Things to do
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Brandy Falls
Water drops into a forest basin above the north west coast, reached on a rough walk in with repeated river crossings and no formal path. The ground is steep and the route is hard to follow without local guidance. Visitor numbers stay low, and after heavy rain the river rises fast enough to make the crossings unwise.
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Cabrits National Park
Roughly five hundred hectares on a promontory north of Portsmouth, taking in two extinct volcanic peaks, dry forest, a marine section and the garrison ruins at Fort Shirley. Trails run to both summits from the fort, steeply and through thick scrub. Cruise ships berth alongside the park, so the fort is busiest on the mornings one is in.
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Cabrits Resort & Spa Kempinski
The largest resort on Dominica, on Douglas Bay under the Cabrits headland, opened after Hurricane Maria as an internationally branded five star property. It carries several restaurants, a spa and a long pool above the beach, and it operates year round. Much of the staff came from the surrounding villages, and the park trails start a short walk from the gate.
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Capuchin Point
The north western tip of Dominica beyond Toucari, with the channel toward Guadeloupe open in front of it and nothing built on the headland. A track leads out from the village through scrub and old provision grounds. The wind runs hard across the point and the sea below is rough, so the visit is a walk and a view.
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Douglas Bay
On the far side of the Cabrits from Portsmouth, this bay is backed by dry forest and falls inside the park's marine section. Snorkelling over the reef is the reason to come, more than the narrow strip of sand. The Kempinski resort occupies the southern end, and the road in runs behind the headland from the Portsmouth side.
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Fort Shirley
A British garrison raised above Prince Rupert Bay in the late eighteenth century, abandoned in 1854 and cut back out of the forest from the 1980s by the historian Lennox Honychurch. A mutiny by the West India Regiment here in 1802 won African soldiers their freedom and full military rights. The restored buildings hold a museum and a hall used for events.
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Indian River
A slow river running inland from Portsmouth between swamp bloodwood roots, rowed by licensed boatmen because engines are not allowed above the mouth. Scenes for Pirates of the Caribbean were shot along the bank and the set hut is still pointed out. Trips leave from the bridge in town, last about an hour, and are best early when birds are moving.
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Kachibona Lake
A small lake held in the forest on the flank of Morne Diablotin, reached only on foot and rarely visited. The trail in is unmarked in places and crosses ground that stays wet all year, so guides from Colihaut are generally used. Freshwater shrimp live in it, and the surface sits still under closed canopy.
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Milton Falls
A fall on the Syndicate estate below the parrot forest, reached on a walk in through cocoa and old plantation ground. The approach crosses the river several times and turns slippery after rain, which falls here through much of the year. A guide from the estate usually leads the way in, and the pool beneath the fall is cold and deep enough to swim.
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Morne Diablotin National Park
Set aside to protect the forest around the island's highest mountain, the park holds the remaining populations of the Sisserou and the jaco, both found nowhere else. Its lower slopes carry mature rainforest reached from Syndicate on the western side. Access is by trail only, and the summit route is a full day of steep, wet climbing.
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Morne Diablotins
At 1,447 metres this is the high point of Dominica and the second highest summit in the Lesser Antilles, named for the black capped petrel that once nested on its slopes. The climb is steep, muddy and takes most of a day, with tree roots and boulders for much of the upper section. Cloud closes the view more often than not.
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Purple Turtle Beach
The town beach at the north end of Prince Rupert Bay, dark sand on calm leeward water, with the Cabrits standing at the far end of it. Bars and a restaurant sit directly behind the sand and the village uses it as much as visitors do. Yachts anchor offshore through the winter season, and the swimming stays flat almost year round.
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Secret Bay
A villa property on a headland north of Portsmouth, built into the cliff above two coves and repeatedly listed among the leading small hotels of the region. Villas stand apart from one another in the forest, with cooking and treatments brought to them. It is the costliest way to sleep on the island, and it takes only a few guests at a time.
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Syndicate Nature Trail
An easy loop through mature rainforest on the western slope of Morne Diablotin, cut as part of the parrot reserve and the standard place to look for the Sisserou and the jaco. The circuit takes under an hour on a graded path, with a viewpoint out over the Caribbean. Birds are most active early, and the forest is loud with them.
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Toucari Bay
A sheltered bay in the far north west with dark sand and reef close inshore, quiet even in season and one of the better shore snorkels on the island. A single bar operates above the sand and fishing boats work from the beach. The road in from Portsmouth is narrow and winding, which keeps day trip traffic down.
