iStock International

Dominica: Cities and Regions

The Lesser Antillean island is egg shaped, approximately 29 miles long, and 16 miles wide, with an almost impenetrable forest-covered, mountainous center. Most hotels and facilities can be found in Roseau, where most of the population lives, but the small towns scattered on the western and northern coasts also have options.

Rouseau Built over the Kalinago Indian village of Sairi, the former slave trading port on the southwest coast is now Dominica’s largest (and capital) city and a favorite stop for cruise ships. Here you’ll find the majority of shops, restaurants, tour operators, and general facilities on the island.

Portsmouth Though it has just a few thousand inhabitants, Portsmouth is the second largest settlement on Dominica. It’s set on the northwest corner of the island on the Indian River. The ruins of Fort Shirley, Cabrits National Park, and a few good beaches are all nearby.

Southern Highlands The tropical forests and volcanic terrain of Morne Trois Pitons National Park dominates the southern center of the island and is encircled by small highland villages and attractions like Sulphur Springs, Boiling Lake, and Trafalgar Falls.

Leeward and Southern Coasts Serenely isolated hotels, some of the best diving in the Caribbean, and a few dramatic windswept beaches define the west coast, which runs between Portsmouth and past Rouseau to the southernmost point on the island.

East Coast The snorkel-friendly beaches like L'Anse Noire and Woodford Hill Bay become rougher and rockier as you move south along the eastern side of the island, eventually giving way to the Carib Indian Reservation.

Northern Forest Reserve The wild and dense nature reserve on the northern inland end of the island is one of the last refuges for Sisserou and Jacquot parrots. Apart from the occasional hiking trail through Morne Diablotin National Park, which covers roughly 35 percent of the reserve, the area remains mostly unexplored.