Dominica
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Travel
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Holiday Escapes
Dominica
If you’re smart, you’ll hire a guide like this one, above, to lead you on hikes to such destinations as Trafalgar Falls, right.
What to Do Christmas Day > Hike to Boiling Lake The eight-hour round-trip trek to the 2,500-foot Boiling Lake volcanic crater takes you through a stunning environment of elfin woodlands and montane rain forest. Over the course of the day, you’ll negotiate Mack truck–size buttresses of gommier wood and you’ll teeter along balancebeam-thin ridges. Just when you think you’ve hit the peak, your guide points to the forty-fivedegree slope, down which you’ll scramble to the riotously colorful Valley of Desolation, whose fumaroles burp great sulfuric-gas balls. It’s another hour before you hit the lake itself and the milky vapors from its 195-degree waters that swirl about the rim. Before setting out, you should ask for the knowledgeable and droll guide Gary Shillingford— he with the calves the size of your thighs—at Ken’s Hinterland Tours (767-448-4850, www .kenshinterlandtours .com). When he’s done with you, you’ll be sore for days, but you’ll be bragging about your hike for years.
The brilliant view from Scotts Head, the southernmost point on the island of Dominica.
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5 Point Plan for November Be All Business
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You don’t come to Dominica to sit on the beach sipping rum punch; you come for adventure. With its rugged volcanic landscape and more than 350 rivers, this remote Caribbean escape in the Lesser Antilles has earned its nickname, Nature Island. You’re never more than a thirtyminute drive from any number of waterfalls and hot springs, either of which make for a prime recovery from Dominica’s central activity, hiking. Your day-trip options are plenty: Trafalgar and Middleham Falls are the popular starters. Or you can glide through the rain-forest canopy on the aerial tram at nearby Titou Gorge, and you’ll be serenaded by tiny chirping frogs that live in the water pools that form in bromeliad plant leaves. You’ll encounter far fewer trekkers up in the Northern Forest Reserve, where a thirty-minute hike through banana plantations and cinnamon groves leads you to Milton Falls, a skinnydipper’s dream. In the south of the island, head to the aptly named Champagne Reef for a dive through the bubbles of underwater hot springs. Lodging on Dominica isn’t as
bounteous as its outdoor activities, but there are quality choices. Just outside the sleepy capital city of Roseau is the Papillote Wilderness Retreat (767-448-2287, www .papillote.dm), the country’s original eco-resort, known for its four-acre botanical garden and three mineral pools. In the nearby hamlet of Laudat, Roxy’s Mountain Lodge (767-448-4845, www .avirtualdominica/ eiroxys.htm) sits at the trailhead to Mornes Trois Pitons National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The recently opened Jungle Bay Dominica (767-4461789, www .junglebaydominica .com), on the southeast coast, offers thirty-five wooden cottages on stilts scattered in the forest; its yoga facilities and spa by the beach give you something to do when you want to do very little. And finally, for one last commune with nature on the way to the airport, you can always pull over for a dip under the fiftyfoot waterfall of the Emerald Pool. —JOHN OSEID
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Eos, a new airline that jets between London and New York, knows what you’ve known for a long time: Coach class sucks. That’s why each of its fleet of 757s comprises just fortyeight “suites” (most 757s contain more than 200 seats). Each suite features aisle access, twenty-four-inch–wide seats, and twenty-one square feet of fully reclinable space. Roundtrip airfare is $6,500. Not cheap, but still nearly 25 percent less than the cost of the average business-class ticket on traditional airlines. www.eosairlines.com
F R O M T O P : P E T E R G U T T M A N / C O R B I S ; T O M B E A N / C O R B I S ; M I C H A E L L AW R E N C E / L O N E LY P L A N E T I M A G E S ; J E A N - B E R N A R D C A R I L L E T/ L O N E LY P L A N E T I M A G E S
For the Extreme Vacationer
Travel
3
4 of 4
Holiday Escapes
Dominica
If you’re smart, you’ll hire a guide like this one, above, to lead you on hikes to such destinations as Trafalgar Falls, right.
