Americas

[Visited: September 2011]

We picked up yet another hitchhiker on the east coast of Dominica, who was on her way to Roseau. We had a nice conversation with her during our ride, and felt bad leaving her at the roadside when we took a right turn towards the parking lot and trailhead. The ticket office was not open, so we walked directly in the direction of Emerald Pool, on a boardwalk through the dense forest. Technically a transition zone and not a rainforest, we were still in awe by the gigantic trees, the epiphytes clinging to the tall trees, the enormous ferns and other plants. We crossed rivers, and arrived at a viewpoint where we saw Emerald Pool a little lower. Even though this was a Sunday and we had expected crowds, we only saw one couple.
After a few more minutes, we arrived at a paradisiacal spot. A gently flowing river running down the forest, around rocks and plants; a little higher up, a peaceful waterfall seemingly coming down from the thick vegetation higher up, and adding in a natural pool below. Emerald Pool. We changed into swimming gear, and soon found out that the water of the pool was pleasantly cool, and deep. I took my camera, moved to just below the waterfall and looked up at the gentle and continuous stream of water coming down. Looking up was great: it was clearer to see that this was a small opening in the otherwise closed canopy, the pleasant sound of falling water always in the background.
From the middle of the pool, it was just a few steps to arrive in a semi-cove, which offered a different perspective on Emerald Pool and the surrounding forest. You can get behind the waterfall. More people arrived, but stayed a surprisingly short time, after which the only sound was the falling water and the chirping birds in the forest. Because of its location in the middle of the forest, the light is filtered, giving the pool a vibrant shade of green - hence the name. Sun rays do not easily reach the spot; fortunately, I could warm up a little in the sunlight before putting my clothes on again and walk back up to the entrance, using a different trail. We thoroughly enjoyed Emerald Pool, and the hike there and back. When we eventually drove off, our lady friend had disappeared from the roadside. Only then, we realized we should have invited her to come with us for a refreshing dip.

Around the World in 80 Clicks

Personal travel impressions both in words and images from Emerald Pool (Dominica). Clicking on the pictures enlarges them and enables you to send the picture as a free e-card or download it for personal use, for instance, on your weblog. Or click on the map above to visit more places close to Emerald Pool.
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Emerald Pool > Dominica > Americas

[Visited: September 2011]

Around the World in 80 Clicks

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