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Dominica Island:    Tour Guide    Boiling Lake Trail Photos

Our hike to the Boiling Lake - 18 October, 2008

  Boiling Lake Trail

The Boiling Lake is truly one of the great natural wonders of the world. From the bottom of the village of Laudat, a path alongside some huge hydro pipes comes to Titou Gorge, a narrow, deep and spectacular gorge formed by volcanic splitting. A swim up the 50 ft high gorge takes one to the base of a low but powerful waterfall.

The first part of the trail is gentle as it winds south-eastwards along the mountainside towards Morne Nichols (3,500 ft or 1,067 m) passing through stands of the only native conifer in Dominica. For a distance of a little over two miles (3.5 km), the path traverses upland valleys, plunging down into minor gorges, crossing upland streams, and then climbing steeply onto ridges clothed in elfin woodlands.

From the narrow ridge of Morne Nicholls at a point called Shark's Tooth Peak at 3,002 ft (915 m) elevation, there are fine views north and west across to Morne Micotrin, Laudat, Cochrane and Roseau, with the Caribbean Sea behind.

From here the path descends steeply to the left into the almost barren volcanic landscape of the Valley of Desolation, where the valley floor is carpeted with a sulphur-adapted vegetation of mosses and lichens.

At the bottom of the valley, one picks up the path again, and on the far side of the stream, the path enters low thick shrubs as it follows the right-hand bank for a short distance. It then crosses over to the left hand side once more and ascends a short steep slope passing through further thick shrub before descending into a shallow open valley with further volcanic activity. Crossing a hot sulphurous stream and climbing to a ridge top, one overlooks the world's second largest Boiling Lake. Measuring up to 200 ft (66 metres) in diameter, with rock walls of 60-100 ft high, and a depth said to exceed 195 ft (64 m), the lake is a flooded fumarole from which hot gases bubble up through vents in the earth's molten crust. The water temperature reaches over 92°C, although during the rainy season, it is said to cool by 10° with the runoff of water that collects from the surrounding hills.

The trail from Laudat to Boiling Lake takes about three hours (and 2-2.5 hours back) and is for the most part moderate going but with a few rougher stretches on the steeper slopes before the Valley of Desolation. The last part of the journey, between Valley of Desolation and Boiling Lake, takes between 45 minutes and one hour. The walk is best done during a period of dry weather since the trail can become very slippery in places, and an early morning start avoids enduring the heat of the day during the stiffer ascents. Care is specially needed along the mountain ridges where fatal accidents are not unknown. A local guide is highly recommended.

These excerpts where taken from - Dominica Nature Island of the Caribbean (A Guide to Nature Sites), Published by Ministry of Tourism, Govt HQ, Roseau, Dominica.
First Edition 1997
Copyright Peter G.H. Evans and Arlington James.

 

 

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