On your own or tour?

[IslandToIsland]

Would you recommend booking a tour to visit Screws Spa, Champagne Reef, Trafalgar Falls, and Emerald Pool or has anyone ever visited these places on their own? How far aprt is each stop? TIA

[rjscott]

These sites are some distance apart and getting to/from them would cost you valuable time, as roads are not well-marked and are very winding and mountainous, and driving is on the left. You will have a much better and relaxed visit to these spots if you take a tour. There are many tour operators, but we have been to Dominica twice and both times have used Reyno Tours and have been extremely well-pleased both times. Reyno also supplies a guide on his tours whose job it is to narrate your tour so that you know what you are seeing and your guide can answer any question you may have about the island and its people. You can contact Reyno for more information on seeing specific sites at reynotours@hotmail.com.

[SnorkelLady]

I would recommend Pepper, of Pepper’s Tours. He customized a private tour for our small group, so we saw exactly the parts of the island that we wanted to see. He took us to Trafalgar Falls, Titou Gorge, Botanical Gardens and parrot preserve, Mourne Bruce scenic overlook, Soufriere, Scotts Head, and Champagne Beach. He knew the best routes, and always kept us one step ahead of the tourist crowds. He is personable and knowledgeable and gave us a great tour. We will definitely tour with him again next time we are in Dominica. His prices are reasonable, at $40 per person, including entrance fees and drinks. You can reach him at askpepper@pepperscottage.com.

[Grammar Goddess]

We've been twice to Dominica, booked both times with Beno. He's a wonderful guy, has an immaculate van, knows everything about Dominica, will plan a marvelous tour for you, based on your own wishes. I don't think it's possible to get to all of those places on your own! You'll feel a lot better having a driver when you see those roads!! You can contact Beno at bnpascal@gmail.com Dominica is absolutely gorgeous, very mountainous, very green . . . you'll love it. :)

Have a great cruise!

GG

[wentworth]

Have not planned anything for Dominica. What are your thoughts of just
getting off ship and hiring taxi to take us on short tour, maybe 2 hours.
Just want to hit the highlites; rain forest, banana farm, Mr. Nices fruit.

Do we actually need to book a tour in advance or can it be done right at
the port?

Thanks for your help. We are traveling as grandparents (60's), daughter
(35) and 4 yr granddaughter.

[Grammar Goddess]

Have not planned anything for Dominica. What are your thoughts of just
getting off ship and hiring taxi to take us on short tour, maybe 2 hours.
Just want to hit the highlites; rain forest, banana farm, Mr. Nices fruit.

Do we actually need to book a tour in advance or can it be done right at
the port?

Thanks for your help. We are traveling as grandparents (60's), daughter
(35) and 4 yr granddaughter.

I absolutely would book in advance. You want to be sure you have an excellent guide, and that's why I recommend Beno. As I said in an earlier post, we've used him both times we were in Dominica. You can email him ahead of time and tell him what you want to do. bnpascal@gmail.com There are so many beautiful places to see in Dominica. It would be a shame to miss Trafalgar Falls and Emerald Pool, for example. Beno's van is very comfortable, and he is solicitous with his passengers. If the four-year-old can do a 10-minute walk on a rather narrow, sometimes slippery path, the sight of the falls at the end of the walk is something she will never forget. Wear good walking shoes! You'll drive through the rain forest and see banana plantations without any problem. Emerald Pool is a very easy walk, and it is gorgeous. On our last trip, Beno drove us south from Roseau to the point where the Caribbean meets the Atlantic--spectacular--a beautiful drive, and not very far--you can actually see it in the distance from Roseau. If you correspond with Beno ahead of time, he will be waiting for you when you dock. Since the government sets the taxi fares, there's absolutely no advantage to waiting to book a tour until you arrive. If you will let me know, I will be glad to send you our photos of Dominica--such a beautiful island.
Hope this helps.
Have a great cruise. :)

GG

[anastasia3939]

Have not planned anything for Dominica. What are your thoughts of just
getting off ship and hiring taxi to take us on short tour, maybe 2 hours.
Just want to hit the highlites; rain forest, banana farm, Mr. Nices fruit.

Do we actually need to book a tour in advance or can it be done right at
the port?

Thanks for your help. We are traveling as grandparents (60's), daughter
(35) and 4 yr granddaughter.
We were just in Dominica on February 10th. We got off the ship (three of us) and found a taxi driver. He agreed to take us wherever we wanted to go for the day for $50 a person. Two more people decided to hitch on with us when they heard us talking. We went to Champaigne reef first....spent two and a half hours......then we went to the falls and Ti tou gorge....which was amazing!!!!! We spent as much time as we wanted at each spot and could stop wherever we wanted to take pictures. This is the BIG ADVANTAGE over pre-booking a tour...where you are stuck in a specific time frame going to places you may not want to go. There were many,many,many mini-van taxis there waiting for you as soon as you get off the ship to hire them from $50-$60 per person for the WHOLE DAY!! Definitely worth it!!!!!!!!!!!