New nature tours to Dominica for 2010

Dominica is known as the Caribbean’s Nature Island and now travelers can discover exactly why with a series of new nature adventures in 2010.

Birding tour operators Avian Adventures and Bird Watching Breaks have included Dominica in new tours for their programmes this year, whilst whale-watching specialist Out of the Blue also has a group whale-watching tour scheduled for the spring.

Dominica is home to more than 170 bird species including two endemic Amazon parrots – the Sisserou and the red-necked Jaco. It is also one of only two island habitats for the beautiful Blue-headed Hummingbird which lives in the rainforest and elfin forest.

In addition, Dominica stakes a claim to being the ‘whale-watching capital of the Caribbean’. Its temperate seas and underwater contours provide the ideal environment for whales and dolphins and 22 of the 33 known species in the
Caribbean have been seen in the island’s waters. Whales and dolphins can be spotted year-round in Dominica, primarily in the south around Scott’s Head, where waters plunge to 6,000 feet.

Avian Adventures includes Dominica in its Lesser Antilles trip, departing 22nd May – 3rd June 2010. The touring itinerary includes three nights in Dominica where travelers will explore forest trails and waterfalls near the habitats of the endemic species. The trip also visits Antigua & Barbuda, Montserrat, Guadeloupe and St Lucia. The trip costs £3,890 per person including all flights and ferries, accommodation, all meals, transportation and tour leaders.

Bird Watching Breaks also combines a visit to Dominica with other islands in the region on its Lesser Antilles: Birds of the Eastern Caribbean trip, which departs 13th – 27th April 2010. This trip visits a total of nine Caribbean islands, with three days spent in Dominica. Nature lovers will take a dawn expedition in search of the red-necked Jaco parrot as well as tracking other species including the Dominica House Wren, the Lesser Antillean Swift, the Broad-winged Hawk and Tropical Mockingbird. The trip costs £4,695 per person including all flights, accommodation, meals, transport and tour leaders.

Out of the Blue has its first group whale-watching trip to Dominica scheduled for 17th – 25th April 2010, having previously offered tailor-made trips to the destination. The nine-day trip includes whale-watching excursions on four days. An onboard hydrophone on the specially-chartered 60-foot catamaran will be used to track species including sperm whales, false killer whales, hump-back whales amongst others. The itinerary also includes island tours exploring Dominica’s rainforests, beaches, rivers, waterfalls and the Carib Territory. Prices start from £2,499 including flights, accommodation, some meals (all breakfasts, two lunches, two dinners) and excursions as outlined in the itinerary.

These are just some of the tour operators offering nature-based packages to Dominica in 2010. For a full list of UK tour operators to Dominica, please see www.discoverdominica.com or telephone 0800 012 1467 for further details.

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