The buses in Dominica don’t exactly inspire confidence. They’re private, 10-passenger minivans, often dinged up, distinguished mainly by the letter “H” on their license plates. For less (usually much less) than four bucks, you can travel almost anywhere on the island. Ask the driver if he’s going in your direction, climb aboard, and say “Good day” to the other seated passengers. That’s what everyone does. And they’ll say, “Good day” in return.
Walk down King George V Street in Roseau, the capital, or along Bay Street in Portsmouth, Dominica’s “second city,” or outside Philo’s Grocery Store in bite-sized Soufriere, and you may be greeted by strangers with “You OK?” You hear it all the time. Someone might even welcome you in French Creole: “Bonjou, misyé” (Good day, sir).
The point is, Dominicans are affable. But that’s not the sole allure. The crime rate is low. Seafood (shrimp, lobster, octopus, mahi-mahi, a cornucopia of undersea delicacies) is a boat-to-table delight at most restaurants.
The mountainous interior is stunningly beautiful, with soaring green slopes, a river for every day of the year, the world’s second-largest boiling lake (180-197 degrees F.), and remote trails beneath jungle canopies where hikers are serenaded by the ch-ch-ch-whee-whee of the native bananaquits. Quaint towns, down-home eateries, and reasonable prices embellish the natural landscape.
Yet if I gave you a hundred dollars to find Dominica on a map, I can virtually guarantee that the Benjamin would remain in my billfold, unclaimed.
And here’s why…
You’re Pronouncing It Wrong
Specifically, the island has an image problem.
Let’s start with the confusing part: Dominica is not the same thing as the Dominican Republic. They’re both in the Caribbean, true, but some 600 miles apart. People in the D.R. speak Spanish, while the official language of Dominica is English (though Creole is common, especially in rural areas).
The Dominican Republic covers a territory of some 18,000 square miles and has a population of more than 11 million. Dominica, by contrast, is small, so tiny, you could hide it in the coin pocket of your Levi’s 501s and forget that it’s there. Its population is just 72,000, slightly less than that of, say, Appleton, Wisconsin. The island is only 29 miles long and, at its widest point, 16 miles across. So, yeah, dinky.
It’s part of the Windward Islands of the Caribbean Lesser Antilles. Or to be more exact, Dominica lies between Guadeloupe (to the north) and Martinique (to the south). It’s a volcanic island. In fact, Dominica has nine active (though currently dormant) volcanoes, more than any other island in the Caribbean.
Lastly, you’ve been saying it wrong. This island, unlike the D.R., is pronounced dom-in-EE-kuh, and the people who live there are called dom-in-EE-kuns.
But a more important point is this: Why should anyone care?
They Call It the Nature Island for a Reason
An easy way to get a sense of Dominica’s natural dazzle is to take a ride on a wooden boat (some are paddled by the driver, others have a small outboard motor) up one of the island’s navigable waterways. The Indian River runs to the sea near Portsmouth. Its name comes from the indigenous Kalinago people, formerly called the Carib Indians, who used this river as a watery highway to bring their goods to market.
Now tourists sail up the river for fun. Outings can be arranged through Cobra Tours or even at the last minute just by asking one of the boat drivers if he’s free for a cruise. If you’ve ever taken Disney’s Jungle Boat ride, the Indian River will seem familiar. The producers of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest used the atmospheric location for the house of voodoo priestess Tia Dalma, which is still there and crumbling away (the house, that is, not the priestess).
At the far end of the ride is a well-hidden “bush bar,” where travelers are welcome to taste some of the island’s infamous “bush rums” infused with spices, fruits, or even quasi-legal plants. At U.S. $2 for a shot, it’s an authentic and cheap local experience.
Volcanic Springs and Indigenous Culture
Among the most popular natural attractions in Dominica are the sulfur springs, a result of the island’s constant underground volcanic activity. There are several such springs in the mountain village of Wotten Waven, including Ti Kwen Glo Cho, Creole for “little corner of hot water.” Guests pass a small café and bush bar as they enter, then descend a steep path to two large concrete pools nearly hidden in the forest undergrowth.
The lower pool is comfortably warm, like a typical bath. Wives chatter with one another, husbands loll their heads on the edge of repose, and children chase one another and laugh. The upper pool, however, at about 113 degrees F., is a challenge. Many guests (including abundant locals) spend a few minutes in the hot pool, not doing much talking, then stand under an icy river-water shower before taking another hot dip.
