This Island Has More Waterfalls Than Anywhere Else in the Caribbean, Along With Black Sand Beaches and Volcanoes

This short video is from my first visit to one of Dominica’s spectacular waterfalls.

There are islands where nature murmurs, and then there’s Dominica — a place where it roars. Here, the earth feels alive beneath your feet, its mountains wrapped in rainforest, its valleys carved by rivers, its cliffs spilling into an endless ocean. And everywhere you go, water falls — plunging from heights into deep green pools, tumbling through volcanic canyons, scattering mist into the canopy.

You can spend your days chasing them, one by one. Dominica has more waterfalls than anywhere else in the Caribbean — and each has its own personality.

Trafalgar Falls

Just outside Roseau, the twin cascades of Trafalgar — known as “Mother” and “Father” — thunder down the mountainside. A short walk leads to a viewing platform, but the adventurous can scramble closer, feeling the spray on their skin and soaking in natural hot pools that bubble nearby.

Emerald Pool Falls

Set inside Morne Trois Pitons National Park, Emerald Pool is one of Dominica’s most photographed spots — a delicate waterfall that drops into a jade-colored basin surrounded by ferns and rainforest. It’s an easy hike, and the pool is made for swimming, with cool, clear water that feels like a secret.

Middleham Falls

For those willing to hike deeper into the jungle, Middleham is the reward: a 200-foot cascade crashing into a misty gorge. The trail winds through towering rainforest, and when you arrive, you’ll feel the sheer power of Dominica’s volcanic heart as the waterfall disappears into the pool below.

Victoria Falls

Fed by the White River, tinted a milky hue by volcanic minerals, Victoria Falls is dramatic and raw. Getting there requires a hike through rivers and rainforest, but the payoff is unforgettable — a massive curtain of water framed by moss-covered cliffs.

Sari Sari Falls

On the island’s east coast, Sari Sari is a classic: a tall, narrow waterfall that demands a rugged hike through riverbeds and jungle trails. When you reach the pool at its base, the seclusion feels like a discovery made just for you.

Wavine Cyrique Falls

One of Dominica’s most adventurous sights, Wavine Cyrique pours straight off a cliff into the Atlantic Ocean. The hike is steep, even requiring rope descents, but the view of a waterfall plunging directly onto a volcanic beach is one of the island’s most spectacular.

But waterfalls are only part of the story. The island is volcanic at its core — and you see it in the black sand beaches that fringe its coast, in the steaming hot springs that bubble up in mountain villages, and in the Boiling Lake, a surreal, otherworldly pool high in the national park. Dominica is nature raw and unfiltered, an island shaped by fire and water in equal measure.

And yet, it’s the feeling that stays with you: of standing in the spray of a waterfall that belongs only to you, of sinking into warm mineral waters under the stars, of walking along a beach where the sand glimmers dark and volcanic. This is not a place that tries to be the Caribbean you know. It is a place that reminds you what the Caribbean once was — wild, untamed, endlessly alive.

How to Get There

Dominica is served by Douglas-Charles Airport (DOM) on the northeast coast, with regular connections from hubs like Miami, San Juan, St. Maarten, and Antigua. Ferry service also links Dominica to nearby islands including Guadeloupe, Martinique, and St. Lucia.

Where to Stay

Dominica’s celebrated Secret Bay is one of the Caribbean’s most exclusive eco-luxury resorts, tucked away on a rainforest-covered cliff above the sea. The all-villa hideaway is built around sustainability and privacy, with treehouse-style accommodations that each come with private plunge pools and sweeping ocean views. It’s repeatedly been named among the region’s best hotels, blending seclusion with five-star service in a setting that feels like your own piece of the Nature Island.

InterContinental Dominica Cabrits Resort & Spa

Set on the edge of Cabrits National Park, the InterContinental Dominica Cabrits Resort & Spa is a full-scale luxury resort surrounded by rainforest and volcanic peaks. The resort is known for its striking setting on Dominica’s northwestern coast, with easy access to black sand beaches and the island’s best hiking. We love this resort for its modern design, expansive pools, and spa — a place where you can enjoy all the comforts of a global brand while being immersed in one of the Caribbean’s most dramatic natural landscapes.