swimming in the lake itself is prohibited and dangerous to health. Because of the high temperature, a person can get severe burns, which sometimes happens to curious tourists.
3. Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls is one of the largest and most beautiful places in Dominica. The waterfall is located in the south-eastern part of the island, near the village of Delices. Due to the fact that this part of the island is not particularly populated and little studied, it is also worth going there with a guide. To get to the waterfall, you will have to climb on the rocks and even swim, so tourists are advised to bring a swimming suit and a plastic bag to protect electronic devices, keys, and clothing. However, at the end of the route, you will find a grandiose sight in the form of a forty-meter waterfall, surrounded by dense vegetation. Tourists are not recommended to swim under the waterfall, but it is not prohibited.
3. Morne Trois Pitons National Park
The Morne Trois Pitons National Park is the largest nature reserve on the Caribbean coast. The park was named after a mountain of the same name with a height of 1342 meters and means "Mountain with three peaks." First of all, the park is famous for its geysers and sulfur springs. Due to the volcanic origin of the island, there are plenty of them in Dominica. Most of them are located in the Valley of Desolation. The place was named for a reason: because of the release of volcanic rocks and caustic gases, almost nothing grows here. Therefore, if you want to add a post-apocalyptic landscape to Instagram in addition to photos of beautiful beaches and waterfalls, then you are here. Besides, the Morne Trois Pitons National Park is famous for animals and birds that are protected by the state. Here you can meet opossums and small wooden frogs. It is also effortless to meet the huge parrot Jaco and the tiny hummingbird. And if you are lucky, you can take an Instagram picture of them as a souvenir.
4. Red Rocks
Red Rocks is another one of the best places in Dominica. In the north of the island, the soil is rich with iron, which is why the red color of the coastal rocks. Along the Atlantic coast, the red cliffs create an incredible effect on tourists because of their contrast. The local guide will ask you for a nominal entrance fee, but the experience will cost much more than $1-2. Here you can take a lot of beautiful photos and show them off on social networks! Do not forget, the earlier you arrive here, the fewer tourists will be around, and no one will get to your picture for sure. Red Rock is located in the Calibishie, and it is very easy to get there. Stop the car and take an hour-long walk through the winding roads and valleys formed over time due to erosion.
5. Wotten Waven Hot Springs
Watton-of Lavena is a small town not far from the capital of Dominica, Roseau, and is famous for its thermal springs. After all the excursions that require a lot of physical activity, only a relaxing thermal bath will help you relax and restore your strength.
6. Douglas Bay Beach
For sure, you've watched the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean," where there are shots of small islands with crystal white sand, palm trees, and light blue waters, surrounded by jungle. If so, then this is the place for you! As in many resorts, there are many hotels nearby where you can stay.
7. Indian River
Again about the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean." Remember the episode when the group led by Jack Sparrow, oops, Captain Jack Sparrow went to the witch Calypso house? This hut is located on the Indian River, where some episodes of the film were filmed. It is noteworthy that there lives an old guide named James Bond. In the long time that he has lived here, this place has become a tourist attraction. Bond himself will tell you many amazing stories, anecdotes, and stories. Thanks to the film, tourists flock to this place every year, for whom a special tour along the River is organized, where they can take a boat ride, watching exotic and scary fish, as well as crabs. The route's final travel destination is a pirate bar, where they prepare a burning, real pirate cocktail called "ram punch" based on rum.
8. Botanical Gardens
One of the best places to visit in Dominica is Dominica Botanical Gardens. The Botanical Garden of the island of Dominica impresses not only with its vegetation but also with its size-14 acres. This giant open-air park, where there are two waterfalls, hot thermal springs, swimming pools, etc. The park has countless plants, 30 species of birds, and 20 species of butterflies. One of the park's symbols is a very old banyan, which impresses tourists with its size. A few years ago, a hurricane hit the island, claiming many lives. In memory of this event, a sad monument was erected – the school bus, or rather, what is left of it, is located under this tree. Symbolically, but in this way, the authorities wanted to emphasize the powerlessness of man before nature. And they seem to have succeeded.
9. Emerald Pool
The island of Dominica has another Imstagrammable waterfall, which can be said to be one of the visiting cards. The fact is that, despite the hot tropical climate, the water here is very, very cold. On average, about 5-10 degrees. The lake is located in the mountains, where it is extremely difficult to reach, but it is simply a challenge for fans of extreme sports. Around the waterfall you can find picturesque rocks, forests, tree roots, going under the water... It seemed this place was specially created so that you could make dozens of beautiful Instagram photos for social networks and blogs! The stone steps leading to the Emerald are also interesting. They resemble scenes from the Indiana Jones movies. Tourists are advised to visit the lake in the early morning, as the place is one of the most popular routes for visitors to Dominica.
10. Roseau
If you expect to see a huge metropolis, then you will be disappointed. The capital of Dominica, which is Roseau, is small and one of the Instagrammable places to visit in Dominica. It resembles Roseau, more like a fishing village than the capital. But have you seen many capitals that can boast of this? I don't think so. In just an hour, you can get around (and not go around) Roseau from one end to the other. It is here that the main buildings of the island are located – the parliament, the presidential residence, the stadium, the city municipality, as well as the famous fish market—ordinary buildings of the ordinary capital of Dominica on the world map. The most famous building in the city is Our Lady of Fair Haven Cathedral, built in the Gothic style. This Roman Catholic cathedral attracts with its beautiful architecture and is considered the center of the city. Many tourists who travel to Dominica be sure to recommend visiting the cathedral because it is the pride of the inhabitants of this small, 15-thousand-year-old city. There are also several fish markets in the capital of Dominica. Where is Dominica located? Right in the Caribbean. Because of the rich flora and fauna of the Caribbean Sea, the market is rich in fish types. If you want to buy the best fish and not fall for the trick of ignorance, then the locals will help you, who will be happy to show you a counter with fresh fish.
A few tips for tourists who decide to visit Dominica:
1. The island of Dominica is best when visited from late autumn to early spring. In the summer, hurricanes and strong winds often rage here, which can spoil your vacation. You can also purchase New Year's tours. After all, what could be better than to celebrate the new year on the beach?
2. Be sure to bring shoes and clothing for hiking. Sometimes, even to visit the usual tourist routes, you will have to climb rocks, cross a river or go through dense rainforests. That is why do not limit yourself to a beach suit if you want to discover the island from all sides and not get hurt.
3. Plan your vacation. Do you know how to get to Dominica? The travel to Dominica is not easy, because in not every European or Asian country you will find a regular flight here (it is quite possible that you will not even find it). When buying a tour to Dominica, try to take a few days for unforeseen circumstances in the form of flight delays.
4. Dominica is a country where everyone speaks English. Because of Britain's historical preeminence in the Caribbean, many islands understand and speak Her Majesty's language, and Dominica is no exception. If you don't know English, it doesn't matter. Most of the locals and understand French. Here they are, polyglots.
5. Problems with the Internet. The island of Dominica is not very worried about new technologies because life on the island is always slow. So the WI-FI here is very, very slow. If the problem was eliminated in large Dominica hotels, you are unlikely to find good Internet in more modest hotels. On the other hand, this is a great reason to break from all social networks and bad news!
