A Note from Marla:  The Caribbean island of Dominica is practically the closest thing that you and I can come to viewing nature in its most primitive form.  The movie Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed here on this island for one simple reason: the utter lack of civilization combined with breath-taking natural beauty made it easy to find unspoiled background scenery.

I know that many of our cruise group is dying to go to Hawaii and I promise we will go there in 2013. However, in the meantime, Dominica is just as lush and primitive as Kauai (Jurassic Park), just as volcanic as the Big Island, and has just as many waterfalls as Maui. 

This island has one amazing natural wonder after another... and, best of all, our cruise to Dominica and the Eastern Caribbean costs about half of what it will take to cruise to Hawaii.

So if you are looking for something pretty wonderful to do over Spring Break in 2012, think about Dominica!!

In particular, I will be arranging a group shore excursion to view the highlights depicted in the five locations I have written about below:

1. Morne Trois Pitons National Park
2. Trafalgar Falls
3. Titou Gorge
4. Emerald Pool
5. Botanical Gardens (seen on our way back to the ship)

If we get a large enough group, based on my past experience I think we can get a significant price break plus keep our group together to share the experience.  So I hope my write-up catches your interest! 

Marla Archer

Morne Trois Pitons National Park

Located in the south central part of Dominica, this 16,980-acre park of primordial rain forest contains the most spectacular hikes. Morne Trois Pitons refers to the "mountain of three peaks" that rises to 4,672 feet. The legendary Valley of Desolation and Boiling Lake hike is located within the park. This national park and Unesco World Heritage site in the southern half of the island in Dominica's mountainous volcanic interior.

Most of the park is primordial rainforest, varying from jungles thick with tall, pillarlike gommier trees to the stunted cloud-forest cover on the upper slopes of Morne Trois Pitons (4550 ft), Dominica's second-highest mountain. The park has many of the island's top wilderness sites, including Boiling Lake, Boeri Lake, Freshwater Lake and Middleham Falls. Hikes to all four start at Laudat (elevation 1970ft), a small hamlet with fine mountain views.

You won't see any large mammals in the park, but Dominica does possess a wide range of insects, birds, crustaceans and a few reptiles. There are four species of snake, all non-poisonous.

A surprising characteristic here, as on most islands, is the lack of bird calls in heavy forested areas at upper elevations. Although 54 species of birds nest on the island, the only one you're likely to hear on a steep climb is the siffleur montagne, a mountain bird heard only in Dominica and whose song has a striking clarity and sweetness.

Dominica is also home to 2 endangered parrots, the sisserou and the jacquot. You're much more likely to see the Antillean crested hummingbird and the purple throated hummingbird.

At sunset or when it rains, the little (2 cm) tree frogs known as the gounouge are responsible for the chorus of piping sounds. A remarkable example of adaptation to its environment, these are born as perfect frogs without an aquatic, tadpole stage.

They don't have the luxury of a prolonged adolescence in still, safe water: because the rivers are so swift, the streams contain little food and the water flow is highly seasonal. To survive, the gounouge must be born "standing up and talking back."

The crapaud, or mountain chicken, is a bulky, solid frog hunted for food and occasionally offered on hotel menus during its season. Mountain chickens, which grow up to 15-20 cm, have been seriously depleted through over-hunting. I can't comment on their taste since I've never had one but they are considered a great delicacy.

Trafalgar Falls

On the western edge of Morne Trois Pitons National Park, Trafalgar Falls are spectacular and accessible via a steep but smooth uphill walk. The 0.4-mile walk to the falls begins at Papillote Wilderness Retreat, about 1 mile east of the village of Trafalgar.

Start the walk at the bottom of the inn's driveway, where you'll find a cement track leading east. Follow the track until you reach a little snack bar; take the footpath that leads downhill from there and in a couple of minutes you'll reach a viewing platform with a clear view of the falls.

There are two separate waterfalls. Water from the upper falls crosses the Titou Gorge before plunging down the sheer 200ft rock face that fronts the viewing platform. At the base of the waterfall are hot sulfur springs. Look for yellow streaks on the rocks to find a good soaking spot.

The lower falls flow from the Trois Pitons River in the Boiling Lake area. This waterfall, gentler and broader than the upper falls, has a deep and wide pool at its base made for swimming.

The short trail has 3 lookout points. All illustrate just how heavily forested and natural Dominica remains.

The first lookout is of Morne Trois Pitons. The second looks across Belle Fille Valley and Morne Negres Marrons (2,248 feet). Part of the trail past the second viewpoint is paved for a short distance.

This is part of the old track used as a main road by the Carib Indians from perhaps 800 years ago to as late as the 1960s.

The third outlook shows the Atlantic Coast at Castle Bruce and Anse Quanery.

