Vacation: The Beautiful Island of Dominica

On the fifth day of our vacation we arrived in Roseau, Dominica.  It was a beautiful 80 degree day with a slight ocean breeze.  Our adventures in Dominica were both educational and enjoyable because we had such an great tour guide, Curtis!  He was patient with all our questions about the island, knowledgeable regarding the island’s history and he knew how to have an adventure with us.  His family owned a tour business on the island of Dominica.  The informational paper from the Royal Caribbean for today said “Where else in the Caribbean Islands can you find a lake that boils, a pool that shines like an emerald, and a sea that fizzes like champagne?”  Dominica was a beautiful island with a lot of great places to visit.  They have amazing rain forests, black sand beaches, volcanic activity, sulfur springs, and much more.  Dominica is also called “Nature Island of the Caribbean”.  Roseau is Dominica’s capital which was built by the French on top of an ancient Indian village.  The British took over the city, however, the French colonial characteristics are still found on the island.

We got a quick tour of the entire island that day (we only had a day to explore before leaving port).  Dominica among many other things is known for their schools, several of the surrounding Caribbean will send students to Dominica to further their studies.  Our guide first took us to the rain forest when we arrived in the parking lot it was sunny and beautiful as we watched a man shelling coconuts with a machete in the back of his truck (he could do one coconut in a matter of seconds, pretty amazing to watch), Curtis told us that it was his wish that we would get the authentic experience of the rain forest with a light rain shower on our hike through the rain forest to the waterfalls.  We saw lush exotic plants that were several times larger then what we can grow in the USA, orange land crabs, beautiful trees, huge twin waterfalls cascading side by side out of deep gorges in the mountain and so much more.  The walk through the rain forest really did make you appreciate the beautiful creation and grateful for the opportunity to enjoy it.  Curtis’ wish came true…….halfway up the trail it started sprinkling, by the time we were heading down the mountain it was a pretty steady pour, however, with us being in the dense rain forest we didn’t get completely soaked because all the trees and vegetation blocked a lot of the down pour.

Thankfully the rain had subsided before we arrived at our next stop the Sulfur Springs, it was a short hike up to the Springs.  On the way up we picked up a bag of freshly cut Sugar Cane and Coconut for $1 at a roadside stand.  You knew when you were getting closer to the Springs because of the smell.  Sulfur Springs have quite a stench to them but it was neat to see.  We watch the Springs bubbling for several minutes while eating our sugar cane and coconut then headed back down.  They had little roadside stores set up at the bottom of the springs selling local goods from fresh fruit, jewelry, soaps, and more.  It was actually the best prices we saw on the whole trip.  We picked up our magnet of Dominica and a couple small souvenirs for the girls.

We ended our day on Dominica swimming at the black sand beaches.  The water was beautiful and with all the black volcanic rock you couldn’t see the bottom of the ocean like in some of the Caribbean Islands but I liked that it was unique.  One interesting fact about Dominica’s beaches was that the ocean water was less salty which we didn’t realize right away.  Anyone know why it was less salty……because of all the water from the rain forest coming down from the mountain into the ocean diluted it’s salt content.  Another interesting fact we learned in our adventures the locals tend to use more herbal plant medicines in lieu of going to the hospital as often and they have many people that frequently live well over 100 years old because of their healthy diet and tropical climate.  I cannot remember how many people Curtis said were currently well over 100 at the time but it was a lot for such a small island.  They have several active volcanoes on the islands which is the reason for the beautiful black sand beaches.  They are building a pipeline to channel (hydropower) some additional power for the island by using the rain forest.  The main industry, unlike some of the islands, is farming.  This was one place we noticed many of the local residents drinking directly from the rain forest streams and they are said to have wonderful water due to all the tropical rains, I decided to believe them on this one and not try to drink directly from the river myself.

So if you are looking for a beautiful place to visit with lush rain forests, sulfur springs, great hikes, black sand beaches and the diluted salty water you should consider checking out Dominica!  We hope to go back someday to visit and explore Dominica even more!  Also if you are looking for a great tour guide let me know, we have Curtis’s contact information and email address so he can meet you as soon as your feet land on the island.  I will be sharing some pictures of our time in Dominica in a later post.  Below are a few extra facts on Dominica:

• Dominica was the last of the Caribbean Islands to by colonized by the Europeans.  (The reason why was due to the resistance from the Caribs Indians, approximately 3,000 still live on Dominica and are the only pre-Columbian population remaining in the eastern Caribbean)
• Location:  Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea & the North Atlantic Ocean about halfway between Puerto Rico and the eastern Caribbean.
• Land: 751 square km (the whole island is slightly more than 4 times the size of Washington, DC)
• Climate: Tropical, moderated by the northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall
• Terrain: Rugged Mountains of Volcanic Origin – Lowest Point is the Caribbean Sea 0 m and the Highest Point is the Morne Diablotins 1,447 m
• Natural Resources: Timber, Hydropower, Arable Land.
• Natural Hazards: Flash Flooding at various times and Hurricanes in the last summer
• It is called “The Nature Island of the Caribbean” because of its spectacular, lush and variety of flowers and ferns, which are protected by the natural park.  The mountains of Lesser Antilles, its volcanic peaks are cones of lava craters which include Boiling Lake which is the 2nd largest thermally active lake in the world
• Population: 72,813
• Religions: Roman Catholic, Seventh Day Adventist, Pentecostal, Baptist, Methodist
• Language: English (official), French Patois
• Name: Commonwealth of Dominica
• Government: Parliamentary Democracy
• Capital: Roseau
• National Anthem: “Isle of Beauty, Isle of Splendor”
• Economy: Agriculture and Tourism – Major crops are bananas, citrus, mangos, root crops, coconuts, cocoa
• Major Exports: bananas, soap, bay oil, vegetables, grapefruit, oranges

A Vacation To Remember series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed.  Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away.  Go with a good attitude and looking for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories.  It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine.  Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn.  You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!

Dominica facts from The World Fact Book