DOMINICA — THE ENTIRE island of Dominica is a veritable theme park for the adventure-inclined. And an adventurous drive in Dominica takes the art of the road trip to a whole new level. Driving here is almost an extreme sport, so bring your A-level driving skills and get a good vehicle. Take your time, drive safe and slow and you will experience unparalleled natural beauty, calm, relaxed, wonderful people and sights, sounds and tastes you will never forget.
We got our car from Island Rental Cars — an almost-new Suzuki Jimny, a mini SUV perfect for the roads of Dominica that we quickly dubbed “Jimmy” (the car’s efforts across all terrain were nothing short of heroic). The route began at the Rosalie Bay Resort on the eastern side of the island; we then made our way around the Mourne Trois Pitons to the Layou River to Mero Beach, up to Portsmouth then up to Cold Soufriere, around the Carib territory and back to home base at Rosalie Bay.
The vistas in Dominica are uniformly spectacular — as here, coming down from Pond Casse.
First on the agenda was a brief stop at the famous Emerald Pool, a hidden waterfall deep inside the forest.
Dominica has 365 rivers (one for each day, as the locals will remind you), like the Layou River, here.
Once we hit the main seaside road, we visited the hand-crafted, local rum distillery Macoucherie, a remarkable place (with a designated driver, of course). This centuries-old distillery and plantation makes rum using sugarcane juice, not molasses, in the French Caribbean style. (It also doubles as a rum store for locals).
Our next stop took us to the town of Picard, home to Ross University and the hillside Champs hotel, home to a bar and restaurant with sweeping views of the area.
After a drive through Picard and Portsmouth, we stopped at the area of Purple Turtle Beach, one of Dominica’s many beautiful black-sand beaches, for a bite at Monty’s Fish Grill & Bar, a haven for lovers of fresh seafood.
A few minutes down the road was the Cabrits National Park where, after climbing a relatively steep mound, we headed to the historic Fort Shirley, an 18th-century fort that has been restored to impeccable condition. And while the history here is rich, the views of the bay of Portsmouth are the real story here.
And after a historic tour, it was time for a rum punch at the Prince Rupert Tavern at the foot of the park. Its rum punch (and local fruit juices) draw pilgrims from across the island.
Next we headed north, up to a place that would exceed even our wildest expectations: Cold Soufriere, a series of large, verdant mountains with some of the most incredible views we had ever seen. (And some friendly wildlife, as you’ll see in the video above).
It was now time to watch the sun begin to set, stopping at Anse De Mai beach, where we ran into a group of local fishermen.
Next was another adventure: accessing what’s called “Number One Beach,” just before the Carib Territory on the island’s northern ring road. It involved a 15-minute hike — and some serious negotiation by Jimmy — but it was worth the effort. (Number One was also a filming location for Pirates of the Caribbean).
As the night began, we drove through the Carib Territory, stopping at a can’t-miss destination, the Waitukubuli’s Authentic Kitchen, for home-made cassava bread.
After many hills, many miles, some uncharted roads and some unknown sights, Jimmy had returned us for a nighttime dinner at the Rosalie Bay, concluding our journey through the heart of Dominica.
See you in the Nature Island!
— CJ