The rugged, less populated northeast coast, facing the Atlantic, requires some dedication to reach. (The two-lane roads in Dominica can charitably be described as “usually but not always adequate.”) Take a taxi to the home of the original inhabitants, the Kalinago.
A guided stroll around their traditional homeland, the Kalinago Territory, reveals the medicinal plants they’ve relied on for millennia, their sacred waterfalls and pools, the gorgeous ocean views from the mountainsides, and a peek into their traditional lifestyle at the Kalinago Barana Aute cultural village. The Kalinago are the last indigenous tribe in the Caribbean. You may feel, as I did, that a visit there isn’t a day-trip; it’s a privilege.
Gardens and Paradise Made by Hand
Not all the splendor of Dominica is natural. Some of it, as at Pleasant Valley gardens in the northern village of Borne, is aided by the hand of man. There, Dian Douglas and his wife, Caren LeBlanc-Douglas, have created a 60-acre garden rich with endemic and imported flowers, trees, shrubs, and unexpected delights, like a cast-iron kettle once used to boil bay rum from bay leaves and a huge waterwheel from an ancient sugar mill.
Pet donkeys, friendly dogs, and preening peacocks roam the gardens. If you’re lucky, Dian himself will lead you on a tour and even offer some fresh coconut from the garden’s many palms. Expect to see a tropical roster of plant life: hibiscus, bromeliads, crape myrtle, red lipstick palms, heliconia, tree ferns, and dozens more green and flowering species.
Not a Beach Destination
Dominica, despite its remarkable attractions, is not your typical Caribbean beach destination. Most of the swimming shores are shingle beaches, lined with rounded stones, and the water lacks the turquoise hues found elsewhere in the Antilles.
Sandy beaches are rare; the ones you’ll find are usually covered in gray volcanic sand. Among the best on the island is Mero Beach, 12 miles north of Roseau. Several waterside bars and restaurants offer local cuisine, and the seas are calm. (If you want waves, check out the wild, and often dangerous, beaches on the island’s Atlantic side.)
Saving the Coral Reef
In Soufriere on the southwest shore, Simon Walsh, a transplanted Brit, is co-owner of Nature Island Dive and Director of Coral Restoration for the nonprofit Oceans Forward. The undersea experiences at Nature Island include scuba diving, dive courses, guided snorkeling excursions, and introductions to conservation, especially coral protection and awareness.
“Scuba diving is a path toward conservation,” says Walsh, who is passionate on the subject. He’s especially concerned about Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD), which has impacted the Caribbean from South America to Florida. “It’s like the Covid of coral,” he says of SCTLD’s spread, which arrived in Dominica in 2022.
Walsh and his team of divers administer an antibiotic, amoxicillin, by syringe to affected coral, the only successful intervention method. They are also collecting a “seed bank” of native corals for future re-propagation, and plan to operate eco-focused dive tours starting in fall 2025. Their work has the support of the government’s Fisheries Division.
In Dominica, there is still hope to save the coral, thanks in part to Simon Walsh and his dedicated team.
You Will Gain Weight
Most Americans don’t eat goat. Big mistake. It’s like roast beef, moist and rich. Goat is hugely popular in the Caribbean and was on the menu at nearly every restaurant I visited, from the upscale to the humble.
Jungle Bay, a deluxe villa-style resort in the hills above Soufriere, has a wonderful dining spot, Calabash Restaurant & Bar, with wide views of the Caribbean and an even wider selection of dishes. The organic menu is heavy on vegan and vegetarian meals, but not exclusively. When food-and-beverage manager Joanne Hilaire learned that I’d never tasted goat before, she was astonished.
“You’ve been missing out on life,” she said, then brought out a steaming bowl of goat stew. “You can try it at other places, but you won’t ever find it like this. Because here we make it with something extra. We make it with love.”
Fine Dining in Dominica
The trend toward creative, garden-fresh, organic, non-fussy cuisine is also found at Secret Bay, another villa-style resort that actually earns the hyperbolic “six-star” rating often attached to its name.
I was lucky enough to sign up for the Botanica Organic Garden & Chef’s Table, a meal in which a maximum of six resort guests enjoy an outdoor private luncheon with chef Aurelien Bulgheroni, a native of Menton, France, a kitchen veteran of Monte-Carlo’s Hôtel de Paris, and a disciple of Alain Ducasse, under whom he trained.
