Dominica - wish we had more time together
Dominica - this island has been our next destination after spending some days in Guadeloupe and before returning back to Martinique. Some similarities with St. Lucia - the island has become independent too and shouldn't be in the Europe Travel's section. But somehow I find it suits better than to Americas :) Other similarity - we took the ferry, my favorite (NOOOT) again. But beside that, the island is completely different than the others.
Let me start with the two main mistakes I did and I really regret those:
- I thought well... this is the smallest island compared with Martinique and Guadeloupe and it's the carribean, 2-3 days on the island should be fine. At the end of the trip, I wished we had
more time on the island.
- Boeing spontaneously and booking a rental car shouldn't be any problem. We're in the Caribbean where everything is relaxed and can get somehow organize. This might be the case but NOT during Carnival season. It was impossible to book anywhere a car.
These are the two things I highly recommend to check and plan before for getting most out of your stay in Dominica!
Although we didn't had too much time, I can still highlight great memories:
- Cocoa Cottages - oh my god what a great accommodation and lovely hosts and great cooks. I would go there anytime again they helped us a lot.
- Yay, Carneval is so much fun here. We had the chance to see the famous Costume Parade in downtown Roseau and get into the Calypso's vibes! This has been the Calypso Song who won in 2016 when we've been there.
- Make sure you go once snorkeling at the Champagne Cove! You see the bubbles in the main picture - they are real and coming from underground activities of a volcano.
- Trafalgar Falls - wonderful place
- From Coca Cottages you can also walk / hike to hot springs nearby.
- You might wonder how we managed to see this without a car? The answer is hitchhiking! The people on the island are absolutely lovely. No matter where we have been and where we wanted to go, every single car stopped and helped or gave us a lift. Really amazing!
You can see that the island is poorer than the other islands. The streets are not in good condition but the people take care when driving. Many bridges have been broken by Taifun "Erika" some years ago and the money is missing to rebuild the street. But the people seem happy and my host mum told me some years ago Martinique and Guadeloupe remained the same which have now much higher European influence that Dominica. And I think this is what I loved so much about the island - its culture and wonder of natures.
I mentioned earlier the island has a lot to discover and obviously there is a reason why some scenes of Pirates of the Carribbean 2 have been filmed in Dominica.
If I come back one day, I will do the famous hike to the Boiling Lake it's a long and hard one, but must be worth from what I heard of everyone returning from it. This page gives a great overview
of all activities you can do when in Dominica: http://www.avirtualdominica.com/what-to-do/
For me it was love at first sight with Dominica and I hope I get the chance to come back one day.
