The Post Office on Bayfront, one of 
Roseau's oldest buildings. 
The Post Office on Bayfront was 
originally constructed in 1810 as a market 
house and is one of the oldest buildings in 
Roseau. The Old Market Square behind the 
post office used to be known as La Place 
and dates back to the early days of French 
colonization. Slave auctions, executions and 
punishments took place here and until 
recently it was the place to buy fresh 
produce. It is now a craft market. Here you 
will find the central Tourism Information 
booth. 
Roseau Cathedral. 
The new market stands at the mouth of 
the Roseau River and on Saturday 
mornings, the place overflows with vendors 
and farmers selling their produce and 
flowers from the pavement and stalls. 
Botanical gardens in Roseau. 
The Roseau Town Council building is 
one of the last surviving slave trading 
compounds in the Caribbean. 
The Botanical Gardens are some 40 
acres in extent. Originally designed as an 
experimental facility to enhance the island's 
agricultural industry, a few ornamentals 
were planted to make the place look 
attractive. Kew Gardens contributed many of 
the exotic species and until the 1930's the 
Roseau Botanical Gardens were some of 
the finest in the Caribbean. Many old trees 
were destroyed in Hurricane David but the 
Gardens remain a peaceful place to relax on 
manicured lawns beneath a shady tree. 
Banana barges on the Indian River. 
The Roseau Cathedral came into 
existence as a thatched hut built along the 
lines of a Carib Kabay. It took just over a 
century to reach its present magnificence 
and it was completed in 1916. As a result of 
its slow growth, it is a building full of 
fascinating history. 
Vena's Guest House on Cork Street was 
the birthplace of novelist Jean Rhys. In the 
garden is the World of Food Restaurant. 
In addition to the craft market at the Old 
Market Square, be sure to visit the other 
handicrafts shops. Carib crafts and spices 
are the order of the day at Dominica 
Handicrafts while Caribana Handcrafts 
specializes in Carib made baskets and 
Dominican vertiver grass rugs and mats. 
SCUBA AND 
SNORKELING 
Dominica has several spectacular diving 
sites and because the sport of scuba is still 
so new to the island, new locations are still 
being discovered. Scott's Head and 
Cashacrou have beautiful coral formations 
and across the bay at L'Abym, there is an 
incredible wall dive where divers swim 
through bubbling waters created by volcanic 
activity on the sea bed. This dive is 
popularly known as "Champagne." 
On the north side of Cabrits National 
Park is the marine park at Douglas Bay with 
its underwater snorkeling trail and there are 
wreck dives at Toucari and Capucine. 
In the interests of preservation and 
conservation, the government of Dominica 
has established strict guidelines for scuba 
diving. Unless you get the written 
permission of the Fisheries Division, you 
must sign up with one of the recognized 
scuba operations on the island. Derek 
Perryman's Dive Dominica at Castle 
Comfort has first class facilities. With two 
dive boats, he offers resort and certification 
courses as well as regular dives at all the 
best sites. He also does night diving. The 
Anchorage Hotel, the Portsmouth Beach 
Hotel and the Castaways Hotel also have 
scuba operations. 
TRAFALGAR 
FALLS 
You take the road to Trafalgar as far as 
you can drive. The road ends at the 
Papillote mountain lodge and restaurant and 
the hydro-electric power station. Go on foot 
until you reach the lookout platform above 
the river. Here you will have a spectacular 
view of the twin Trafalgar Falls. The tallest 
waterfall on the left is called the father fall 
and the shorter one on the right is called the 
mother. The father originates from the 
Freshwater Reservoir and flows through 
Titou Gorge. At the bottom of the falls, hot 
water pours out of orange, mineral-stained 
rocks. Flash floods can be experienced 
during the rainy season and it is risky 
business attempting to bathe in this fall. The 
mother fall is the end of the Breakfast River. 
The water is icy cold and refreshing and 
there is a beautiful rocky basin at the foot of 
the falls to bathe in. The rocks are quite 
slippery and careful footwork is required 
before taking the plunge. The mother fall is 
not so prone to the alarming floods 
experienced in the father falls. 
Papillote at Trafalgar. 
Stop in at the Papillote for a drink and a 
delicious meal and visit one of the finest 
private botanical gardens in Dominica. 
Owner of this mountain retreat, Anne 
JnBaptiste has propagated exotic and 
beautiful rainforest orchids, heliconias, 
aroids and bromeliads. 
TROIS PITON 
NATIONAL PARK 
Dominica has one of the most forward 
thinking and active forestry programs in the 
Caribbean and has created a 16,000 acre 
national park in the southern section of the 
island that contains some of Dominica's 
most precious natural resources. Six 
established trails with picnic and rain 
shelters are maintained in the park and the 
three most popular sites are the Emerald 
Pool, the Freshwater Reservoir and the less 
accessible Boiling Lake. 
You can get into the park three ways: the 
Laudat village road for trails to Freshwater 
Reservoir, Boeri Lake, Boiling Lake, East 
Coast Lookout, Grand Fond trail, 4,006 ft. 
high Morne Micotrin and 4,017 ft. Morne 
Watt. The Cochrane village road for the 
Middleham Falls trail which includes the 
Stinking Hole, a deep crevice in the forest 
floor and home to thousands of bats whose 
smell coupled with sulphurous fumes make 
the whole place live up to its name. 
The third entrance is at the north of the 
Park on the Castle Bruce road for the 
Emerald Pool trail and the path to the top of 
the 4,600 ft. Morne Trois Piton. 
BOERI LAKE 
The route to the lake is via the Laudat 
Village road entrance. To get to Boeri you 
pass the Freshwater Lake and and beyond 
that it is an easy walk to an altitude of about 
2,800 feet. Boeri Lake is about 117 feet 
deep and covers an estimated four acres. 
The Boeri along with the Freshwater Lake 
are both sources for Dominica's hydro¬ 
electric plants. Be careful touring Boeri Lake 
in the dry season as the lake's boulders are 
exposed and slippery. You might experience 
a nasty fall. 
BOILING LAKE 
Accessed from the Laudat Village road. 
Although the trail is no more than four miles 
long, it is one of the toughest hikes around 
and takes at least six hours there and back. 
Only undertake this trek if you are fit. Take 
along some basic provisions and make sure 
you hire a guide. Agree on a price before 
setting out. 
On the way, you will cross the mouth of 
the Titou Gorge, a narrow canyon which 
ends up at the bottom of a waterfall. 
The trail continues to the valley of the 
Breakfast River where a pause is normally 
taken for refreshment before the toughest 
part of the trek. High on a ridge of Morne 
Nicholls, you'll see the Valley of Desolation 
and get a quick look at the steaming waters 
of the Boiling Lake. You will walk into the 
Valley of Desolation, then up along a ridge, 
through two ravines and into open country. 
Across some more barren landscape, you 
will round one last ridge and there you will 
see the Boiling Lake. Depending on its 
mood—sometimes like a green soup or 
white with boiling foam—remember it is a 
hot cauldron of seething water and can be 
dangerous. However, the sight and feel of 
its power is an unforgettable experience. 
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