Delightful Dominica

Brrr!   The 2013-14 winter months are long with bitterly cold temperatures.  We need a break from winter.  So, we book ourselves on an 11-day Southern Caribbean Cruise. 

 

Day 5:  Our second port-of-call is Dominica.  The ship docks in Roseau (its Capitol City) at 9:30am. 

 

As soon as we exit the ship, we are greeted with some "liquid sunshine".  We board a small bus (#283) and meet our tour guide Elvira and driver Damien (Fun Sun Tours).  There are no signal lights here and drivers honk every time they enter a curve (which is often).  The roads are narrow, winding and steep but they offer some scenic views. 

 

Our first stop is at Morne Trois Pitons National Park.  The park is named for the three volcanic peaks that sit on the property.  The Emerald Pool is part of the National Park.  We begin walking to the pool.  The first part of the trail is fairly easy but once you pass a viewing point, the trail becomes steep and steps are part of the dirt trail.  We are told to wear good walking shoes to hike this trail because of the rocks and roots and it is good advice.  When I reach the wooden footbridge, I can hear the rushing sound of a waterfall.  Up some more stairs and there it is - a lovely waterfall cascading down into the Emerald Pool.  Brad (and others in our group) chooses to take a dip in this natural pool. 

  

Emerald Pool & Waterfall

Our second stop is also within the National Park - Trafalgar Falls (two waterfalls).   For about 10 minutes, we walk a trail through the forest to see these "Mama and Papa" falls.  Our tour guide asks us not to go any further than the wooden viewing platform (due to time limitations).  Both falls are easily seen from here.  The "Papa" falls are bigger and stronger while the "Mama" falls are slender and more delicate. 

  

Trafalgar Falls (aka “Twin Falls”)

In Roseau, we stop at a Botanical Garden which includes a bird sanctuary.  The birds are in cages set back behind a fence.  So viewing them is difficult.  We didn’t spend much time here but there did not appear to be much to see anyway.  So, I wasn’t disappointed when we had to leave. 

Our final stop was a scenic overlook at the top of a hill for a view of the town and our ship.  Our time in Dominica is over for this trip … it is back to the ship and time to sail away to our next port – Barbados.