Travel and Tourism Information

Travel - International

AIR

The main airline to serve Dominica is LIAT (LI) (website: www.liatairline.com.) Other airlines serving Dominica include American Eagle (website: www.aa.com), and Caribbean Star (website: www.flycaribbeanstar.com). There are currently no direct, non-stop flights from Europe or the USA, mostly because the two airports are too small for jets. Popular routes from Europe are via Antigua, Barbados, Guadeloupe, Martinique or Puerto Rico, then a local flight to Dominica.

International Airports

(turbo-prop only): Melville Hall (DOM), the older of the two airports, is approximately 64km (40 miles) northeast of Roseau.

Canefield (DCF) is approximately 5km (3 miles) north of Roseau. Facilities: Snack bars, tourist information office, shops, left luggage and car hire (Avis and Budget.) To/from the airport: Taxis are widely available, but look for the uniformed taxi drivers who are trained and authorised. Buses are available from Roseau, and travel to all the major towns.

SEA

The Main ports: Woodbridge Bay, Roseau and Prince Rupert Bay, Portsmouth. Geest and several other island-hopping freight lines stop in Dominica. Generally, passenger accommodation is comfortable but numbers are limited, so book well in advance. L’Express des Îles, a scheduled ferry service, connects Dominica with Guadeloupe, St Lucia and Martinique on a 300-seat catamaran. Caribbean Ferries also operate regular services between Dominica, Guadeloupe and Martinique. There is an EC$20 departure tax. Cruise liners stop at Woodbridge Bay, 5km (3 miles) outside Roseau. There is a cruise ship jetty at Prince Rupert Bay, Portsmouth.

Travel - Internal

ROAD

There are more than 700km (450 miles) of well-maintained roads on the island and there is little traffic outside Roseau. Traffic drives on the left. There is a 32kmph (20mph) speed limit in towns and villages.

Bus: Services connect all towns and villages.

Taxis are efficient.

Car hire: Available (see Travel – International section) but some roads can be difficult. Visiting drivers must be between 25 and 65 years old and have had at least two years' driving experience in order to apply for a local driver's permit; permits cost US$12 or EC$30 for three months. Jeep and minibus tours operated by local firms offer the best means of sightseeing; all vehicles chartered for this purpose must be hired for at least three hours; Reservation is advisable for better rates; Speed limits are 20mph on most roads.

Documentation: International Driving Permit recommended. A valid foreign licence can be used to get a Temporary Visitor’s Permit.

Resorts & Excursions

Roseau, on the southwest coast, is the main centre for visitors. From hotels around here it is possible to arrange jeep safari tours for seeing the hinterland of the country. Canoe trips up the rivers can also be arranged. The beaches are mainly of black volcanic sand, but there are a few white-sand beaches on the northeast of the island.

Morne Trois Pitons National Park, covering 7000 hectares (17,000 acres) in the south-central part of Dominica, was established in July 1975. Places of interest in the park include the Boiling Lake, the second-largest actively boiling lake in the world, and the Emerald Pool, Middleham Falls, Sari Sari Falls, Trafalgar Falls, Freshwater Lake, Boeri Lake and the Valley of Desolation.

Cabrits Historical Park was designated a park in 1987. Attractions include the Cabrits Peninsula, which contains the historical ruins of Fort Shirley and Fort George, 18th- and early 19th-century forts, and a museum at Fort Shirley.

Other places of interest include the Carib Indian Territory, home to the only remaining Carib Indians in the Caribbean, the Sulphur Springs, the Central Forest Reserve, Botanical Gardens, Titou Gorge, L'Escalier Tête Chien, several areas of rainforest and a variety of fauna and flora.