Dominica
by Paul Crask
Dominica travel guide. Holiday advice and tourist information for this Caribbean island, covering hotels, restaurants, guides, tour operators, culture, history, conservation, whale-watching, diving and snorkelling, hiking, birdwatching, canyoning, cycling. Features Roseau, Morne Trois Pitons, the Kalinago, Cabrits, Morne Diablotin, Boiling Lake
Size: 135 X 216 mm
Edition: 4
Number of pages: 272
About this book
Packed with the extensive, detailed local knowledge of author Paul Crask, a long-term resident, Bradt’s Dominica remains the only up-to-date standalone guide to this Caribbean island. In this new, thoroughly updated fourth edition, a range of accommodation and dining options are described in depth, guide and tour-operator listings are extensive, and over 20 detailed maps help orientation. Taking an environmentally conscious and socially responsible approach to travel, the author couples essential advice on activities and practicalities with rich insights into the country’s natural environment, history and culture – including the indigenous Kalinago, the last of the region’s indigenous Amerindian people, whose descendants continue to live here today.
Formerly considered an undeveloped Caribbean backwater, English-speaking Dominica is an increasingly favoured tourist destination. The government has invested significantly in island infrastructure following damage caused by extreme weather events in 2015 and 2017, while upmarket boutique hotels are opening. Despite such rising popularity, Dominica remains a place of unbridled, off-the-beaten-path adventure and discovery. This island of mountains, unspoiled rainforests, extinct (and one active) volcanoes, rivers and waterfalls has much to enchant a variety of travellers.
Explore Morne Trois Piton National Park, a World Heritage Site housing a network of trails that traverse rainforest-covered mountains, and connect rivers, waterfalls and the Boiling Lake, a flooded fumarole that is the world’s second-largest hot-water lake. Ardent hikers craving further exploration can walk sections of the Waitukubuli National Trail or make for national parks such as Cabrits and Morne Diablotin. Wildlife-watchers can seek out rare parrots found nowhere else in the world, the mountain chicken (actually one of the world’s largest frogs) or even a boa constrictor that is the subject of Kalinago legends. Scuba divers and snorkellers can marvel at pristine marine reserves boasting healthy coral reefs, whilst those who prefer to remain above the waves can take boat trips to enjoy excellent views of sperm whales.
Whether you love nature or culture, hiking through wilderness or exploring underwater, the depth of detail and breadth of local insights that characterise Bradt’s Dominica render it the indispensable practical companion to exploring this exciting country.
About the Author
Paul Crask (www.paulcrask.com; www.dominicatraveller.com) is a writer, independent magazine designer and publisher, and documentary photographer who has lived in Dominica since 2005. Since then, he has researched and written four editions of Bradt’s Dominica guide, has created and published a dozen printed and digital magazines about the island (including Dominica Traveller), and has written scores of freelance articles for regional and international press. An enthusiastic hiker and a professionally qualified scuba diver, Crask is addicted to travel and exploration, through which he has worked intimately with Dominica’s Kalinago people, and with hoteliers, restaurateurs, and tour operators island wide. His in-depth knowledge of all things Dominica – from history and culture to the more obscure hinterland tracks of the island’s forested interior – make him a go-to source of information for independent travellers. Crask has also written about many other islands in the eastern Caribbean, including authoring Bradt’s Grenada, Carriacou & Petite Martinique.
Additional Information
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Background Information
Geography, Climate, Natural history and conservation, A brief history of the island, Government and politics, Economy, People, Language, Religion, Education, Culture
Chapter 2 Practical InformationWhen to visit,
Highlights, Suggested itineraries, Tour operators, Tourist offices, Red tape, Consulates and embassies, Getting there and away, Health, Safety, Women travellers, Disabled travellers, Travelling with children, Gay travellers, What to take, Money and budgeting, Getting around, Accommodation, Eating and drinking, Public holidays and events, Shopping, Arts and entertainment, Media and communications, Business, Cultural etiquette, Travelling positively
Chapter 3 Activities and Special Interests
Tour operators and private guides, Site fees and passes, Birdwatching, Boat tours, Bus and jeep tours, Canyoning, Cycling and mountain biking, Education and research, Fishing, Gardens, farms and food, Hiking, Horseriding, Kayaking, Off-roading, Photography tours, River tubing, Scuba diving, Snorkelling, Wellness, Whale watching, Zip-lining
PART 2 THE GUIDE
Chapter 4 Roseau and Environs
A brief history of Roseau, Getting there and away, Orientation and getting around, Where to stay, Where to eat and drink, Bars and nightlife, Shopping, Other practicalities, What to see and do
Chapter 5 Roseau Valley and Morne Trois Pitons National Park
Getting there and away, Where to stay, Where to eat and drink, What to see and do, Hikes
Chapter 6 The South
Getting there, Where to stay, Where to eat and drink, What to see and do, Activities and special interests, Hikes
Chapter 7 The Kalinago Territory and the East
The Kalinago, Getting there and away, Where to stay, Where to eat and drink, What to see and do, Activities and special interests, Hikes
Chapter 8 Cabrits National Park and the North
Getting there and away, Where to stay, Where to eat and drink, Shopping, Other practicalities, What to see and do, Activities and special interests, Hikes
Chapter 9 Heart of Dominica, Morne Diablotin National Park, and the West
Getting there and away, Where to stay, Where to eat and drink, What to see and do, Activities and special interests, Hikes from the West Coast, Hikes in the Heart of East Dominica