Dominica is one of the wildest islands in the area. It is situated between Guadeloupe and Martinique, with 85 thousands people for 790 square kilometers. Roseau is the capital town. It is said there is 365 rivers and as many falls in Dominica. It is a mountain emerging from the sea, a kind of paradise for those who enjoy nature. Dominica, not to mixed with the Dominican Republic, is a model tropical island with 7 volcanos of which Mount Diablotin is the highest on (1447m). People go there to discover the interior rain forest, through perfectly quiet paths which are endless pleasures when you like hiking.
Christopher Colombus discovered it on a Sunday which gave it its name. It was peopled by Caribs Indians from Guyana centuries before. A treaty between France and England kept things quiet until de 18th century, then France broke peace and started war in the 19th century. The island became English and got independent in 1978 and a member of the Commonwealth. The cyclone David destroyed the place and ruined its economy in 1979. Dominica is now redeveloping, the main industry being tourism with a clear will of the authorities to keep it green.
Roseau, on the Caribbean west coast hosts the famous World Creole Music festival every year in October and has a beautiful botanic park with rare trees.
Trafalgar Falls (60m high) is a well known site you can reach after a 20mn climb. At the foot of the fall a there’s a basin where you can swim in hot waters.
The territory of Carib Indians is on the windward east coast along a stiff carved littoral. Mixed now with the Dominicans, they live in autonomy. Many work on banana plantations near the reserve. Most make and sell lovely basketry reminding of ancestral craftsmanship. The rain forest is everywhere on this coast.
Emerald Pool, the national park, offers a circus in the shade of thick trees with a fall coming down into a natural pool of emerald green water. Lianas suffusing light and mossy stones are greatly attractive.
The most frequented moorage is Portsmouth, with anchor buoys and food supply. It lays alongside a large bay bordered with white sand beaches and the village, a small town where you can find fresh food and fruit at the market place.
Other mooring possibilities are Roseau which has anchor buoys too in front of the “Anchorage Hotel”, or Salisbury with a friendly diving club.
Note that it is forbidden to anchor south of Roseau on the Caribbean coast but it should not prevent you to visit Scotts Head bay which has breathtaking landscapes.