DOMINICA
TRAVEL TIPS
A collection
of important information that can make your trip more enjoyable.
Dominica
is the largest and most mountainous of the Windward Islands, with volcanic
peaks, mountain streams and rivers, dense forests, quiet lakes, waterfalls,
geysers and boiling volcanic pools. There are beaches of both black (volcanic)
and golden sands while orchids and untamed subtropical vegetation grow
in the valleys. Guadeloupe is to the north and Martinique to the south.
The capital, Roseau, on the southwest coast, is the main centre for visitors.
DOMINICA GENERAL
INFORMATION
Area: 751 sq km (290 sq miles).
Population: 71,727 (2001).
Population
Density: 95.5 per sq km.
Capital:
Roseau. Population: 26,000 (UN estimate 2001).
Government: Republic. Gained independence from the UK in 1978. Head of State:
Nicholas Liverpool since 2003. Head of Government: Prime Minister
Roosevelt Skerrit since 2004.
Religion: Almost entirely Christian, with Roman
Catholic majority. |
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Language: The official language is English, but Creole French, the national language,
is spoken by most of the population.
Electricity: 220/240 volts AC, 50Hz. Three-pin European-style plugs are usual.
GEOGRAPHY: Dominica is a large and mountainous island,
geographically part of the Leeward Islands, though historically it has
been grouped with the Windward Islands for administrative purposes, with
volcanic peaks, mountain streams and rivers, dense forests, quiet lakes,
waterfalls, geysers and boiling volcanic pools. There are beaches of both
black (volcanic) and golden sands, while orchids and untamed subtropical
vegetation grow in the valleys. Guadeloupe lies to the north and Martinique
to the south.
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DOMINICA ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS
U.S. citizens must present a valid or expired passport, a certified
U.S. birth certificate and photo identification, Certificate of Citizenship
or Certificate of Naturalization, and a return or onward ticket. U.S.
citizens should take special care to secure these documents while traveling
as it can be time-consuming and difficult to acquire new proof of citizenship
to facilitate return travel should the original documents be lost or stolen.
There is a departure tax assessed when leaving Dominica. Children under
twelve years of age are exempt from the departure tax. See our Foreign
Entry Requirements brochure for more information on Dominica and other
countries. For further information concerning entry requirements, travelers
can contact the Embassy of the Commonwealth of Dominica, 3216 New Mexico
Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20016, telephone (202) 364-6781, e-mail
embdomdc@aol.com, or the Consulate General of Dominica in New York at
(212) 768-2480. The Dominica Division of Tourism official website is www.ndcdominica.dm.
In
an effort to prevent international child abduction, many governments have
initiated special procedures at entry/exit points. These often include
requiring documentary evidence of relationship to the person traveling
with the child and permission for the child's travel from the parent(s)
or legal guardian not present. Having such documentation on hand, even
if not required, may facilitate entry/departure.
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GETTING AROUND DOMINICA
Renting a car is the best way to get around Dominica. Most of the car
rental agencies are in Roseau. Visiting drivers must be between ages 25
and 65 and have a valid driver's license and at least two years' driving
experience. For a small fee you can get the required local driver's license
from immigration on arrival. Primary roads are well paved and clearly
signposted; remember to drive on the left. If you don't want to drive,
taxis are available and can be hired for sightseeing tours.
Local
buses are cheap and run regularly along the coastal routes between Roseau
and both Scotts Head and Portsmouth, although the farther north you go
past Canefield the less frequent they become. There are few buses in the
evening and none on Sunday on most routes.
Dominica
has two airports: Canefield, a 10-minute drive from Roseau, and Melville
Hall, on the secluded northeastern coast. Car rental agencies provide
free pick-up at Canefield and taxis are also available. If you're planning
to base yourself in Roseau, try to avoid Melville Hall. There are no car
rentals at this airport, so you'll need to catch a share taxi for the
75-minute haul to the capital.
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DOMINICA
DUTY FREE
Duty Free: The following goods may be imported into Dominica without incurring
customs duty by passengers aged 18 and above:
200 cigarettes or equivalent of tobacco products; 2l of alcoholic beverages;
tools for professional use.
Prohibited
items: Various plants including bananas, coconuts, coffee and avocados.
A licence is needed to import firearms.
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DOMINICA COMMUNICATIONS
Telephone: IDD available. Country code: 1 767. Outgoing international code: 1 for
USA, Canada and most Caribbean islands; 011 for other countries.
Mobile
telephone: TDMA network. Network providers include Cable &
Wireless Dominica (website: www.cwdom.dm) and Wireless Ventures (Dominica)
Ltd. Unregistered roaming is available – visitors with TDMA handsets
can make calls without registering, provided they can give a credit card
number. Handsets can be hired.
