Roseau
Roseau (rose-oh) is Dominica’s compact, noisy, chaotic but vibrant capital, situated on the coast and the Roseau River. Reggae music blares through the narrow streets while people zip around in the daytime, but at night the city all but empties. Roseau’s streets are lined with historic stone-and-wood buildings in states ranging from ramshackle to elegant.
Roseau is best explored on foot. The most historic section is the French Quarter, south of bustling King George V St.
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Botanic Gardens
The beautiful 40-acre botanic gardens teem with mature banyan, century palms and ficus trees along with flowering tropical shrubs. It’s a great place for a wander and a picnic on the expansive lawns. A must-see is the Parrot Conservation and Research Centre, an aviary housing rare Jaco and Sisserou parrots. ‘Jack’s Walk,’ the short but steep and winding half-mile trail to the top of Morne Bruce, starts behind the aviary.
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Old Market
This cobblestone plaza has been the centre of action in Roseau for the last 300 years. It’s been the site of political meetings, farmers markets and, more ominously, public executions and a slave market. Nowadays it’s got souvenir stalls.
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Public Market
This bustling riverfront market is a good place to have a bowl of goat water (stew), pick up a bottle of sea moss or put together a picnic. Get lost amid myriad stands; join locals for a beer.
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Trafalgar Falls
Misty twin waterfalls (admission US$5), whose easy access puts them on the must-see list of just about every visitor to Dominica. If you don’t like crowds, come before 10am or after 4pm.
An easy 0.4-mile trail (lots of steps, though) leads to a viewing platform. Water from the upper falls crosses the Titou Gorge before plunging down the sheer 200ft rock face and feeding the hydro-electric plant downhill. The lower falls flow from the Trois Pitons River in the Boiling Lake area.
Following the narrow, rocky trail beyond the platform means negotiating slippery moss-covered boulders, so wear sturdy shoes and watch your step. As a reward, you can cool off in shallow river pools or loll in the warm sulphur springs below the taller fall.
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Wotten Waven
otten Waven is famous for its natural hot sulfur springs. There are mellow options for dipping in waters abound.
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Boiling Lake
Dominica’s pre-eminent trek, and one of the hardest, is the six-hour round-trip to the world’s second-largest actively boiling lake (the largest is in New Zealand). Geologists believe the 207ft-wide lake is a flooded fumarole – a crack in the earth that allows hot gases to vent from the molten lava below. The fizzing waters sit inside a deep cauldron and are a spectacular sight.
The hike traverses the aptly named Valley of Desolation, whose sulphur rivers, belching steam vents and geysers evoke post-atomic grace. It then follows narrow ridges, snakes up and down mountains and runs along hot streams. Wear sturdy walking shoes and expect to get wet and muddy.
The strenuous 6-mile hike to the lake begins at Titou Gorge and requires a guide. Ask for a referral at your hotel.
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Titou Gorge
A swimming hole gives way to this narrow gorge ending at a torrential waterfall. The eerily quiet, short swim through the crystal-clear water is a spooky experience. The gorge is at the Boiling Lake trailhead.

Middleham Falls
The trail to Middleham Falls, one of Dominica’s highest waterfalls (200ft), takes you on an interesting rainforest walk. The main trailhead is along the Roseau–Laudat road, about 5 miles east of Roseau. The hike starts at 1600ft, climbs to 2200ft and then drops down to the falls. Allow about two to three hours round-trip.

Champagne Reef
Champagne Reef is one of Dominica’s most unusual underwater playgrounds. Volcanic bubbles emerge from vents beneath the sea floor, making it feel like you’re swimming in a giant glass of champagne. Best of all, you can snorkel right off the (rocky) beach.

Soufriere
At the heart of the bay, which is the rim of a sunken volcanic crater, Soufriere is a sleepy fishing village whose undisputed ‘hot spot’ is the Soufriere Sulfur Springs (site fee US$5). It’s the source of a steaming hot stream in the hills above town whose water is captured in a series of stone pools.
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Scotts Head
Scotts Head has a gem of a setting along its gently curving shoreline. Activity centres on the waterfront where old men hang out on the porches of pastel-painted houses.

Mero Black Sand Beach
Mero Beach is the west coast’s most popular sandy strand. It’s accessed via a narrow one-way road off the main highway. A string of bars serve drinks and meals and rent beach chairs.

Emerald Pool
Easily accessible Emerald Pool (Central Dominica; site fee US$5) takes its name from its lush green setting and clear water. At the base of a 40ft waterfall, the pool is deep enough for a refreshing dip. The 0.3-mile path to get here winds through a rainforest of massive ferns and tall trees. There are two viewpoints – one is a panorama of the Atlantic coast and the other is a great view of Morne Trois Pitons, Dominica’s second-highest mountain. The path can get a bit slippery in places. Come before 10am or after 3pm to avoid crowds.
The pool is on the well-maintained road linking Canefield and Castle Bruce. The drive is about 30 minutes from either.

Morne Diablotin National Park
Established to protect the habitat of the national bird, the Sisserou parrot, and its pretty red-necked cousin, the Jaco parrot, this national park covers some 8242 acres. It’s named for Dominica’s tallest peak (4747ft).

Portsmouth
Dominica’s second-largest town is slightly scruffy but set on attractive Prince Rupert Bay.
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Cabrits National Park
Located on a scenic peninsula 1.25 miles north of Portsmouth, this is the site of Fort Shirley, an impressive, though ruined, 18th-century British garrison. The park encompasses the surrounding coastal area, as well as the island’s largest swamp. It has good views across the bay and serene spots for picnics.
Some of the fort’s stone ruins have been cleared and partially reconstructed, while others remain half-hidden in the jungle. The powder magazine has been turned into a small museum that has a great model of the island.