What to do in Roseau, Dominica

[Trail46]

Any recommendations from those of you who have been there? Will be in port from 8 to 6. Thanks!

[RuthC]

I highly recommend the tour up into the mountains with the tram ride through the tropical rain forest.

It was so cool---temperature and otherwise! The flowers are gorgeous; the rain refreshing. Each tram holds eight people and a guide; ours was very knowledgeable. The tram rides near ground level, up higher, then at canopy level so you get a view of everything. The tram stops each time a car is loaded, so there is ample opportunity to get a good view and many pictures.

At mid-point there's an opportunity to get off and walk down to reboard your tram; there's a great suspension bridge there (you don't have to walk if you don't want to). Those views should be spectacular.

At the end there's a drink (water is a choice).

[NoNoNanette]

Any recommendations from those of you who have been there? Will be in port from 8 to 6. Thanks!

 

I highly recommend that you contact Levi Baron at http://www.bumpiingtours.com

 

Here's an excerpt from my travel diary from last month's cruise....

 

I was the first passenger off of the ship! We walked directly to Levi Baron of www.bumpiingtours.com He was waiting for us with a nice mini-van, air conditioner blowing, and a case of ice cold KUBULI BEER.

Dominica was gorgeous. (Levi Baron was pretty easy on the eyes, as well! J). Part of the West Indies, we found ourselves surrounded by 37 different types of Palm Trees, about a million different flowers growing wild, and GIANT Ficus Trees that were amazing.

Describing sites as he drove, we first went to Tralfagar Falls….neat. We beat the rush and had the place to ourselves.

We drove through the Roseau Valley, which was like something out of “Jurassic Park”! I was half-expecting to see dinosaurs!

Stopped at a Sulphur Spring and bought Sulfur Mud-Masks. 4 bags for $10.

On the way to MERO BEACH, in the Salisbury area, we drove through Mahout, which was a beautiful area filled with homes of doctors, attorneys and government officials.

Outside of Woodbridge Bay, we drove past Fond Capie-- a settlement of squatters who had lost their homes during Hurrican David. They built their new homes on government property, up in the hills.

Also drove through Massacre. (use your imagination) L

Levi pointed out RODNEY’S ROCK in the bay. It would be illuminated to look like a ship, in order to lure and ambush invading armies! Pretty neat history.

We LOVED the black sand beach of MERO! The water was crystal clear, and a beautiful deep blue/aqua color. Unfortunately, my pictures don’t represent the beauty of this beach. The sand sparkled with gold flecks. Knocked us out!

On the way back, we stopped at a store for some local Rum and a local Coconut Cream liquor.

Levi was an absolute DOLL. 31 years old, polite, married with 2 children- non smoker/drinker. A wealth of local lore. We just loved him.

Every other tour we saw was with a large group-- we felt quite special with such personalized attention. Oh yeah…. He bought me a Dominica Bottle Opener! I highly recommend Levi.

[Krazy Kruizers]

The first time we there we did the rain forest tour and Emerald Pool -- absolutely wonderful.

[Kathyh1313]

We have been to Dominca twice and LOVE the island, absolutely breathtaking.

The first time we were there we took the Rainforest Tram same as Ruth and thought it fabulous, very relaxing and enjoyable.

 

2 weeks ago we visited for the second time and took a tour through HAL called the Historic Carib Indian and Cultural Tour. Lovely drive through the mountains, in the opposite direction of the rainforest tram. Then a short hike to the Emerald Pool and waterfall. The last stop was in the Carib Indian Terratory. This was GREAT! There was a short walk with a guide explaining some of the flora and fauna that the Caribs would use, then a performance by Caribs of native songs and dances. THey asked for 4 volunteers from the audience to join in and learn a dance. My husband was one of the volunteers. He is from Guyana in South America and is part Amerindian. The Caribs heritage is from South America, so my DH was quite at home! THe resemblance was uncanny.

 

In Roseau there is a Duty Free Emporium where you can purchase some souveniers, liquors and lovely Land leather goods. Land is very high quality and not available in the US. I purchased a gorgeous red leather briefcase.

 

We had lunch at a restaurant called La Robe Creole. It was quite good. Unfortunately we were eating lunch at 2:30pm and they were out of several dishes. We had a delicious coconut shrimp dish, not batter fried, but in a coconut sauce, yummy.

 

Dominca is not known for beaches as other Caribbean islands, but its natural beauty is unparalleled.

[Trail46]

Thanks so much for the replies. Pity the cruisers who don't know about Cruisecritics - such a wealth of information!

[Toad]

River tubing! Did it twice last year and loved it!