If you happen to be here near twilight, enjoy the chorus of tree frogs and crickets. Bats, too, will appear at that time, helping to control the island's insect population.

Titou Gorge

Titou Gorge is one of the Morne Trois Pitons National Park attractions.

In 1997, it was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site - the first enlisted Natural Site in the Eastern Caribbean, and its inauguration was also marked with a Regional conference on The World Heritage Convention.

This delightful spot is at the start of the hike to the Boiling Lake.  It is fed by a small waterfall that falls into a water-filled gorge ('Ti tou' means 'little-throat' in Creole).  Judging by all the pictures with people in the water, apparently this place is safe enough for wading.
 
There's also hot water close by, making it also a refreshing stop at the end of the hard Boiling Lake hike!

A narrow gorge in the heights of the Roseau River near Laudat that became a source of water for hydro-electricity from the early 1950s and a tourist attraction during the late 20th century.

The name comes for the French Creole for "little hole" or opening. The gorge is formed by the action of water coming from the Freshwater Lake, which over thousands of years has cut its way through the thick layers of volcanic ash that compacted after the eruptions of Morne Macacque (Micotrin). This form of rock is called "welded tuff".

As the water cut its way through this, it carved out pools and waterfalls over and around harder rocks lodged in the tuff. At the end of the gorge the water continued down river to cascade over the higher of the two Trafalgar Falls. When CDC was constructing the first hydro scheme in the 1950s, the mouth of the gorge was dammed so as to divert the water into canals and pipes. This raised the level of the water in the gorge so that it became a popular experience to swim up the gorge and it is now one of Dominica's tourist attractions.

Emerald Pool

The easy walk to the Emerald Pool is a loop trail of less than 1 mile that takes about 20 minutes to complete. Emerald Pool, only a 10-minute walk from the road. This is a favorite stop on the way from Roseau to the Carib Territory.

Emerald Pool is located 3.5 miles northeast of Pont Casse on the road to Rosalie and Castle Bruce. Take the left fork that goes to Castle Bruce. The small parking lot is 0.5-miles on the left.

Reached by a half-mile loop trail, the Emerald Pool is by far the most accessible spot in the entire Morne Trois Pitons National Park. Emerald Pool is actually a waterfall-fed pool that appears bright green in the tree-filtered sunlight.

The forest here technically falls into what is known as a transition zone, not true rain forest or montane forest. The majority of plants are young trees--not shrubs--which create a massively thick canopy, prompting many vines to grow upwards from ground level.

Others, established in the tree tops, send down their roots. Epiphytes are especially fond of the filtered sunlight, and the trees are covered with them.

Both the agouti, a guinea-pig-like rodent, and the nocturnal manicou, a small opossum, live here, but you are far more likely to spot birds, particularly hummingbirds, and hear the song of the mountain warbler.

It's possible to swim in Emerald Pool; in fact, on a hot day you'll probably want to. If you do, go stand behind the 20-foot high waterfall; there's plenty of room in the eroded stone behind it. But be careful. The rocks are slippery.

The short trail has 3 lookout points. All illustrate just how heavily forested and natural Dominica remains.

The first lookout is of Morne Trois Pitons. The second looks across Belle Fille Valley and Morne Negres Marrons (2,248 feet). Part of the trail past the second viewpoint is paved for a short distance.

This is part of the old track used as a main road by the Carib Indians from perhaps 800 years ago to as late as the 1960s.

The third outlook shows the Atlantic Coast at Castle Bruce and Anse Quanery.

If you happen to be here near twilight, enjoy the chorus of tree frogs and crickets. Bats, too, will appear at that time, helping to control the island's insect population.

Botanical Gardens

Located in Roseau, these were reputed to be some of the most beautiful grounds in the Caribbean until 1979's Hurricane David, which did considerable damage.

Situated below the Morne Bruce Hill, the 40-acre tract is the largest semi-open space in the capital city of Roseau ; it served as a popular cricket ground in the 1960s and 70s.

Although just 68 feet above sea level, the gardens receive more than eighty-five inches of rain annually, making them an ideal site for growing a wide variety of tropical plants.

Originally a sugar cane field, the ornamental planting began in 1890 and was beautifully landscaped with a fountain, iron gates, ponds and 500 species of exotic and indigenous shrubs and trees.

The most interesting site displays the remains of a large yellow bus crushed beneath a massive baobab tree, an ever-present reminder of Hurricane David's devastation. The Forestry and Wildlife Division here offers "A Guide to Selected Trees and Shrubs" to help identify plants.

An aviary contains 2 species of parrots, the imperial and red-necked. The aviary is part of a captive breeding program to increase the number of parrots in the wild.

Jack's Walk, which leaves from the gardens, will take you up Morne Bruce for a panoramic view of Roseau.