Dominica

In Dominica, you go to Mother Nature, or Mother Nature comes to you. Perhaps you will see nature's beauty in underwater silence, swimming in volcanic bubbles while millions of colors dash by; or perhaps you will discover its magnificence hiking steep and narrow stretches of red mud and lush forests on your climb up a mountain volcano. Any way you choose to experience Dominica, her big and small wonders will awe you.

With all this abundance of nature, there's also a lot of active watching to do—birds flying, turtles hatching, and dolphins and whales jumping. Even when you're not looking, something is sure to capture your gaze. The sensory overload isn't just visual. Your soul may be soothed by the refreshing smell of clean river water and cleaner air; your taste buds will be tantalized by the freshest fruits and vegetables; and your skin will be caressed by the purest natural soaps.

Wedged between the two French islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, Dominica (pronounced dom-in-ee-ka) is as close to the garden of Eden as you're likely to get. Wild orchids, anthurium lilies, ferns, heliconia, and myriad fruit trees sprout profusely. Much of the interior is still covered by luxuriant rain forest and remains inaccessible by road. Here everything grows more intensely: greener, brighter, and bigger. A natural fortress, the island protected the Caribs (the region's original inhabitants) against European colonization. The rugged northeast is still reserved as home to the last survivors of the Caribs, along with their traditions and mythology.

History and Culture

Dominica—29 mi (47 km) long and 16 mi (26 km) wide, with a population of approximately 72,500—did eventually become a British colony; but it attained independence in November 1978 and now has a seat in the United Nations as the central Caribbean's only natural World Heritage Site. Its capital is Roseau (pronounced rose-oh); the official language is English, although most locals communicate with each other in Creole; roads are driven on the left; family and place-names are a mélange of English, Carib, and French; and the religion is predominantly Catholic. It's a conservative society. Unlike neighboring Martinique and Guadeloupe, Dominica frowns on topless bathing, and swimsuits should never be worn on the street. The economy is still heavily dependent on agriculture.

With fewer than 100,000 overnight visitors annually, Dominica is a little-known destination with no major hotel chains, but the island's forestry service has preserved more national forests, marine reserves, and parks, per capita, than almost anywhere on Earth.

Dominica is a popular "alternative" Caribbean experience. It's an ideal place to go if you want to really get away—hike, bike, trek, spot birds and butterflies in the rain forest, and explore waterfalls; experience a vibrant culture in Dominica's traditions; kayak, dive, snorkel, or sail in marine reserves; or go out in search of the many resident whale and dolphin species. To experience Dominica, from the elfin woodlands and dense rain forest to the therapeutic geothermal springs and world-class dive sites that mirror the terrestrial terrain, is really to know Earth as it was created.

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