Victoria Falls taken by Images Dominica Getting Married in Dominica

Warm days allow for picnicking on wild Atlantic beaches or snorkeling among bubbling springs. Perhaps an excursion to hidden waterfalls or taking in the crystal night sky.

When it rains, you can soak in steamy sulfur pools, or snuggle with your partner as raindrops pat against the roof.

Amid Bird Watching, Canyoning, Scuba diving, Hiking, Kayaking, Whale Watching, Sightseeing… or simply taking in a sunset on a quiet beach, there’s a little bit of everything for the romantic adventurer in you.

So if you are preparing a 12-13-14 wedding or just a special get-away,  December in Dominica will not disappoint.

For more information about tieing the knot in Dominica, check out Getting Married in Dominica

“For the adjective meaning of or relating to botany or the cultivation of plants, botanic and botanical are both acceptable, and there is no difference between them, but botanical is more common in 21st-century English.” – source: grammarist.com

There’s something magical about walking through the 40 acres that make up Dominica’s Botanical Gardens.

The gardens were originally created in 1890 with over 500 different species of tropical trees and shrubs when the garden was fully developed, I can’t even begin to imagine the various wildlife inhabitants that would have been thriving in there at the time.

90 years later, Hurricane David tore through Dominica flattening trees and buildings in its path, destroying roads and bridges that went in and out of Roseau Town.

The only physical evidence of the hurricane is the yellow school bus that was crushed by a gigantic African Baobab Tree in the Gardens.

As destructive as Mother Nature is, years after this catastrophic event the African Baobab Tree continues to flourish and flower each year, even with the Bus in its clasp.

There are many different flowers and plants that can be seen throughout the gardens, displaying a beautiful array of colours and scents.

The Botanic Gardens in Roseau are a perfect getaway for a lunch break or a morning stroll before work.

There are many different spots to explore within the Gardens, whether its the Parrot Aviary, the Bamboo House or a small hike up Jacks Walk for a magnificent aerial view of Roseau from Morne Bruce.

Perhaps I am a little, as this was my second time on one of the most demanding trails in Dominica in less than 5 months.

It’s one of those hikes, where if you’re not used to hiking it takes every bit of your willpower and drive to keep going. But the views along the way make the trek worth every bead of sweat and ache that your body goes through!

Knowing that I would be standing on the highest point on the trail at 2,950 ft, with an amazing view overlooking Roseau, the sort of view that you’d imagine being able to see from a helicopter ride, made the hike to the Look-Out Point well worth it.

From these luscious green mountain tops, you travel down to the Valley of Desolation, where there used to be masses of greenery and vegetation; in my mind it’s the dead zone, pools of boiling water and clay combined with the smell of sulphur in the air. You know Mother Nature has had her way here. The vegetation is pretty sparse in the Valley, there are patches of moss with a few flowers poking out and a few shrubs scattered about. It’s a huge contrast from walking for 2 hours in the rainforest!

After a few more ups and downs, scrambling over tree roots, putting my little legs through their paces, we made it to the Boiling Lake.

Once you’re there, you’ve a great sense of achievement. To be able to say that you’ve hiked to the second largest hot spring in the world is pretty awesome!

The reason for the steam and moisture in the air at the lake is due to two streams in the lake and rainfall, going down into the lava below, where it heats to boiling point and rises back up.

For someone like me who has very little hiking experience, I’m glad I did it. I can tick it off of my list of things to do.

Time to say bon voyage to my Converse, they have done me proud. They carried me to Boiling Lake and back.

Time to embark on a new adventure with a new pair.

To read read more about Kim’s adventures click here

From the above statement you may have gathered that waterfalls are not something that I am used to seeing on a daily basis in England; so being able to jump in the truck and drive into the heart of the Island to visit this magical little hide-away was, well, magical.

The trails to any of the waterfalls on the island are always spectacular. I felt like I was walking around on the set of Jurassic Park with all of the trees and ferns surrounding me, hearing the odd tweet and cheep from the birds flying about. I’ll admit I did have my eyes peeled for abnormally large spiders, there were none thankfully! I’d also like to assure you there were no T-Rex footprints in the ground.

