I’ve been asked countless times on what made me want to visit Dominica. Unfortunately, I don’t have an exact answer on what initially piqued my interest. It could’ve been one of my random late-night Google Map searches that could’ve lead me down the rabbit hole of discovering Dominica. There are 3 things that I absolutely love when traveling and in most countries and islands, it’s hard to find all three. Luckily for me Dominica was an easy match.
Visit Dominica for its: Natural Untouched Beauty
When arriving to Dominica you’ll be fixated with the lush rainforests and rustic black sand beaches,. This island is paradise for nature enthusiasts wishing to immerse themselves in adventure and those that are just looking to relax and unwind while in the presence of natural beauty. As someone that has visited almost 10 counties, I like to think of myself as a person that’s well travelled. Dominica was the first time where I have been left absolutely speechless by the natural and untouched beauty of the Island. I found myself being disappointed with each video and picture that I took. This wasn’t because the images or videos didn’t come out lovely, but because the images and videos didn’t capture the magical essence and raw beauty of what I was seeing in person. When arriving to Dominica, I had a mile long list of nature related activities that I wanted to do, however the problem I thought I had was that I would be staying far away from the activities. My base was at the Fort Young Hotel, which is located in Dominica’s capital of Roseau. In my past travel experience, many of the attractions are located hours outside of a major city. To my surprise, while in Dominica, you don’t have to venture too far off to experience hot springs, waterfalls, lakes, hiking, diving, snorkeling, or whale watching. Because of the close proximity to almost any nature related activity, in addition to the fact that Dominica has a river for each day of the year, (Dominica has a total of 365 rivers on the island), you can spend each day doing something new.
Visit Dominica for its: Culture & People
The mesh of the African, French, English, and Craib cultures make for wonderful and vibrant creole culture. This is seen throughout most parts of the Caribbean and even throughout the Southern region of the United States. Music is at the forefront of almost every function and event that you go to. The music is a mix of traditional folk, Soca, Calypso, and Reggae. Music in Dominica is proudly displayed at the annual World Creole Music Festival.
As far as the people of Dominica, there was never a place I went to where I felt like a stranger. In fact, I felt like I was at home. I grew up in a small rural town in the Gulf Coast region of Texas. Growing up, many people knew you by name, knew who your relatives were, greeted you as you passed by, and was always willing to help if you were in need. These were the same mannerisms that were displayed while in Dominica. It was pure love.
Visit Dominica because it’s: Undiscovered by Major Tourism
Out of all of the places that I’ve traveled to, its hard to find a place that isn’t spoiled and overran by major tourism. Although Covid played a huge role in the low number of travelers visiting the Island, as of 2020 Dominica recorded 140,000 tourist, which ranked the island 166th in the world and 14th in the Caribbean. In relation to the amount of tourists that Dominica gets compared to the square miles of the island, right under 300 square miles, the government and tourism industry has done an excellent job with maintaining Dominica’s natural beauty. Dominica is coined as the “Nature Island” and even with the increase of tourism that the island has been getting and plans to get in the future months, Dominica is choosing to stay true to its name.
The mountainous landscape, dense and lush rainforests, and rugged terrain makes Dominica a perfect destination for those wishing to enjoy nature in its truest form as opposed to having a perfectly manicured experience that mimics what nature is thought to be in order to fit one’s comfort level.
