Waterfalls, parrots and ancient ruins
Dominica stands for pure and pristine and is rich in overwhelming natural beauty. Spot animals like whales, dolphins and sea turtles underwater and on land hummingbirds, Amazon parrots, sugarbirds, possums, garter snakes and a giant frog called mountain chicken.
Dominica has three different beautiful national parks. The Morne Trois Pitons National Park is the largest national park and surrounds the active volcano of the same name. The park leads you to highlights the Emerald Pool, Middleham Falls, Titou Gorge and Boiling Lake, believed to be the second largest fumarole in the world. On the western side of the park are the breathtaking Trafalgar Falls, whose upper cascade flows from the Trois Pitons River and empties into glowing hot sulfur springs. You can swim in the lower waterfall.
On a peninsula on the north side of Dominica, you will find Cabrits National Park. It is best known as the site of Fort Shirley, a large 18th-century British garrison that once housed 600 soldiers. Because it lies between the peaks of extinct volcanoes, the park offers spectacular views of black beaches. Go in search of the stone ruins half hidden in the jungle, take a walk through the tropical forest or swamp, or dive underwater and admire the colorful coral reefs.
Morne Diablotin National Park is best known for the volcano of the same name, but it is also home to two species of Dominican parrots found nowhere else in the world, the Sisserou or imperial parrot - the national bird of Dominica - and the Jaco red-necked parrot.