Fax: Services are available through the Cable & Wireless Company.
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 0700-2000.
Internet: Access is available at the offices of Cable & Wireless in
Roseau, at an Internet cafe and in some hotels. The main ISPs are Cable
& Wireless (CWDom) (website: www.cwdom.dm) and Marpin.
Post: There are no Poste Restante facilities. Post office hours: Mon 0830-1300
and 1430-1700, Tues-Fri 0830-1300 and 1430-1600.
Press: Newspapers are in English. These include The Chronicle, The Independent
Newspaper, Official Gazette, The Sun and the The Tropical Star, all of
which appear weekly.
Radio: BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America
(website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies
change and the most up-to-date can be found online.
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DOMINICA
MEDICAL FACILITIES
The main hospital is the Princess Margaret and there are smaller ones
in other parts of the island. Portsmouth the second town, Marigot in the
East and Grand Bay to the South. Clinics and Doctors can be found through
out the island.
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DOMINICA DRIVING LICENCE
Driving is on the left side of the road, a local drivers’ permit
is required and can be obtained from the airports, car rentals agencies,
and the Traffic Department on High Street in Roseau, (Monday-Friday) 8:00
am – 4:00 pm. Fees are US$12.00 or EC$30.00 for one (1) month, and
US$23.00 or EC$60.00 for three (3) months.
One
must be between the ages of 25-65, have a least two (2) years driving
experience and present a valid drivers’ licence when applying for
a permit.
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DOMINICA BUSINESS PROFILE
Economy: Much of the land is under cultivation, with bananas,
coconuts, citrus fruits and cocoa as the main produce. The banana industry,
which is the country’s main export earner, has been under serious
pressure following a World Trade Organization ruling outlawing the preferential
access to its main European markets that Dominica had previously enjoyed.
This, and the -1 per cent GDP rate have added urgency to the Government’s
efforts to diversify the country’s economic base and improve the
country’s inadequate infrastructure. At present there is a little
light industry producing vegetable oil, canned juices, cigarettes, soap
and other consumer goods largely for domestic consumption. In the service
sector, tourism initially developed rather more slowly in Dominica than
elsewhere in the Caribbean but it has become a vital component of the
economy. The government has lately sought to promote Dominica as an ecotourism
hotspot. In recent years, the Government has also been trying to promote
an offshore financial services industry; in a highly competitive market,
it has enjoyed limited success. Dominica is a member of the Caribbean
economic bloc CARICOM and of the Organisation of East Caribbean States.
Substantial overseas aid is provided by the USA, the UK and the EU. The
island’s largest trading partners are the UK, the USA, Canada and
Japan; Barbados and Guadeloupe are the largest within the Caribbean region.
Business: Businesspeople should usually dress smartly and dealings will be formal,
initially at least. Government office hours: Mon 0800-1300 and 1400-1700,
Tue-Fri 0800-1300 and 1400-1600.
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DOMINICA SOCIAL PROFILE
Food & Drink: In general, it is wise to order the
speciality of the house or of the day to ensure freshness. Island cooking
includes Creole, Continental and American dishes. Creole dishes include
tee-tee-ree (tiny freshly spawned fish), lambi (conch), agouti (a rodent),
manicou (pig- and wild pigeon-smoked meats), and crabbacks (backs of red
and black crabs stuffed with seasoned crab meat). Bello Hot Pepper Sauce
is made locally and served everywhere with almost everything. Food prices
on Dominica are usually reasonable. Restaurants close at about midnight
weekdays but are open later at weekends. Root vegetables, such as yams
and turnips, are often referred to as ‘provisions’ on a menu.
Island fruit juices are excellent as are rum punches, particularly coconut
rum punch (made from fresh coconut milk, sugar, rum, bitters, vanilla
and grenadine). Sea Moss is a non-alcoholic beverage made from sea moss
or seaweed, with a slightly minty taste. Spirits, local rum especially,
are inexpensive. Wines (mainly French and Californian) are expensive.
There is a wide choice of beers available. There are no licensing hours.
Nightlife: Some hotel lounges stay open until 2300 and there is music at weekends
at several hotels. A favourite haunt in Roseau, La Robe Creole, has dance
music nightly with live bands at weekends. Popular local discos include
The Warehouse, Scorpio and Doubles International. There are often folklore
evenings with authentic costumes and music. Hotel staff will generally
be able to advise visitors as to the best places.
