Dominica, the beautiful Caribbean island & its 6 waterfall hikes

06.04.2026.

This is a guest post by Andrew from The True Adventure Seeker, and Dominica is an amazing destination after exploring the enchanting beaches of Tulum, Mexico. Here is more about him in his own words:

Together with my girlfriend Chloe, I created the True Adventure Seeker blog. I’m from an Island in the Caribbean called Trinidad. Ever since I was a kid, I loved the outdoors and doing adventurous things with my family. I love to go fishing, kayaking, hiking, snorkeling and traveling of course. I’m not a great writer by any means or even a good one. I just write down in simple terms my experiences to share. Some of my articles are informative and geared toward helping people realize things about different places. And some of my articles are just me telling a story of my adventures.

I’ve been to many Caribbean islands over the recent years and nothing comes close to the nature that Dominica brings. Dominica is not a beach island as you would expect from a typical Caribbean island. The beaches are black sand and volcanic rock beaches and it’s not very appealing to tourists. But what Dominica is truly known for are their adventure activities in nature.

The waterfall hikes in Dominica are the best in the region and that’s why they call this country the nature isle of the Caribbean.

What you can expect when you’re visiting Domica island

Bad Roads – The roads in Dominica are not the best. Driving through the interior and towards hiking spots felt kind of sketchy. At night it can be really stressful to drive because there are hardly any street lights. For some reason the lights are really far apart, leaving huge gaps of darkness.

Black Sand Beaches – Now, I know if you come to a Caribbean island you’d expect white sand and turquoise water beaches. But here in Dominica they have black volcanic sand beaches. The water can be just as good but it won’t look and feel like one of those beaches you’d find in a magazine about the Caribbean.

More rugged and less developed – I think the forested and rugged nature of Dominica is its appeal. When I go to a country for nature and the outdoors I do not want to be surrounded by large concrete buildings everywhere, traffic and the usual hustle and bustle of life. Things here are slow, people are laid back and you’d find yourself being like that really soon the longer you stay here.

Getting around Dominica island

The best way to get around Dominica is to rent a car and drive everywhere yourself. Going on road trips with my group of friends was one of my best experiences here. The island is very tiny, which makes it easy and quick to drive from one point to another. Driving yourself also gives you complete exploration freedom to just put a destination into Google Maps and just drive towards it without worrying about public transport and how to move around at night and things like that. So, definitely rent a car.

This guide covers what I consider to be the five best waterfall hikes in Dominica. These are not just pretty waterfalls you can see from the road. These are proper hikes in the rainforests of Dominica, across rivers and up mountains where you can consider the reward, a beautiful waterfall. If you’re planning a trip here, you can add one of these to your Dominica itinerary.

Salton Falls Hike

Salton Falls hike is probably the easiest and most family friendly hike on this list. This hike also leads up to 2 waterfalls just about 5 minutes apart. The trail for this hike begins at the back of someone’s house and you have to pay a small entrance fee of $4 USD per person to hike here. It opens at 6 am and closes at 5 pm.

It’s located in a village in the mountains not far from Roseau, the capital of Dominica, called Saint Joseph. There are very few houses this far out to the rainforest. We actually had to ask passersby for directions because we had no idea the entrance looked like a regular house.

Middleham Falls Trail

Middleham Falls is one of the most popular waterfall hikes in Dominica, and one of the more difficult ones on this list. The trail is located within Morne Trois Pitons National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and close to Laudat village. You can drive here from Roseau in about 20 minutes. The forest here is dense and everything is extremely slippery.

The hike to Middleham takes from one hour to one hour and a half. The trail is clearly marked and simple to navigate. We completed it without a guide and had no issues finding our way. The path slowly goes upwards and can be muddy and slick on some of the roots. You should definitely wear proper hiking shoes with strong traction.

What to expect at the Middleham Falls Trail

The hike is about 1.5 miles (4.8 km) round trip. But, I recommend you don’t treat it as a quick walk just to reach the waterfall. The hike itself is the best experience, especially because it’s so difficult. As you move through the rainforest, you’ll pass dense greenery, tall trees, and, if you’re lucky, spot bits of wildlife along the way.

By the time you reach Middleham Falls, you may feel ready to jump straight into the pool below, even if the water is cold and trust me, it 100% will be very cold. The 200-foot waterfall is powerful and impressive, and it feels good to finally arrive here after such a long hike. Bring plenty of water and keep your backpack light. A smaller load will kind of make it easier to hike this trail.

Victoria Falls Hike

Victoria Falls hike is an interesting one. You have to hike up and through the actual White River leading to this waterfall. It’s definitely dangerous in some parts, but you’ll be fine. The trailhead for this waterfall hike is in the town of Delices on the Southeastern part of Dominica. If you’re staying in any of the typical touristy areas of Dominica, the drive here could take about an hour or less.

