Boiling Lake

Having my sister come and visit us on Dominica was a wonderful experience. One of the memorable activities we did with her was the hike to Boiling Lake (possibly the largest boiling lake in the world) followed by a swim in TiTou Gorge. The hike was brutal... almost straight stairs the entire way, and some of them were as steep as climbing up onto your dining room chair! We made our way through the rainforest and down to 'breakfast river' for a brief break. We continued the hike for what seemed like ages, and finally came to an opening in the vegetation where there were various sulfuric spouts, streams, etc. Then, you hike around, over, and through the springs. Some are scalding, some are cool, some are in between. It is definitely a hike worthy of a good guide. We arrived at the lake two and a half hours after we began - this is considered to be good time. We lunched, took pictures, and started on the journey back. The stairs were particularly hard on my honey's knees as he has had both of his ACLs replaced. We took the trip back slightly slower, making it to the trail head after about three hours, more in the 'average' range for this hike.

We observed sulfuric deposits on rocks in streams, crystal formations around steam outlets, black, orange, and milky white water, and my sister even stepped in some kind of black muck that looked like oil! I love geology, and found this facet of the hike to be amazing.

TiTou Gorge is located at the trailhead, and we climbed in at a point where the water is being prepared to enter an aqueduct. Then we swam up the current through the gorge to the waterfall at the end. This is the same gorge that features in Pirates of the Caribbean 2. It is beautiful and reminds me of home. :)

While having company in town we visited a whole variety of other sites on the island. Champagne Bay remains a favorite for snorkeling. It is amazing every time I go, and features a large variety of fish, coral, and other sea life. It has become a 'must see' for any new friends or visitors we take around the island. There's even a portion of the water where there are deep vents under the sea to the sulfuric action underneath the earth's crust... which result in endless streams of little tiny bubbles that you can swim right through - like swimming in champagne!

Emerald Pool is another site we thoroughly enjoy. The rainforest path is easy to navigate, and the waterfall is super easy to access, including a beautiful view point of the pool from the trail above, and it is also available for taking a quick dip in the cool water... or if you are more adventurous you can jump off of the rock like I did!