Let’s Go Chasing Waterfalls in the Caribbean

Sometimes it’s good to have a plan and sometimes it’s even better to wander and find a new path. This week we’ll do a little of both. Come with us as we visit the island of Dominica. Let’s go chasing waterfalls in the Caribbean!

The Catch Up

In case you missed it, we went on our very first cruise with our wonderful friends, Jerry and Shannon, in May.

• Before we left, we picked up some things to make our cruise more enjoyable.
• Once on board, we did a little exploring of the actual ship they used for the exterior shots of the old sitcom, the Love Boat.
• We got off the boat twice, once in the white sands of Princess Cay and the other time in St. Thomas where we went searching for pirates and swimming with sea turtles.

But wait…there’s more. This week we’re visiting Dominica – where we had an excursion booked and we got a little off the beaten path.

Surprise – Dominica!

The cruise line does a great job of reminding you about your schedule for the following day. Not only do they have an app that shows everything you had book marked for the day, they drop off a printed itineary on your nicely turned-down bed the night before. Even so, we TOTALLY forgot we had an excursion planned for Dominica. I think the drink package had something to do with it!

There we were, lounging in bed and eating our room service breakfast, when Stephen looked at the printed itinary. He said something like “Crap, we have to be in the theater at 9. I guess we missed it.” It was 20 minutes to 9. I said, “I can be ready”. And off we went. Unfortunately our friends also forgot and were only reminded when we sent them a text at 8:50. They too, made it to the theater by 9 ish.

It Was a Good Thing

Unlike St. Thomas, Dominica is not the sort of place you can explore on foot as the terrain is RUGGED. Everywhere you go is uphill – up a steep hill. Really, it’s like a Mystery Spot, no down hill. The roads are winding and there aren’t ANY sidewalks. Thankfully our trip included a driving tour of the island to two natural wonders, the Emerald Pool and Trafalgar Falls.

The Trip

Our tour guide, Colonel, was born and raised on the island and took GREAT pride in sharing all the sites with us. I couldn’t help but smile when he pointed to the gas station and told us that’s where they get fuel for their cars.

The Emerald Pool

Although the excursion didn’t specifically say so, wearing good walking shoes was the right choice for the island. To get to the pool, we had to traverse about a half mile of roughly cut stairs. People who were out of shape or had trouble walking certainly didn’t have an easy time of it.

Eventually, my crew decided they had done enough stairs since they could see the pool from the height they were on. Me? Well, I didn’t go to the Emerald Pool to not GO to the Emerald Pool so I kept walking. I even wore a bathing suit because you never know when I might feel inspired to go for a dip.

And then it happened. I saw the one thing that would certainly keep me out of the water. Was it a shark? How about a pirahanna? Am I grossed out by sea weed? Nope, it was other humans. There were too many humans. Gross. So I got a picture and made my way back.

Trafalgar Falls

It took more than an hour to get to Trafalgar Falls from the Emerald Pool and by the time we got to there, we were full on parched. Thankfully, there was a little snack bar that had both local beer and little bags of chips. We were saved!

The walk to the falls were far shorter but we were also not able to get RIGHT up to the falls from the viewing point. After after my last solo excursion, I decided that was okay with me. Sometimes the road less traveled, is less traveled for a reason.

The Snack Shack

Before we visited the last stops on the tour, the Botanical Gardens and Scenic Overlook. We got to stop in at View Point for a free beverage and one last look at the falls. Fun fact, Dominica is a rain forest and it would rain at random times throughout our tour and suddenly stop. Here at the snack bar, it was raining out of one set of windows and dry in the other.

Roseau and the Botanical Gardens

We got to ride through Roseau, Dominica’s capital, on our way over to the Botanical Gardens. It was charming in it’s way and densely populated. It also felt like the traffic lights were more of a suggestion than something that MUST be obeyed.

We were starting to feel pretty tired from the long night we had before and from the island adventuring. In fact, we were considering just staying in the air conditioned van rather than walking around the gardens. Thankfully this part of the excursion was ALSO done by car, where Colonel pointed out some interesting sites from his window.

Morne Bruce View Point

The last stop on our tour was the Morne Bruce overlook which was once a garrison for both French and British cannons. It all depended upon who won the island last. Currently, they are part of the Common Wealth. From here we got an amazing view of the bay and the island.

Back on Board

We got back with enough time to shower and change for the evening’s festivities. That night we discovered a little lounge for our pre-dinner cocktail hour that almost no one else ever visited. It was a nice change of pace from the tourist heavy sites on the island.

Dominca was beautiful and rugged and it was SO worth the last minute fire drill to make our departure time. Thanks so much for joining us as we chased waterfalls in the Caribbean! Next time we’re blazing our own path on the island of St. Lucia where we’ll meet a new friend and walk through the Mercy Door. If you don’t want to miss out, be sure to join our tribe for free and follow us in real time on Instagram at The__Travel__Oracle.