Sitting at a long stone counter inches away from Bulgheroni in his open-air kitchen, we ate super-fresh tuna tartare with lime juice, followed by tomato carpaccio with balsamic reduction and red berries. The creative dishes kept coming: green beans and cauliflower in a fresh turmeric-ginger-coconut sauce, then Kingfish with pumpkin mousse, all prepared before our eyes in the midst of the chef’s garden.
Local Flavors, Local Prices
Most meals in Dominica, of course, aren’t up to those standards, yet they’re delicious in their own ways. At Chez Wen Cuisine in Scotts Head, where the Caribbean meets the Atlantic on the island’s southern tip, I had a platter filled with so many shrimp I could barely eat them all, sides of sauteéd pigeon peas, coconut basmati rice, crispy plantain puffs, and potato wedges, plus a couple of local Kubuli beers, for around U.S. $25.
At Indee’s Beach Bar & Restaurant, on the sand at Mero Beach, I ordered the “goat stew meal” with all the trimmings (plantains, peas, rice, a mixed salad, and pasta), and a Kubuli for about $17. Local food in Dominica is inexpensive, filling, and flavorful.
Gin on a Mountainside
Besides Kubuli beers and bush rum, I tasted some of the freshest, sweetest fruit juices I’d ever had—mango, pineapple, passionfruit.
But one of the most unexpected beverages was gin distilled in the northeast coastal town of Calibishie. Rum, beer, and fresh juice can be found throughout the Caribbean. But gin is a rarity.
Englishman Simon Morris and Californian Amber Oxley came to Dominica in 2021 after falling in love and marrying. They bought a hillside home with five guest cottages, which they christened Sea Cliff Eco-Cottages, and built their distillery, Sea Cliff Botanical Gin.
“We had no plans for gin,” said Simon, “even though I’m a Brit and that’s my national drink.” But the idea delighted them. Because they have to import their juniper berries (which don’t grow on the island), they decided to focus on Dominican-flavored gin based on bay leaves, cinnamon, lemongrass, nutmeg, and other botanicals from their garden and local farms.
A Shipwrecked-Mariner Vibe
Amber and Simon’s solar-powered guest cottages range from a studio to a two-bedroom. They also have a 300-year-old mango tree, two lively sons, and drop-dead views of the rocky Atlantic shore.
“It’s a very shipwrecked-mariner vibe,” said Simon.
Throughout the year, Sea Cliff hosts yoga retreats, writing workshops, book launches, and other health- and literary-minded gatherings. Guests who contact Simon and Amber in advance can arrange for a tour of the distillery and gardens—or even better, book a few nights in one of the eco-cottages. And those who are very fortunate might even be able to join Amber and Simon on their wide front porch overlooking the Atlantic waves, a cool breeze blowing in, and the sun just setting, with a glass of passionfruit juice and a shot of signature gin.
Who Should Go to Dominica?
I spent only a week on the island, so my assessment of who should visit Dominica is from a visitor’s point of view, not a local’s.
If you like lying on the beach, drinking tropical cocktails brought to you by resort waiters, having a too-big dinner in your resort restaurant, then listening to a reggae band play a cover of “One Love” for the umpteenth time before you go to sleep, you will regret choosing Dominica.
The island is a much better fit for travelers who like to bounce around a destination, to see this city and that town, to swim in the small cove they just noticed, and then to wander the streets of some village in search of a homespun café for dinner. Anyone who prefers local travel (e.g., a cheap community bus instead of an expensive taxi), who would rather hike in the jungle and jump into a hot sulfur spring, who wants to learn about indigenous cultures, and, of course, who is curious about bush rum, will find a fine welcome in Dominica.
My only warning to those people: Go easy on the bush rum. After a couple of jiggers, you may take the paddles away from your boat driver and say, “No worries, mon. I got this.”
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Author Bio: Mark Orwoll—person of interest, notorious waterfront character. If you see this man, notify local authorities. Orwoll was on the staff of Travel + Leisure for 30 years. Before that, he was a newspaperman in California. As a freelance writer, he has published stories with Slate, the Los Angeles Times, Departures, AARP, Go World Travel, and many other outlets. He is also the author of four books, including his newest, a travel memoir titled Just One Little Hitch, available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.
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