| Dominica travel tips posted by real travelers and Dominica locals. Map |
 | Dominica Warnings or Dangers | Tips 1 - 10 of 21 |  |
Roseau (pronounced Rosey-O) remains an old time colonial capitol. I think many cruise ship visitors do not know what that phrase (old colonial capitol) means. It means the compact city has covered markets, barbed wire on the top of walls, rusty metal roofs and fences, and distinctive cornerhouses - plus "ramshackle West Indian colonial houses with louvred windows, intricate fretwork, and sagging second-floor balconies held up over narrow streets by stilts." (photo 2)
Cruisers used to the sanitized Disney version of the past think the town is poor (which it is) and dirty rather than colorful and atmospheric.
So before you go to Roseau, be prepared for what you are going to see. Leave a Comment
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 Main Road, Dominica by Martin_S.Leave a Comment
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 by grandmaR
I have also heard that one should always carry toilet paper when visiting Dominica. Leave a Comment
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Dominica is a green island because the plants grow well. The plants grow well because the soil is rich and there is plenty of moisture. The reason that there is plenty of moisture is that there is a lot of rain, mist, fog, and clouds.
Or to put it another way, Dominica has a tropical wet climate with characteristically warm temperatures and heavy rainfall..
The moisture is brought by the trade winds.
Most of the rain falls between June and October (the Green Season). Average yearly rainfall along the windward east coast may exceeds 200 inches, and exposed mountainsides receive up to 355 inches which is among the highest accumulations in the world.
On the leeward west coast, it is much dryer - getting only about 70 inches which is about the same as the Gulf Coast of the USA. Humidities are closely tied to rainfall patterns.
What this means is that you should expect rain, especially if you go up into the RAIN forest. You may want an umbrella (the street vendors all have umbrellas over their stands and I think this is as much for protection against rain as against sun. Bob took an unbrella in the morning walking around down, but not on the tour bus.
The streets have the old fashioned open gutters to carry the rain down to the harbor.
Intermitant rain also means that you often see rainbows Leave a Comment
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If you hire out a car in dominica, be very very very carefull of the bends and turns. I don't know if the roads have improved since, but they didn't really have any signs warning you of bends or sharp turns. The locals tend to speed round the cornors. It can be quite dangerous. At the time there was only one traffic light in Dominica, don't know if there is any more.
At night there is no street lights so you have to be extremely carefull.
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I found the beggars on the street to be agressive and annoying; the roads in the country are scary, but driving carefully seems to reduce the odds, just be careful driving at night. Leave a Comment
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 by BROOKS
Other than that situation, I wouldn't actually say there are too many dangers other than dealing with customs at Melville Hall Airport. Be able to open your luggage for customs officials promptly. Unlock them and hold your place in line. You must allow them to look through everything without argument. Dominica has had some issues with drug smuggling from Cuba. Unfortunately, they thought I was Cuban for a fleeting moment. The last time I arrived they looked through every single bag when in previous years they just wanted them unlocked.
The water is safe but I understand the Caribbean in general has had a problem at one point with Ciguatera. This is a toxin from certain fish and the ailments can show up years later. There are no known poisonous snakes or large predators. The few outbreaks of Hepatitis occurred in more rural areas with very little or no contact with civilization. Leave a Comment
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Be aware if you plan to hike there on your own - it's a very short hike and you might be tempted.
There have been several reports of tourists getting mugged on the trail. Two local guides (and then some locals we spoke to) warned us about it.
We decided it's not worth the hassle and gave up on it.
If you still want to do it, hire a guide to be safe.
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Don't worry! Every carries around machetes! Remember this island's main industry is agriculture! They call them cutlasses and people who carry them are normally super friendly! it freaked me out while walking to the bathroom in the middle of the night to see a teenager yielding one approach me, but Im alive!
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