Dominica
At 45 km long and 25 km wide, Dominica is the most mountainous of the volcanic Antilles. The 1,447 m Morne DiablotinMorne Trois Pitons and at 1,400 m are the highest peaks whose proximity attracts much more rain than most islands. The result is Dominica’s famously fabulous tropical rainforest, full of rushing torrents, cascades and stepped waterfalls. It’s a dark-green world slashed by ribbons of bright sunshine striking into the pretty valleys, catching the colours of trails of orchids, bougainvillea and hibiscus, and populated by vivid blue, red, yellow signature splashes of the island’s astonishing birds.
Dominica’s extraordinary wildlife is enhanced by its unusual geography: cool, freshwater crater lakes like the Emerald Pool from Roseau, the capital, co-exist with steaming fumaroles and naturally hot water baths.
The island is totally different from its neighbours . As high as it rises, so does Dominica dive deep into the ocean. The same adventurous spirit that makes the island beloved of extreme sports enthusiasts (river-tubing, rapid-running, para-gliding off the peaks) brings divers to Dominica’s reefs – great walls of colour and life, rich in great and small marine rarities. It’s even a prime site for whale watching, especially in the marine reserve around Scott’s Head and Soufriere at the southwestern tip. Factor in its reputation for night-life and all you need for Dominica is energy.
When to go: There’s six times more rain in the interior than on the coast, so come for the dry season between January and June. August to October is the wettest time – but the World Festival is from late October to November. Population: 69,625 (2001). How to get there: By air, via Sian Juan, Antigua, Barbados or St Lucia to Melville Hall in the northeast.
Photos by: Tropicalties
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