Special
Events: For a complete list of special events, contact the Dominica
Tourist Office (see Contact Addresses section). The following is a selection
of special events occurring in Dominica in 2005:
Jan 1 New Year’s Day Celebrations. Feb Carnival (‘Mas Dominik’).
This entails two weeks of celebrations, culminating in an explosion of
parades. May Art, Craft and Flower Festival; International Sports Fishing
Tournament. Jun Fete Isidore; Fete Mawen. Jun-Jul Dominica Dive Fest,
Roseau. Jul Emancipation Festival. Oct National Independence Day Celebrations;
World Creole Music Festival. Oct Creole Day. Dec Christmas Festival.
Social
Conventions: Casual dress is normal, but swimwear is not worn
on the streets in town. Evening clothes are informal but conservative.
The Catholic Church is one of the most dominant social influences. Photography:
Visitors should ask before taking photographs of local people.
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DOMINICA
CURRENCY/MONEY
The Eastern Caribbean dollar (EC$) is the currency used locally. At the
banks you will get EC$2.67 per US$1 cash, and EC$2.68 per US$1 travellers’
cheques. United States dollar, British Pounds and the Euro currency are
acceptable everywhere on the island.
Currency exchange: Foreign currencies can be exchanged at banks and bureaux
de change.
Credit
& debit cards: American Express, MasterCard (limited) and Visa are
accepted. Check with your credit or debit card company for details of
merchant acceptability and other services which may be available.
Travellers
cheques: Accepted by most hotels. To avoid additional exchange rate charges,
travellers are advised to take travellers cheques. in US Dollars.
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DOMINICA SHOPPING
There is no duty-free shopping, but there are some excellent buys to be
found among local handicrafts including hats, bags and rugs made from
vetiver grass joined with wild banana strands. The Carib Reserve Crafts
Centre produces bags made from two layers of reeds that are buried in
the ground to achieve a three-colour effect and covered with a layer of
broad banana-type leaf to make them waterproof. Shopping hours: Mon-Fri
0800-1300 and 1400-1600, Sat 0800-1300.
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DOMINICA TIPPING
A 10 per cent service charge is added by most hotels and some restaurants.
Other less touristic places do not add service to the bill and therefore
tipping is discretionary; 10 to 15 per cent of the bill is acceptable.
Taxi rates are set by law and therefore taxi drivers do not expect tips.
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DOMINICA CLOTHING
Casual, light cottons are ideal during the day; in evenings, elegantly
casual attire is appropriate. Swimsuits may not be worn in the streets
or stores. A light sweater is recommended for the cooler evenings. Raincoats
and walking shoes are recommended for hikes through the rainforests.
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DOMINICA SPORTS & ACTIVITIES
Hiking: Dominica is characterised by a lush, green landscape and a mountainous
interior covered in dense tropical forests. Some of the best hiking trails
can be found in the Morne Trois Pitons National Park (containing crater
lakes, spectacular waterfalls and the world’s second-largest boiling
lake, which can be reached after a strenuous four-hour walk). The Dominican
authorities adhere to strict nature conservation policies and a number
of brochures, including special hiking guides, are available and recommended;
contact the National Development Corporation (see Contact Addresses section)
for details.
Ecotourism: Several resorts, usually located in the rainforest or the mountains, specialise
in ecological holidays, offering guided educational trips to Dominica’s
many natural attractions.
Watersports: There are good opportunities for scuba-diving and snorkelling, the latter
being very popular in the Soufrière area, south of the capital
Roseau, where volcanic cliffs drop into the sea. Visibility is usually
up to 80m (263ft). In some places you can reach good snorkelling sights
by kayaking along the coast. Equipment may be hired through hotels and
local tour operators. Whale and dolphin watching is on offer, from boats
or in the sea. Special diving excursions take visitors to the best spots.
Divers need to have a certified diving qualification or be engaged in
a training course conducted by one of the island’s dive authorities.
Spear fishing is prohibited and divers should also refrain from taking
any living organism from the seabed or removing any artefacts from sunken
wrecks. Swimming is possible in the sea or in the island’s secluded
rock pools, notably at Trafalgar Falls, Emerald Pool and Titou Gorge,
where two hot springs filter into a rock pool fed by a river. There are
facilities for parasailing, windsurfing and water-skiing at coastal hotels.
15-minute parasailing flights are available for parties of four or more.
Windsurfing boards may be hired. Speedboats can be hired for water-skiing.
Motor boats and sailing boats can also be chartered along the coast and
fishing charters can be arranged for larger groups. For further information
on watersports, contact the National Development Corporation.
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DOMINICA TIME ZONE
Dominica is an island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic
Ocean, about one-half of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago.
Dominica Time Standard Time is 4 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT-4).
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