Waitikubuli National Trail
Description
The Waitikubuli National Trail is the longest in the Caribbean. It crosses Dominica from south to north and is divided into 14 segments. It begins at Scotts Head in the south and ends 186 km further north at Capucin.
It goes through coastal towns and mountains, through the exuberant tropical jungle and its waterfalls, down rivers, up mountains, and back down to the sea. It also allows you to learn about the history of Dominica, passing through traditional Kalinago villages, ruins of the 18th century French colonies, the Fort Shirley in Cabrits, the secret passages through which runaway slaves escaped, and many other amazing historical and natural sites.
Opened in 2013, it’s an ecotourism site in its own right and is managed by the Island’s Forestry Division. Visitors must purchase a pass to enter. Built in such a way that the walker travels through the different towns, it allows the locals to benefit from income and be a fundamental part of the economic development of their territory.
The Waitikubuli National Trail was developed in order to offer the “natural island of the Caribbean” ways of subsistence different from the increasingly less profitable banana agriculture.
The different sections that cross the island are organized as follows:
| Segment 1 | From Scotts Head to Soufriere Estate | – Valley of Touloulou – Plateau Morne Crabier – Bois Colette Estate (ruins of a coffee plantation) – Hot sulfur springs | 6.6 km | 4h | Very difficult |
| Segment 2 | From Soufriere Estate to Bellevue Chopin | – Hot sulfur springs – Ancient Secret Path of Maroon Slaves – Picnic in the “Tarish” Park | 12.1 km | 5h | Medium difficulty |
| Segment 3 | From Bellevue Chopin to Wotten Waven | – Organic tea producer – Community and Botanical Garden of Giraudel – View of the “Morne Trois Piton” – “Clear River” bathing area (Rivière Claire) – Hot springs “Wotten Waven” – View of Roseau and its surroundings | 14,9 km | 5h – 7h | Medium difficulty |
| Segment 4 | From Wotten Waven to Pond Casse | – Hot springs of “Wotten Waven” – View of 5 mountains – Morne Jack – Primary and secondary forest – Middleharm Waterfall Trail – National Center for Research and Interpretation of Waitikubuli Trails at Pond Casse – Pond Casse roundabout (view from “Morne Trois Piton”) | 13.3 km | 6 h | Medium difficulty |
| Segment 5 | From Pond Casse to Castle Bruce | – Cave “Jaco” – Ancient remains of the Kalinago – Path to Emerald Pool – Creole garden – Gold River | 17.4 km | 7 h | Medium difficulty |
| Segment 6 | From Castle Bruce to Hatton Garden | – Kalinago / Caraïbes territory – Kalinago Cultural Village “Barana Aute” (reconstructed traditional village) – Geological formation “The stairs of the dog’s head” – Horseback bridge – View of the Atlantic coast | 14.4 km | 7h | Medium difficulty |
| Segment 7 | From Hatton Garden to First Camp | – Farmer fields and farms – Rivers – Swimming in the sea: Congorie Hole – View of the northeast coast – View of the airport “Melville Hall” – Walter William Orchard (parrot habitat) | 8.9 km | 6h | Medium difficulty |
| Segment 8 | From First Camp to Petite Macoucherie | – Mount “Mosquito” – Northern Forest Reserve -Panoramic views of the east and west coasts – Rivers | 14km | 9h | Very difficult |
| Segment 9 | Petite Macoucherie to Colihaut Heights | – The largest candlewood on the island – Lake Kachibona – Morne Amery – Northern Forest Reserve | 12.8 km | 7h | Very difficult |
| Segment 10 | Colihaut Heights to Syndicate | – Panoramic view over the north – Old farms -Morne Diablotin – Path “Syndicate” | 7 km | 3h | Easy, family friendly |
| Segment 11 | Syndicate to Borne | – Morne Diablotin National Park – Forests, rivers and the largest Amanoa caribaea tree on the island – Old railway – Waterfall “Duban” – Parrots’ reserve | 13,2 km | 7h | Difficult |
| Segment 12 | From Borne to Penville (Delaford) | – Views of Portsmouth and Cabrits – Morne aux diables – Community of Vieille Case – Northern rural area – Filming locations of the movie: Pirates of the Caribbean 2 | 13,5 km | 7h | Difficult |
| Segment 13 | From Penville to Capuchin | – Grand Fond Village – Driest landscape of all segments and with particularly high biodiversity – Views of Guadeloupe and Les Saintes. – Tafia waterfall – “Heritage Cannor” Park | 6,8km | 4h | Medium difficulty |
| Segment 14 | From Capuchin to Cabrits National Park | – “Toucarie et Prince Rupert” Bay – Oils producer – Cabrits National Park and Fort Shirley | 10 km | 4h | Medium difficulty |
The objective is to include the population in the economic expansion of the island while being respectful of the resources, in order to achieve the development of sustainable tourism.
Biodiversity
The Waitikubuli trail crosses mountains and the biodiversity of the tropical forests, together with places witnessing the active volcanism of the island such as the Valley of Desolation and its vegetation of fumaroles.
Dominica’s lush landscapes are filled with diverse biodiversity due to the many different types of forests that can be found there.
Ecotourism potential
The Waitikubuli National Trail is an ecotourism site designed for the enrichment of visitors and locals. Its objective is to economically develop the island without excluding the local population. That constitutes the core of the project, encouraging and giving life to this initiative.
The visitor, close to the greatest wealth of the island: “nature”, is no longer in a position of power or consumption of the territory, as they can be when they are doing beach tourism; but rather they come to discover the environment and the human being, together with their crafts, their customs and their lifestyle. Halfway between meeting and discovery, the different segments make it possible to link these two activities and are beneficial to all.
The length of the trail is designed so that one cannot, unless one is in very good physical shape, do this trail in one trip. The objective is to retain visitors who, on a second or third trip, will visit other segments until they complete the entire route.
