Dominica’s Beauty: It’s In Their Nature

The Island continues to receive honours for its unique underwater experiences and macro-diving aquatic reel life. Some of their impressive awards include:
#1 destination for “Top Marine Life,”
#1 destination for “Top Small Animal Encounters,”
#1 destination for “Top Healthiest Marine Environment,”
“Top Destinations for Underwater Photography in the Caribbean/Atlantic”.

For underwater photography, it is truly picture perfect. Unique underwater terrain, including volcanic vents creating warm “champagne bubbles” offer a truly authentic experience, whether you are a novice or professional snorkeler/diver. Frogfish and seahorse, rare in other regions, are commonly visible in Dominica.

Known as one of the most picturesque of Dominica’s rivers, the Indian River tour showcases the indigenous animal and plant life along the tree-lined river banks. For movie buffs, two of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies included scenes within the Indian River as producers were looking for an authentic nature spot.

Aside for the underwater experiences, Dominica is also known as the whale watching capital of the Caribbean with a 95% success rate. It is common to view sperm whales and dolphins while sailing the Dominica waters. For those that are interested, certain dive operators offer a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to swim underwater close to the whales. This is one memory you won’t soon forget!

As one of a handful of Caribbean destinations to receive this designation, Dominica is pleased to have been awarded a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site designation for their Morne Trois Pitons National Park.

The national park is named after the highest mountain point in Dominica, Morne Trois Pitons. There are several attractions within the national park including the scenic Emerald Pool, Boiling Lake and Titou Gorge. It also features the Waitukubuli National Trail, known as the Caribbean’s first long distance walking trail.

The park covers over 183 kms and over 17,000 acres, spanning the length of Dominica, and is known as a hiker’s paradise. As a bonus, it passes through the historical Kalinago (Carib) villages, ruins of 18th Century French settlements, the renovated Fort Shirley at The Cabrits, and additional interesting historical sites.

As the youngest Island in the Caribbean, Dominica is leading the charge and has committed to be the world’s first climate-resilient Caribbean nation.

Following the 2017 Hurricane, government officials launched a task force Climate Resilient Execution Agency for Dominica (CREAD) to in essence hurricane-proof the entire island. CREAD’s mission is to determine best practices across every sector, including roadways, building codes, energy grids, water management.

Once instituted, the Island will eventually be able to rebound from a Category 5 storm faster and more efficiently. This will allow them to put in place standards that can be adapted for other islands.