[caribbean girl]

We were there a couple of years ago and did a mountain bike trek to the Layou River which included swimming in the hot springs. It was awesome! Hope you have a wonderful time planning!:)

[Sunshine91]

John & I did the Whale Watching & Snorkel Adventure sponsored by HAL. It was an amazing trip!

 

The group was taken a very short walk down the pier-side to a 60ft catamaran. Capt. Philbert & his 2 mates, Petra & Paul, were very knowledgeable about the area - the history of Dominica, the whales & dolphins who swim in the waters right off the coast, local fishermen, etc. We stayed within sight of Noordam the entire time. It's amazing that those creatures come so close to the shoreline.

 

We saw pods of dolphins twice - they swim & play with the catamaran. The capt. dropped the hydrophone a few times, looking for the whales, so we listened to the clicking of the sperm whales, but alas, no sightings that day. Petra says they see dolphins 50% of the time & whales 90% of the time. Guess we were on a really good dolphin day!

 

We also had about an hour of snorkelling at Champagne Reef - incredible. There are underground geothermal vents that expel air, creating a curtain of bubbles. Makes the water a bit warm & the fish like to play there. Gorgeous, fully formed coral. Paul got in the water & took snorkellers on a guided tour.

 

We pre-booked this tour via HAL's website. The trip was in the morning so the afternoon was still free for a bit of wandering about in port.

[GMoney]

On my first trip, I visited Emerald Pool and Trafalgar Falls; the falls were incredible. On my second trip, I did the aforementioned Whale Watching and Snorkelling. I totally agree with the previous review. We saw 20 pilot whales and sperm whales, and the snorkelling was very good.

[gentlemancruiser]

On my first trip we did nothing, just walked around the town and that was a complete mistake. The second time we did the emerald pools tour, this was wonderful!

This island is not developed like many of the other island. The town it self looks a bit like it's been stuck in time, which is nice. It's been several years since I was there, but there is no Little Switzerland or Dimonds International in the town.

You must take a tour of the island it is very beautiful.

[CPeters40]

After your "tour", we sat at an open bar, in that little area of shops, close to the ship and had the one dollar Dominica bottled beers. Can't remember the brand, but they were quite tasty! Especially since we weren't drinking the beer on the ship. We had a great time--really got to know our table mates, that we bumped into there.

Chris (Iowa)

Volendam Jan 2006

[mfd25]

I have to agree with Sunshine91 (we were on the same trip after all :)) that the Whale Watching & Snorkel Adventure is fantastic!!! It is a amazing adventure into eco-tourism (which is Dominca trademark) even if you don't see any whales (or dolphins).

 

Matt

[63galaxie]

Any recommendations from those of you who have been there? Will be in port from 8 to 6. Thanks!

By far the absolute best tour we've ever had was in Dominica. We took the whale-watching excursion. The catamaran alone was worth the price. The staff was outstanding, knowledgable, informative, and interested in saving the whales.

Seeing two baby whales was unbelievably exciting!

And the views from the ocean looking back on the island were also neat. Send me your email address (seankaren@bellsouth.net) and I'll send you our pictures from the trip.

I'd recommend this tour for all ages. It's not a party boat at all. There's covered and uncovered seating and beverages are served the entire time. Make sure you bring your binoculars, camera, and video recorder. It's an amazing trip!

The tour was through Anchorage Whale-Watching. You can contact our tour guide, Petra (a lady) at: petracharles2003@yahoo.de for current rates, tours that are available, etc. We booked ours through the cruise line (Carnival), but I'm sure they'll book separately.

Enjoy!

Karen:rolleyes:

[2hot4thehottub]

The whalewatch and Champagne Reef snorkel was my first ever shore excursion on my first ever cruise--it was great!!! We didn't see any whales, but we did see lots of dolphins. And the snorkeling was fabulous. I'd never snorkeled before, so I was a little nervous about it, but it was wonderful. I had an easy time of it and saw some amazing sea life that I'd never seen before (except on nature programs). I definitely recommend it! I can't wait to go back.:)

[Sunshine91]

Seeing two baby whales was unbelievably exciting!

 

Karen - TWO baby whales?! I'm so jealous!

 

And Petra kept insisting she isn't a marine biologist, but she sure knows her stuff. John & I agree, that was one of the best tours we've ever taken.

 

I was doubly thrilled since I got to sit next to the Capt. He said the seat next to him was empty & I hadn't sat down on a bench yet, so I hopped up there right next to him. :)

[Trail46]

Thanks so much for all the suggestions. Nothing beats experience!