Morne Trois Pitons National Park was hands down our favourite place on Dominica. It’s home to the most spectacular natural attractions on an island full of natural attractions. Among them are the spectacular Boiling Lake and Valley of Desolation, the pretty Freshwater and Boeri Lakes, as well as some amazing Waterfalls and mountain peaks.
The UNESCO seems to concur with our view and inscribed the entire National Park into its list of Natural World Heritage Sites in 1997. The best base to explore the national park are the villages of Trafalgar and Wotten Waven right outside its borders. Read on for everything you need to know about visiting this fantastic place.
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What to Do in Trafalgar and Wotten Waven
Apart from being a great base for hikes in the surrounding area, Trafalgar and Wotten Waven also have a few sights of their own.
Trafalgar Hotel Tips
Budget: Anthurium Apartment in Wotten Waven or D’Auchamps Cottages (Firefly Cottage) in Trafalagar
Midrange: Cocoa Cottage in Trafalgar (pictured)
Luxury: Papillotte Wilderness Retreat in Trafalgar
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Trafalgar Falls
These pretty twin waterfalls – affectionately known as Father and Mother Falls – are only a short walk east from Trafalgar village, which makes them one of the most accessible natural attractions on the island.
With a bit of careful navigation, we managed to scramble across the boulders to get a bit closer, and we even saw people taking a bath in the pools below the falls (although in my opinion there are more private and enjoyable places on the island for that).
Entrance to the falls is covered by Dominica’s Ecotourism site-pass, which is 5$ (13.25 ECD) per day or 12$ (32.04 ECD) per week and allows you to visit as many sites as you manage in that time. If you don’t already have one, you can buy it at the small visitor centre on the way to the falls.
Heads up: The falls are occasionally closed to anyone but Cruise Ship Visitors on some days. If you want to make sure, you can pre-book your ticket here, which allows you to visit the Falls even as an independent traveller on those days. To avoid cruise ship days, you can check the schedule here.
Papillote Gardens
This beautiful tropical garden now belongs to Papillote Wilderness Retreat, but can be visited by non-guests for a fee. Apart from plenty of exotic flowers and a small waterfall, our favourite spot were the three hot pools, where we took a bath.
The surroundings are gorgeous and sitting in the pools, we were able to observe plenty of hummingbirds, butterflies and small lizards. It’s 60 ECD to visit the garden, including use of the Hot Pools.
Hot Sulphur Springs in Wotten Waven
Due to the volcanic activity, there are plenty of other warm springs in the area, usually charging around 30 ECD. Wotten Waven, Trafalgar’s neighbouring village, has the highest concentration of Sulphur Spas on the island. Some of them are quite flashy and some of them are much more simple.
We visited Da-Scape Hot Sulphur Spa, which is a lot smaller and therefore quieter than the others. We were completely on our own, while we were there, and the friendly owner served us beer inside the pools. What more do you want?
Two Great Day Trips into Morne Trois Pitons National Park
There’s a lot to see in the Park, but with some planning, you’ll be able to fit the most important sights in two day trips from Trafalgar. If you have an extra day to spare, you could choose a slower approach, maybe visiting Middleham Falls and Trafalgar Falls on Day 1, Boiling Lake and Titou Gorge on Day 2 and Freshwater Lake and Boeri Lake on Day 3.
Day-Trip 1 – Boiling Lake, Titou Gorge and Trafalgar Falls
The hike to the Boiling lake is definitely the most spectacular thing we did on Dominica. It’s challenging but beautiful, cutting through lots of different landscapes before leading into the Valley of Desolation, an otherworldly place full of hot springs and sulphur vapours rising from below ground.
The constantly bubbling Boiling Lake itself is a very unreal sight unlike anything I’ve seen before or since. On your way back, I recommend checking out Titou Gorge – a narrow ravine cut into the rock by a small river. You can swim to the end to see a tiny waterfall.
On your way back to Trafalgar, you can follow a part of the Waitukubuli National Trail that end up somewhere near Trafalgar Falls. As an added bonus, you could end the day with a soak in the hot pools of the nearby Papillote Wilderness Retreat, which is a great way to finish a day with lots of hiking.
See my extensive guide to the Boiling Lake Hike here
Day-Trip 2 – Freshwater Lake, Boeri Lake and Middleham Falls
The National Park has some super pretty regular (that means non-boiling;-) lakes as well. Freshwater Lake is the largest lake on the island and is a nice destination for another day-trip from Trafalgar. There’s a small information centre and a circular trail with awesome views leads through the rainforest along the lake-shore.
You can also continue along a small trail to the much more secluded Boeri Lake. It’s much smaller than Freshwater Lake, but I thought it was even more atmospheric, surrounded by high peaks, as it is. I also thought that it was a great place for a swim, although it’s high up in the mountains, so the water is quite chilly.
Finally, if you’ve still got some energy left, you could tack on a hike to nearby Middleham Falls, which is one of the highest waterfalls on the island and another cool destination for a shortish hike.
You can read more about the hike to Freshwater and Boeri Lake as well as Middleham Falls here
Practicalities
Where to Stay in Trafalgar, Wotten Waven and Around
Trafalgar is a pretty village and a good base for visits to the nicest natural attractions in the park. There are a number of places renting cottages and camping space.
We stayed at D’Auchamps Cottages, where we rented Firefly Cabin. It’s basic but affordable and set in a beautiful garden with great views of the surrounding mountains. Plus, Sara who runs the place is helpful and can tell you about everything to see in the surrounding area.
There are also a couple of mid-range and upscale accommodations in Trafalgar, like Cocoa Cottage close to D’Auchamps Cottages.
Another option would be to stay in Wotton Waven, where there are several hot springs to soak in after your hike. It’s not the best base for hikes, though, and we preferred walking there from Trafalgar in the evening than having to do so in the morning to get to the National Park.
Anthurium Apartment would be one of the cheaper options in Wotten Waven, while Ti Kwen Glo Cho in is a mid-range option set on the grounds of the warm sulphur springs of the same name.
Finally, if you don’t mind staying in Roseau, you could also take an early minibus to Laudat, do your hiking and return in the evening. There are just a few minibuses going to Laudat every day, so this requires a bit of pre-planning. Also, in my opinion, it’s much nicer staying in the pleasant natural surroundings of Trafalgar (or Wotten Waven).
You can find your perfect place to stay in the map below:
How to Get to Trafalgar and Around
Trafalgar and Wotten Waven can be easily reached by regular minibus from Roseau’s King George V Street (near Astaphans Supermarket). Some minibuses continue to Laudat, which serves as a gateway to most of the sights in the National Park, but those are few and far between, so hitch-hiking might be an easier option on this stretch of road.
Laudat can also be reached by hiking part of Waitukubuli National Trail Segment 4 from Trafalgar.
Where to Eat in Trafalgar
Trafalgar is a small village, so there aren’t many options. We liked the River-Rock Café & Bar on the road to Trafalgar Falls, which had tasty food and a great view of Breakfast River. Apparently, dinner is usually by reservation only. We didn’t know that and just dropped in, which wasn’t a problem, but you might want to check online beforehand.
If you have a cabin with your own kitchen, you could also do some self-catering. There are small grocery stores in Trafalgar, Wotten Waven and Laudat.
Where to Go Next
Roseau, Dominica’s colourful capital
Scott’s Head or Soufrière, great bases for Hiking and Snorkeling