General: Dominica > Reviews (6)

On November 3rd, 1978 Dominica gained its independence from Great Britain and became an independent republic within the Commonwealth. Dominica is also known as the Nature Island of the Caribbean and is situated between the French speaking islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique it is the largest and most mountainous of the all the Windward Islands. Some people tend to get Dominica mixed up with the Dominican Republic, which can really makes me angry, as they are completely different places. People fail to remember that one is in the Caribbean the other is in South America, which is a good distance away.

The main airport on the island is Melville Hall, which, is in the north part of the island, is about 38 miles from Roseau the capital city. There is also another airport, which is Canefield in the southwest part of the island, which is about 3 miles from Roseau. To get to the island you need to use the regional carrier, which is called Liat. You can get the Liat plane from the any of the following islands Antigua, Barbados and St Lucia. These islands are less than an hour away. Liat planes are extremely small and cramped so I advice you only carry a small hand luggage bag.

The island is not that big being roughly 29 miles long and 16 miles wide. When you read about the island they usually say Volcanic in its towering green mountains covered with dense tropical forests; deep valleys and countless streams provide magnificent scenic views. This is so right. To get a good view of the island as you are landing it has been recommended that if you are flying north into Canefield that you sit on the right hand side and flying north sit on the left hand side. If flying into Melville Hall you do the opposite. The most frightening bit for me is when the plane starts to descend and all you see is green trees around you it actually feels like the plane is heading towards them. It probably wouldn’t bother me if the plane were bigger.
Sights

Dominica has some fantastic sights to see I have listed some of the more popular ones below: -

Boiling Lake – one of the largest in the world, you reach it after a tough 2-4 hour walk

Titou Gorge – is a volcano that you can swim in (well not literally). There is a crevice in which hot and cold steams blend together.

Sulphur Springs – is a spring that you can bathe in. Its hot sulphuric mud and water that come s from the earth’s interior.

Emerald Pool – is a green pool in the heart of the rainforest, it has a waterfall which can viewed from the underside

Trafalgar Falls – a pair of waterfalls which you can climb and be surrounded by a rainbow these are one of the islands most famous sights.

Victoria Waterfall – probably the most impressive and photogenic waterfall on the island

Freshwater Lake – a big lake of pure clear water that you bathe in

Botanic Gardens – The Garden is located in Roseau and has different species of plants and even animals some say it is the ideal place for a picnic in the summer if you are into that sort of thing!

The weather is generally dry between January and July; with the wettest months is August to October.

The hurricane season in Dominica is from June 1st to November 30th. I went at the end of September and was caught in the Hurricane George, which swept across the Caribbean in 1998.

It was really strange to go around the island a few days before and see all windows boarded up and people panic buying in the supermarket. The whole island had a state of unrest, as the hurricane was getting nearer. I can remember the night before it was due my sister said that my immediate family spend the night in the same room just in case the worse happened. Both my sister and myself woke up in the middle of the night and could hear the wind moving over the island and a great speed it seemed to last for hours. In the morning there was hardly any damage to my grandparents house where I was staying which was good and overall the island wasn’t damaged that bad unlike some of the surrounding Caribbean islands. I made a note to go in the dry season next time.
Additional Info

· Prices range from about four hundred to over a thousand but it really depends on the time/season you are going.

· English is the official language but Creole (a French patois) is widely spoken.

· Local currency is the Eastern Caribbean dollar but US dollars are acceptable all over the island. You are advised to exchange your currency at the banks, where you will get the most favourable exchange rate.

· Driving is on the left side of the road.

· Electricity 220/240 volts, 50 cycles. A transformer is required for American appliances. Outlets are three-prong European style. Adapters may be needed.