What to Do Christmas Day > Hike to Boiling Lake The eight-hour round-trip trek to the 2,500-foot Boiling Lake volcanic crater takes you through a stunning environment of elfin woodlands and montane rain forest. Over the course of the day, you’ll negotiate Mack truck–size buttresses of gommier wood and you’ll teeter along balancebeam-thin ridges. Just when you think you’ve hit the peak, your guide points to the forty-fivedegree slope, down which you’ll scramble to the riotously colorful Valley of Desolation, whose fumaroles burp great sulfuric-gas balls. It’s another hour before you hit the lake itself and the milky vapors from its 195-degree waters that swirl about the rim. Before setting out, you should ask for the knowledgeable and droll guide Gary Shillingford— he with the calves the size of your thighs—at Ken’s Hinterland Tours (767-448-4850, www .kenshinterlandtours .com). When he’s done with you, you’ll be sore for days, but you’ll be bragging about your hike for years.
The brilliant view from Scotts Head, the southernmost point on the island of Dominica.
1
2
5 Point Plan for November Be All Business
3
4
You don’t come to Dominica to sit on the beach sipping rum punch; you come for adventure. With its rugged volcanic landscape and more than 350 rivers, this remote Caribbean escape in the Lesser Antilles has earned its nickname, Nature Island. You’re never more than a thirtyminute drive from any number of waterfalls and hot springs, either of which make for a prime recovery from Dominica’s central activity, hiking. Your day-trip options are plenty: Trafalgar and Middleham Falls are the popular starters. Or you can glide through the rain-forest canopy on the aerial tram at nearby Titou Gorge, and you’ll be serenaded by tiny chirping frogs that live in the water pools that form in bromeliad plant leaves. You’ll encounter far fewer trekkers up in the Northern Forest Reserve, where a thirty-minute hike through banana plantations and cinnamon groves leads you to Milton Falls, a skinnydipper’s dream. In the south of the island, head to the aptly named Champagne Reef for a dive through the bubbles of underwater hot springs. Lodging on Dominica isn’t as
bounteous as its outdoor activities, but there are quality choices. Just outside the sleepy capital city of Roseau is the Papillote Wilderness Retreat (767-448-2287, www .papillote.dm), the country’s original eco-resort, known for its four-acre botanical garden and three mineral pools. In the nearby hamlet of Laudat, Roxy’s Mountain Lodge (767-448-4845, www .avirtualdominica/ eiroxys.htm) sits at the trailhead to Mornes Trois Pitons National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The recently opened Jungle Bay Dominica (767-4461789, www .junglebaydominica .com), on the southeast coast, offers thirty-five wooden cottages on stilts scattered in the forest; its yoga facilities and spa by the beach give you something to do when you want to do very little. And finally, for one last commune with nature on the way to the airport, you can always pull over for a dip under the fiftyfoot waterfall of the Emerald Pool. —JOHN OSEID
5
Eos, a new airline that jets between London and New York, knows what you’ve known for a long time: Coach class sucks. That’s why each of its fleet of 757s comprises just fortyeight “suites” (most 757s contain more than 200 seats). Each suite features aisle access, twenty-four-inch–wide seats, and twenty-one square feet of fully reclinable space. Roundtrip airfare is $6,500. Not cheap, but still nearly 25 percent less than the cost of the average business-class ticket on traditional airlines. www.eosairlines.com
F R O M T O P : P E T E R G U T T M A N / C O R B I S ; T O M B E A N / C O R B I S ; M I C H A E L L AW R E N C E / L O N E LY P L A N E T I M A G E S ; J E A N - B E R N A R D C A R I L L E T/ L O N E LY P L A N E T I M A G E S
For the Extreme Vacationer