For this hike, I recommend going with a tour guide. Simply because of the amount of rock climbing and river trekking you have to do. The guides will know exactly where to put your foot and to hold onto, etc. Expect to get fully soaked because you are not crossing shallow streams, this is an actual river and some parts could reach chest height.

What to know beforehand about Victoria Falls- count on the weather conditions

This is a hike that depends a lot on weather conditions. If it rains heavily, the guides will check the intensity of the river before letting anyone hike through it. The river has a lot of large boulders and rocks that you have to climb up and over to keep going higher and higher up the elevation. It’s not a very long hike but it can be hard, especially for young children who are very short.

The Victoria Falls hike is not one of the main hikes on people’s list. Probably because of how far away it is from most stuff on the island. This means that the hike never gets crowded and you almost always have this adventure to yourself. This hike is also completely free.

Trafalgar Falls via the Morne Trois Pitons Trails

Hiking Trafalgar falls is one of the most popular things to do in Dominica. Primarily because it’s 2 waterfalls side by side and the hike to get here is so easy and short. If you explore beyond the regular viewpoint, there is much more adventure to have than just the standard 15 minute hike to get here.

The area sits within Morne Trois Pitons National Park, and there are connecting trails that link to other sites in the park. If you venture on further and extend your walk to explore the surrounding trails, you can turn this into a more serious hike.

What to expect

The path to the main viewpoint is just a bunch of stairs heading down, but once you step off the main path and head toward the rocks at the base, the terrain changes. There are many large boulders at the bottom of these waterfalls.

They call the 2 waterfalls side by side “Mother” and “Father”. They fall into 2 separate pools. The hike becomes more interesting when you explore the upper sections and the other trails nearby. The forest is thick, and you can connect parts of the trail network for a longer loop. If you come here for the hiking rather than just seeing the waterfall, I recommend treating it as part of a larger hiking day rather than just visiting Trafalgar Falls.

Sari Sari Falls

Sari Sari is on the rougher east coast side of Dominica and close to the Victoria Falls Hike. You can do both these hikes in a day if you’d like, since you’re over on this side already. This hike is located in the La Plaine area of Saint Patrick Parish, Dominica. At the beginning of this hike you’re going to be cutting through a banana field before meeting the river section.

This hike also takes you through the White river where you have to get wet and hike through the river. On this hike you are in the river valley hiking upstream and over slippery rocks. The trail usually takes 1 hour each way but it’s a moderately difficult hike regardless.

Along the trail you’ll pass breadfruit trees, thick ferns, clusters of bamboo, and patches of wildflowers. The forest is really loud here, and you will sometimes hear birds such as the Purple-throated Carib and the Bananaquit moving through the canopy when you’re further away from the actual river.

Sari Sari Falls drops into a large, open basin surrounded by rock walls. The waterfall is tall and narrow, and the pool at the base is wide enough for a swim.

I think this hike is really balanced for people who want a challenge and some waterfall action included.

Where to stay in Dominica

Dominica has a lot of great eco lodges and boutiques located in quiet towns around the country. What you won’t find many of are the typical Caribbean all inclusive resort type of accommodation. But, that’s fine because we’re here for adventure and activities and will be out and about most of the day.

Caribbean Seavew Apartments

$140 USD a night

This is where I stayed during my time in Dominica. These are really nice and spacious apartments located on a quiet hillside in Mero, Dominica. It’s self catering with options for 1 and 2 bedroom stays and they come with a fully equipped kitchen.

Secret Bay Resort

$1400 USD per night

Secret Bay resort is definitely the most expensive place to stay in Dominica. Everything here seems like a romantic retreat for couples who want to relax and unwind rather than being active outdoors. Although, they do have lots of tours offered here including whale watching, hiking and food tours. This accommodation is definitely outside of my budget range, but it looked surreal when I saw it in person.

Fort Young Hotel

$179 USD a night

Fort Young Hotel is located in the capital. It’s called Fort Young because it was originally built as a British Fort in the 18th century and still has those thick military bunker style stone walls, doorways and design. Today they turned it into a full service hotel in a very convenient location.

The location makes it easy to explore Roseau. Guests can walk along the waterfront promenade, browse local shops, or enjoy views of the sea right from their room. Fort Young is actually Dominica’s only all inclusive resort. Guests also get access to guided land or water activities, a 30-minute Swedish massage, and round-trip airport transfers.

Final Thoughts

Dominica is without a doubt the best Caribbean island for adventure travel and nature. Dominica is safe, easy to travel around and never has crowds of tourists flocking in like most other Caribbean islands. Dominica was also the cheapest I’ve been in the Caribbean. Everything was very affordable while still being of high quality and passing expectations.

If you’re planning a trip here and want to learn more stuff about Dominica, a good place to start is my Dominica Travel guide. We cover things like how to get around Dominica, where to stay, food, things to do and more. Find more adventure itineraries and travel tips on True Adventure Seeker.

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