Dominica (Days 5 & 6)

Afternoon flight from SKB airport brought us to Dominica (DOM) airport in the evening. It was Christmas day and we checked out the rental companies at the airport for any cars; but were told that everything was sold out!

The capital city of Roseau (pronounced ROSE-UH) is located on the opposite side of the island from the airport. It takes just over an hour by taxi to reach Roseau (from the airport). You can walk to the town of Marigot from the airport and catch a public bus that costs about XCD 10 one-way to Roseau. Since it was a holiday, public transport is shut down! A shared taxi from the airport costs USD 30 per person!

With no other option, we decided to take that shared taxi and reach Roseau around 8pm.

Day 5 – Around South Dominica

December 26 is ‘Boxing Day’ in Dominica and everything is still (after Christmas) shut down. Public transport, shops, restaurants – nothing is open! Roseau was a ghost town! The plan was to spend the day around the island but with no taxis or buses in sight, we agreed with our Airbnb host to drive us around for USD 80. We had checked with our taxi driver from day before and he quoted USD 160 for a day tour. So our choice was obvious to go with our host!

First up was the famous Trafalgar waterfalls, just a 20-minute drive from Roseau. Visiting the twin waterfalls costs USD 5 and a 10-15 minute walk from the visitor reception area to the falls. Note: The walk leading up to the waterfalls is very easy along a well-maintained path but it involves going up & down staircases.

A viewing platform lets you take great pictures, but the more adventurous can continue on to swim in the refreshing waters of the smaller waterfall or find the hot springs of the tallest fall.

[Trafalgar Waterfalls, Dominica]

Another 10-minute drive brought us to Titou Gorge. A swim through the natural “rooms and ponds”, formed by high cliffs, begin with knee-deep waters and quickly gets deep. Locals sell life-jackets for USD 2 outside.

The swim is short, only about ten minutes, and the canopied light filtering down the mountainside within the gorge is spectacular. It leads to a stunning waterfall!

We even got to meet the Prime Minister of Dominica who was visiting with his family!

[Titou Gorge]

[Titou Gorge]

[Blurry but stunning waterfalls at the end of the swim in Titou Gorge]

[Meeting the Prime Minister of Dominica]

Dried and ready to hit our next destination, we drove back to Roseau and stopped for a quick lunch before getting back on road for about 30 minutes to Champagne Reef. This is known to be the one of the top ten diving destinations in the world. Named for the bubbling waters rising from volcanic thermal springs on the ocean floor, Champagne Reef offers dazzling explosion of color.

Matching the color and variety of the sponges and crinoids is a fascinating range of undersea creatures — octopus, rays, trumpet fish, parrotfish, frogfish, batfish, hawksbill turtles, seahorses, sea snakes, and eels. You may even encounter the remains of the 17th century Spanish shipwreck.

Self-snorkeling costs USD 10 per person including the equipment (snorkel, life jacket, glasses and fins). But if you’re scared of the waves then you can hire one of the expert divers for a tip (no set price).

[Snorkeling in Champagne Reef]

[Snorkeling in Champagne Reef]

Day 6 – Roseau

Our flight to the next country was at 2pm so we had enough time to walk around the capital city of Dominica and take in some of the sights. We started with the Parliament building in the south side of the town, heading north to French Quarter which is the most historic section of the city, where the streets are lined with picturesque wooden buildings; most with beautiful balconies.

Next up was , but we found out that it was closed and under renovation! Which brought us to our last stop – Dominica Museum. A small but excellent museum on Dominica’s natural history and ancient history. Exhibits include pre-Columbian artifacts as well as local art from different eras.

[Dominica Parliament in Roseau]

[Streets of Roseau]

[Streets of Roseau]

[Streets of French Quarter in Roseau]

[Streets of French Quarter in Roseau]

[Inside Dominica Museum in Roseau]

[Inside Dominica Museum in Roseau]

We ended the day by taking the shared taxi from Roseau to DOM airport, onward to our next country – St. Lucia.

Note: All values in USD, unless otherwise mentioned, are approximate and based on the exchange rate at the time of publishing. Each cost is for one adult. The exchange rate at the time of publishing is assumed to be USD 1 = XCD 2.60.