Dominica / Island Tours

By Stephen Thorpe

In such a beguiling country with its wealth of interest and spellbinding landscape it would be a crime not to try and explore at least a part of it. Many travellers of course arrive with the express intention of spending lots of time on the hoof in the mountains and river valleys but for the less active there are still a number of locations with relative ease of access and the tour companies and well informed trained guides to facilitate.

The capital Roseau is small and compact enough to explore on foot and probably the best introduction to its heritage and architecture is via the self-guided tour initiated by SHAPE (Society for Heritage and Architecture Preservation and Enhancement), a laudable non-governmental organisation engaged in raising awareness of the importance of traditional vernacular design in new buildings, promoting conservation zones and official listing of historic buildings among other schemes.

Other interesting tours to undertake without physical hardships are of the Carib Territory, Fort Shirley at Cabrits National Park, certain sections of the Waitukubuli Trail, the Giraudel Culinary Tour and birdwatching at Syndicate Forest.

Tour companies in Dominica include:

KHATTS (Ken's Hinterland Adventure Tours and Travel Service), Roseau - A premier professional tour company.

Whitchurch Travel, Roseau - A reliable, family owned business since 1910.

Other Specialist Guides include:

Bertrand Jno Baptiste - a birdwatcher and companion par excellence.

Cynthia Bellot

Paul Crask - An Englishman and travel writer domiciled in Dominica with an intimate knowledge of the country.

Miranda and Gerard Langlais - Conduct tours of the Carib Territory and set up the Karina Cultural Group at Kalinago Barana Autê (the Carib model village) in Salybia.

Additionally the Forestry & Wildlife Division located in the north east corner of the Botanical Gardens have an extensive roster of fully trained and certified guides for specific areas, many of whom are associated with hotels and operators.

Non-profit organisations and Government links:

Forestry & Wildlife Division, t 266 3817, forestry@cwdom.dm
www.avirtualdominica.com/forestry/index.cfm