The 20-seater aircraft shakes us like dice in a cup as we approach the island. We’ve been struggling through thick fog for 15 minutes when the mist dissolves to reveal rugged green peaks soaring out of the sea, like a mysterious Jurassic Park-style lost world.
“Welcome to the Nature Island,” the flight attendant chimes as we rattle towards the landing strip. With peaks up to 1,400 metres above sea level, Dominica is one of the most mountainous islands in the Caribbean, earning it the name Waitukabuli – “tall is her body” – in the indigenous Kalinago language.
With swathes of rainforest and waterfalls and a newly created trail crossing the island in 14 graded sections, Dominica is one of the Caribbean’s top hiking destinations. But I’m here to tackle one trek in particular. Boiling Lake is hidden away in the Unesco-designated Morne Trois Pitons national park, and a challenging three-hour hike in and out is the only way to reach it. I meet my guide Marcel early in the morning and we set off through the dense, wet forest, where a well-maintained path with neat stone steps gradually devolves into a narrow and perilously slippy trail. It takes us up and down, across a river, and back up again, spitting us out on to a windswept ridge, from where I can peer down into the ominously named Valley of Desolation.
Amazing… I’ve shared this full article to many friends all over the world.