The island of Dominica
is situated in the West Indies chain of the Caribbean Islands. This lush
and mountainous island is located between the islands of Guadeloupe and
Martinique. Many people mistakenly think this island is the Dominican
Republic. Not true. The Dominican Republic shares its land mass with Haiti
and has a Spanish heritage. Dominica was French, then British until its
independence ten years ago. Dominica’s official language of the
country is actually English! The island’s second language is Creole
(broken French). The Northeastern part of this lush island is still inhabited
today by the Caribe Indians, who were the original natives to this paradise.
Dominica has more than three hundred waterfalls with trails of various degrees of difficulty. The second largest boiling lake in the world is located here. It takes a strenuous three and a half hours of hiking to reach it. An experienced guide is recommended, as it requires a whole day to experience this one trail. Other trails such as Emerald Pool, Titou Falls and Trafalgher Falls are less rigorous, but equally beautiful.
There are several sulfur spring sites in Dominica and their healing properties have become known throughout the Caribbean. The terrain of this island is quite mountainous with the central portion consisting of mostly rainforest. The island itself is on volcanic rock so there are few sandy beaches here. Regardless, the beauty is boundless. Multitudes of hibiscus and many other colorful, lush plants and flowers cover the island’s peaks and valleys. The ocean is a beautiful turquoise blue with its visibility coming close to 70 feet. The marine life and corals are interesting to watch and the intensity of the colors resemble a painter’s pallet. Hard to believe, you’re thinking, but it is richer in color than any other place in the Caribbean. We came here to scuba dive, but the landscape has so much to offer, that we spent one day hiking and exploring the many waterfalls and sulfur pools.
The
locals were incredibly friendly and genuinely glad to see us and show
us their island homeland. We soon found the local bakeries filled with
sweet rolls and fresh breads that melted in your mouth and remind you
of your grandmother’s kitchen. However, I must warn you, renting
a car on this island is not the best idea. The streets lack appropriate
signs and the roads resemble a roller coaster complete with hairpin turns.
Even the most experienced driver will be greatly challenged here. We left
the transportation to our guides and shuttle drivers. I rather enjoyed
being the passenger for a change of pace.
Dominica also has a very large population of spinner and spotted dolphins, which inhabit its surrounding waters as well as a few pilot and sperm whales. Whale watches are available two times a week in the afternoons. Sightings tend to be more common during Spring and Fall seasons. But, the dolphins are present by the dozens. Pods of dolphins followed our dive boat, swimming right along side of us, jumping out of the water and flipping their tails. It reminded me of Flipper, but these were wild dolphins! They appeared to be showing off for us. We came to a complete stop to observe the pods and they vanished in just moments! The boat’s motor started and again the dolphins surfaced and began to race along with us. I could’t think of a better way to spend our surface time between dives.
No
story would be complete if I didn’t tell you about the Caribbean
style cooking in Dominica. We had most of our meals at our hotel, which
was a very small family run establishment. The cooking staff has been
with the hotel for more than a decade and we were pleased with the variety
and quality of our meals. Native plantain, bananas, grapefruits, lemons,
avocados and papaya were just a few of the local produce available. Fresh
tuna, swordfish, local beef, goat and poultry were some of the entrees.
Homemade soups, breads, desserts and local vegetables rounded out main
part of each meal. In other words, we didn’t go hungry. The drinking
water comes from the mountains and is filtered and purified, so we did
not have to stock bottled water.
This was one of the most relaxing and enjoyable trips to the Caribbean. Dominica is certainly a place I would return to again and again, not just for the diving, but because of the beauty, climate and the West Indian people. For any information regarding the island of Dominica, Please feel free to call Laura Cook at the WEU office at 413 562-7431.