We took the corner on the last set of steps, and there before me was this romantic setting, a glistening pool of fresh spring water and a beautiful waterfall crashing down into it.

It’s one of those places where you could picture the perfect rainforest wedding proposal or a scene in a pirate film where they finally find the hidden treasure.

To read more about Kim’s adventures click here

See Visit-Dominica.com for more on the Islands Waterfalls

We were over halfway into the drive when the topic of Captain Jack Sparrow came up; reason being is that part of the Pirates of The Caribbean 2 film was here, right where we were driving through.

Out came the camera and my phone, texting pictures to my sisters back in England, “Guess what film was filmed right here?” I think they may have been a little bit envious of my current location!

The journey continued further North;  the sea views were out of this world, the coves, and the sea breaking as it comes into the coast was breath-taking.

Finally we arrived at our destination. The house is on an incline so has a lovely view overlooking the ocean. It’s one of those beautiful old houses with wooden beams throughout, stiff wooden window shutters, and quirky details around the building.

When people say that a building has character I don’t think I’d fully understood it till now. Knowing that a huge part of my family grew up in this house, seeing the room where they ran their shop, or the garden where my Dad and uncles played as children, was quite overwhelming and infused every part of the old structure with deeper meaning.

Should the day come when I have my own family, and the house is still standing, I’d want to take my children there too. It’s important to know where your family is from and I am so blessed that Dominica is a part of me.

To read more on Kim’s adventures in Dominica click here

My time here so far in Dominica I have taken well over 3,000 photos, all above sea level.

• Food
• Palm trees
• The ocean
• Waterfalls
• Sunsets
• Kubuli bottles in the sun

You name it I’ve done it.

Being someone who is quite snap-happy with my camera and my phone, I thought taking photos underwater would be the next logical step.

Dad and I went down to Sunset Bay Dive Club; we decided a shore dive is best when combining a camera with your dive for the first time.

The rules of underwater photography are to control your buoyancy, and get close up.

Having only recently learnt to dive, buoyancy control is something I’m yet to master, it doesn’t come easily. There I was looking at a lobster that was in the perfect pose, it would have been silly not to try and take the shot, so I lined the camera up, tried my best to steady myself and then ‘click’.

I did this a few times, as they say practise makes perfect.

After looking at the photos I took, let’s just say I’ll leave the underwater photography to the professionals at Images Dominica™.

My first snorkeling trip was at Champagne Reef, it’s literally on our doorstep maybe a 10-15 minute walk from Pointe Michel.

Mom had the patience of a saint, life vest on just in case (it’s been a long while since I’ve dipped my toes in the water!). Our masks were on; we were inching further into the glorious warm water with the mantra from Finding Nemo in my head “Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming”.

Once my nerves had passed, I started to pay attention to where I actually was; there were fish everywhere and loads of bubbles.

The bubbles are awesome; I could swim back and forth through them all day long.

Little did I know, the bubbles are there because of the volcanic activity that has happened on the island; the geothermal activity beneath the reef causes pockets of gas to escape in the form of bubbles – pretty cool!

If you’ve work stress or things going on in your personal life, snorkeling at Champagne or anywhere in Dominica is the key to relaxation.

Read more about Champagne Reef

To read more about Kim’s adventures click here

Watch in amazement as you witness one of three types of globally endangered female sea turtles laying her eggs on the Nature Island’s pristine beaches. If you’re there when the time is right, seeing the hatchlings heading back to sea will leave you spellbound. Hire a trained turtle guide to help you unravel the mystery of an unforgettable encounter with these gigantic gentle creatures.

Young Leatherback Heads for the Sea at Rosalie

Read more about Sea Turtles and Turtle-Watching in Dominica:

• Turtle Watching in Dominica

Enjoy!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOKHZSzaFUs]

To learn more about Dominica, the Nature Island of the Carribean, visit avirtualDominica.com