Dominica Top 10: Best Ethical Destinations for Your Vacation in 2011

BERKELEY, USA – ( Travel-newswire.com – December 9, 2010 ) – As the ecotourism movement continues to grow, making a vacation choice that respects the Earth is becoming more and more important to travelers.

To assist vacationers with their travel decision-making, the nonprofit organization Ethical Traveler has just published its 2011 report on “The World’s Best Ethical Destinations.” Ethical Traveler conducts an annual study of developing nations from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe to identify the best ethical tourism destinations. The group focuses on three general categories: environmental protection, social welfare, and human rights.

The 2011 list (in alphabetical order) includes: Argentina*, Barbados, Chile*, Costa Rica, Dominica*, Latvia, Lithuania*, Palau, Poland* and Uruguay. To read the full report including methodology, cont./

Courtesy of: Ethical Traveler

Dominca - Christmas Cards

'A Shot of Love' from Dominica aka The Nature Island or Waitukubuli...

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Courtesy of: Tropical Ties Dominica

Arts and Crafts in Dominica

In Dominica I often hear artisans lament that they struggle to compete with cut-price, lower quality, mass produced imported items, and that these days it’s almost impossible for them to make a living solely from their craft. But this issue is not unique to Dominica, nor is it a recent occurrence.

Since the start of the industrial revolution and mass consumerism, skilled craftsmanship has been rendered almost obsolete with the markets flooded by cheaper, machine-produced items. Globally craftspeople and support for arts and crafts in general have been on the decline and the current economic climate and lack of appreciation for original art and craft, has compounded the situation. cont./

Courtesy of: Dominica Weekly

Dominica Done Naturally

An eco-tourism pioneer colors her island world green...

Sharon McDonnell
Jewish Exponent Feature

A half-century ago, a frustrated Miami marine lab researcher craved a more fulfilling lifestyle. "I wanted to be someplace where I could be free to pursue my interests and contribute in a meaningful way," Anne Baptiste told me.

Fast-forward to today: Now in her mid-80s, the New York Jewish native is credited with pioneering eco-tourism on Dominica, an extremely lush, mountainous Caribbean island with few sandy beaches that draws mainly adventure-seekers and nature buffs.

She opened a nature lodge, Papillote Wilderness Retreat, and created a botanic garden with a mind-boggling variety of tropical plant species from scratch that looks sprung from Arthur Conan Doyle's "lost world" that's one of Dominica's main tourist attractions, Papillote Tropical Gardens. cont./

Courtesy of: Jewish Exponent

Dominica - Screw’s Sulphur Springs

This being my first visit to this part of the world, I didn’t really know what to expect. Like everyone else, for a long time I thought Dominica and the Dominican Republic were the same. However, I soon learned that The Dominican Republic shares an island with Haiti and is near Puerto Rico and Dominica is in the southern Caribbean near Grenada.

A land of many wonders, but one of the most enjoyable would have to be Screw’s Sulphur Springs. Nestled in the rain forest near Trafalgar Falls, a visit will bring relaxation, refreshment and take away five years of stress.

Traversing the hilly,steep winding roads can be quite a feat, I can’t imagine there would be more treacherous roads anywhere,fortunately high speeds are entirely out of the question, therefore the the risk of an accident is minimal.

Having spent the morning driving through the rain forest and hiking the long trail to Ti Tu Gorge, it was now time to relax and enjoy a nice sulphur swim. cont./


Courtesy of: Best Artical

Dominica - Scuba diver wins top prize in Frommer's Favorite Travel Moment Photo Contest

Peter G. Allinson, M.D., an avid scuba diver from Maryland has won the top prize in the Favorite Travel Moments Photo contest presented by Frommer's. Allison's image of a diver and a sperm whale was captured while he was holidaying in Rousseau, Dominica, in the Caribbean.

An avid diver, Allinson, said that he and his friends obtained a permit and charted a boat, known as the "whale whisperer" in order to make sure that they would be able to interact with the local population of sperm whales. He said: “We located the whales and were able to swim, photograph and play with them on multiple days. This is a photo of my friend Jeff thanking one of the whales, known as Scar, for posing with us. Interacting with and making eye contact with these huge gentle intelligent creatures was the most memorable moment of my life.” cont./

Courtesy of: Examiner

Dominica - Top 10 Dives

By Gil Griffin

This volcanic island in the southeastern Caribbean is an overstuffed treasure chest for divers, with a wealth of sites offering healthy reefs, bright colors and a myriad of macro life. With its volcanic structure and its location at the confluence of the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, Dominica offers divers walls, pinnacles, swim-through caves and a wide variety of marine life attracted by the nutrients the currents stir up. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more appealing destination. cont./

Courtesy of: Scuba Diving

Dominica - House of Hope

The House of Hope in Delices, Dominica, is a home that provides loving, 24 hour care to persons with severe physical and mental disabilities. It was started by a small group of women in the village of Delices when 2 severely disabled women in their community lost their elderly mother. Without her to provide care they were stranded without anyone to help them, or any kind of facility to take them in. Since then, the House of Hope have raised the funds to build a larger facility with a garden and they now have six female residents including the original two women. They are ages: 6, 8, 14, 38, 40 and 52 years old. The facility gets some money from the government, but the rest comes from donations. They are in constant need of supplies. cont./



Courtesy of: You Grow Girl

Dominica - Waitukubli National Trail

Destined to quickly become one of the great walks of the world, Waitukubuli in the Caribbean is “opening soon” … though some hikers have already pieced it together, unofficially. cont./




Courtesy of: Best Hike

Dominica - 'Don't Call Me Carib!'

Indigenous Dominicans want name change...

ROSEAU, Dominica - The indigenous peoples of Dominica, the Caribs, say that they no longer want to be referred to by the “archaic and outdated” term “Carib” and are urging the Dominica government to help facilitate the change.

In a letter sent to the Ministry of Legal Affairs and copied to the Ministry of Carib Affairs, the Carib Council said it wants the term ‘Carib’ officially changed to ‘Kalinago”.


“While the Council awaits for such changes to be enacted officially, it announces that beginning today it will no longer use the term “Carib,” and instead, will refer to the lands of the Reserve as the “Kalinago Territory,” the governing body as the “Kalinago Council,” and its head as the “Kalinago Chief,” The Council said. cont./

Courtesy of: Jamaica Observer