Nature at its Best

By Roberta Sotonoff

Not many people get to see the sun turn green. Because of the way the sunlight refracts in the atmosphere, Dominica’s (pronounced Doe-min-eeka) sunset often becomes a stunning, emerald flash as it sinks into the Caribbean.

While most people flock to the Caribbean for its beaches and parties, it’s the natural features of Dominica that make it a diamond in the rough. Located between Martinique and Guadeloupe, it teems with undulating landscape and roaring waterfalls. Beaches ebb, flow and disappear with the whim of the sea. Roads do the same in the wilderness. Not one of its rivers is polluted.

A visit to the island is not complete without some water-related activity. Roseau, the tiny capital in the southwest corner, is a hub for many off-land adventures like whale watching. Resident sperm whales, abundant sea life and vertical drops, which range from 800-1,500 feet, make Dominica one of the world’s top diving destinations.

Snorkeling by a submerged volcanic crater opposite Champagne Beach is unique. I swim out to the reef where fumaroles (volcanic steam vents) bubble up from the sea floor like sparkling wine. Giant barrel sponges resemble discarded pottery vases. The reef abounds with creatures –anemones, sea fans, corals and an endless variety of fish. An eagle ray cruises by looking like a spotted, stealth bomber.

Divers and snorkelers also like Portsmouth, in the northwest. But when divers call it a day, boats dock at Portsmouth’s Prince Rupert Bay. Joking young men unload huge banana stalks from pickup trucks and toss them onto the boats making hard work look like fun.

Another water adventure is the Indian River rowboat ride. Clear, brackish water is a playground for young barracudas and crayfish. Thick foliage and tree roots radiate 20 feet. Except for the sounds of birds, there is an eerie silence. It is a place you’d imagine pirates came to bury treasure. In fact, scenes from “Pirates of the Caribbean” were filmed here.

The Ti Tou Gorge is a fun adventure if you don’t mind swimming in icy water for a couple of hundred feet. Inside a cave, plants dangle from where the light oozes. The din intensifies and then cascading water thunders down 50 feet of rocks.

Trafalgar Falls is also a chilly swim. Most walk only to the viewing platform but a robust individual might scramble up and down the massive rocks to swim at the foot of the roaring 125-foot cataract called Father, and the wider, 95-foot-high one named Mother.

Besides its water activities, Dominica is a hiker’s paradise, especially in Morne Trios Pitons National Park. You must be fit to explore the lunar landscape of Boiling Lake. Middleham Falls, with its lichen-coated rocks and log-fashioned steps which cover the undulating path, is an easier trek. The waterfall resonates through the forest and accelerates as I descend toward the 150-foot cascade. Mist tickles my face as it collides into 35 feet of water.

Rather see Morne Trios Pitons without using much foot power? The Aerial Tram inches through the rainforest then ascends 300 feet. A nature trail near the top crosses the Breakfast River Gorge. Its suspended bridge feels like a trampoline but the view is breathtaking.

Each area and attraction on Dominica has special charm. The southeast’s pristine wilderness caters to the physically fit. It’s a 133-step schlep to my Jungle Bay Resort room, but the panorama of crashing surf against huge rocks brings an audible gasp.

Carib Territory is farther northeast. Europeans dubbed the Kalinago people who live here, Caribs, named the sea after them and pronounced them cannibals. Not true. Warlike maybe, but they didn’t eat the spoils. Kalinago Barana Autê culture center gives you the skinny on them. A 45-minute walking tour snakes around the rainforest and edges the cliffs above the Atlantic. Tiny huts in the village give new meaning to “being a close family.”

Another popular attraction, much like Marine boot camp, is Wacky Rollers, a series of 28 jungle canopy ‘games.’. Swing on zip-lines and navigate between trees on logs, nets and monkey bridges (rope loops). I did, but luckily arrived too late to swing to a rope wall and climb up it to a platform. That takes too much coordination for this quintessential klutz.

Almost as adventuresome as Wacky Rollers is the potholed road to Crescent Moon Cabins. Owners Jean and Ron Viverelli take ecotourism to the max at this Edenesque riverside setting. Fresh water is piped in from the mountains. Meals are produced from scratch. Jean tends the goats, chickens and the greenhouse. Ron, a professionally trained chef, treats guests to gourmet meals and home-made goat cheese, sausage, tofu, bread, ice cream, plus his own roasted coffee.

“It’s about food here and people that enjoy food,” says Viverelli. Everything is natural – just like the rest of the island.

What to bring: Diving gear, hiking boots, casual clothes, a rain jacket, suntan lotion, bug spray, shades, a desire to chill and a craving to bond with nature.