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Those
making day trips to Dominica
from other Caribbean islands will want
to see the Carib Indian Reservation, in
the northeast. In 1903, Britain got the
surviving Caribs to agree to live on 1,480
hectares (3,656 acres) of land. Today,
this reservation is the last remaining
turf of the once-hostile tribe for whom
the Caribbean was named. Today they survive
by fishing, growing food, and weaving
baskets and vetiver-grass mats, which
they sell to the outside world. The baskets
sold at roadside stands make especially
good buys. Once you get here there isn't
a lot to do, although watching the Caribs
making traditional dugout canoes is interesting. |
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It's
like going back in time when you explore Morne
Trois Pitons National Park, a primordial rainforest.
Mists rise gently over lush, dark-green growth,
drifting up to blue-green peaks that have earned
Dominica the nickname "Switzerland of the
Caribbean." Framed by banks of giant ferns,
rivers rush and tumble. Trees sprout orchids,
green sunlight filters down through trees, and
roaring waterfalls create a blue mist. One of
the best starting points for a visit to the
park is the village of Laudat, 11km (6 3/4 miles)
from Roseau.
The
best tour is the Rain Forest Aerial Tram, at
the corner of Old Street and Great George Street
in Laudat (tel. 767/448-8775), open daily from
8:30am to 4:30pm. You can do a 90-minute tour
that starts at the village of Laudat, "sailing"
over the rainforest through the Morne Trois
Pitons National Park. Along the way you're treated
to exotic bird life, beautiful waterfalls, and
much tropical flora.
Eight
kilometers (5 miles) up from the Roseau River
Valley, in the south-central sector of Dominica,
Trafalgar Falls is reached after driving through
the village of Trafalgar. Shortly beyond the
hamlet of Trafalgar and up a short hill, there's
a little kiosk where you can hire a guide to
take you on the short walk to the actual falls.
In all, allow about 1 1/2 hours for the trip
from Trafalgar to the falls. This is the only
road or pathway into the falls, and you'll have
to approach on foot, as the slopes are too steep
for vehicles. After a 20-minute walk past ginger
plants and vanilla orchids, you arrive at the
base, where a trio of falls converges in a rock-strewn
pool.
For
another great way to spend half a day, head
for the Papillote Wilderness Retreat. The botanical
garden alone is worth the trip, as are the views
of mountains and lush valleys. Near the main
dining terrace is a Jacuzzi-size pool, which
is filled with the mineral-rich waters of a
nearby hot spring. Bring sturdy walking shoes
in addition to a bathing suit.
On
the northwestern coast, Portsmouth is Dominica's
second-largest settlement. Here you can row
up the Indian River in native canoes, visit
the ruins of old Fort Shirley in Cabrits National
Park, and bathe at Sandy Beach on Douglas Bay
and Prince Rupert Bay.
Cabrits
National Park (no phone), on Dominica's northwestern
coast, immediately adjacent to Douglas Bay,
is a 525-hectare (1,297-acre) protected site,
only about 25% of which is devoted to dry land.
Here you'll find low-rising hills, tropical
forests, swampland, volcanic-sand beaches, coral
reefs, and the sprawling ruins of a fortified,
18th-century garrison of British, then French,
construction. This is one of the area's great
natural attractions, and if your time is limited,
you may want to head here even if you skip everything
else in Dominica. The park's land extends over
a panoramic promontory formed by the low-rising
twin peaks of extinct volcanoes (known as East
Cabrit and West Cabrit) overlooking beaches,
with Douglas Bay on one side and Prince Rupert
Bay across the headland. The marine section
of the park extends over the teeming marine
life of the shallow waters of Douglas Bay.
If
you want to explore the park underwater, we
strongly encourage you to take one of the scuba
or snorkeling trips organized by the officially
designated dive operator for the park, Cabrit's
Dive Center, Picard Estate, Portsmouth (tel.
767/445-3010). If you're interested in hiking,
you'll find about 3km (2 miles) of trails, each
clearly marked with brown-and-yellow signs,
pointing out the geological and architectural
highlights of the park.
Foremost among these is Fort Shirley, a forbidding-looking
hulk that was last used as a military post in
1854. The park's Welcome Center (no phone) contains
a small on-site museum (open daily 9am-5pm;
free admission) that highlights the natural
and historic aspects of the park. The staff
will make suggestions about the trails you might
want to follow, but since the surface of the
park is relatively limited in scope, it's hard
to get lost. Signs point from the welcome center
to the ruins of Fort Shirley, and to the low
summits of the East and West Cabrit hills, neither
of which rises more than about 150m (492 ft.)
above sea level
Links
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