Boiling Lake Hike

Beginning at Titou Gorge and ending at Boiling Lake, the twelve-mile (roundtrip) Boiling Lake hike is nothing short of a beast. Generally considered to be Dominica’s preeminent hike, the trek winds up and down narrow mountain ridges, crosses cold and warm water streams, and passes through a combination of landscapes ranging from lush rainforest to a seemingly barren wasteland of crusted lava, steaming sulfur vents, and inviting hot springs (aptly named the Valley of Desolation). At the end lies the world’s second largest boiling lake, a rather unimpressive crater full of steaming and bubbling boiling gray water. Interestingly, the lake instantly dried up on the exact day the devastating tsunami hit Southeast Asia in 2004, a mystery scientists are still attempting to unravel. Expect the hike, which requires a guide ($40 is the going rate), to take the better part of a day and to include a mixed bag with regard to the weather. Nearly every step is either up or down, with the former being murder on the quads and lungs and the latter being murder on the knees, but it is well worth doing if you have the time and inclination.