Trekking Dominica’s Waitukubuli National Trail

The first thing that comes to mind about the Caribbean is not marathon treks but coral sand, palm trees, beach chairs and drinks with umbrellas in them. But the small island of Dominica (not to be confused with the Dominican Republic), nestled between Guadeloupe and Martinique in the eastern Caribbean, offers something different: the Caribbean’s only long-distance hiking trail. Known as the Waitukubuli National Trail, it meanders 185km over mountains and through dense Dominican rainforest. Waitukubuli, the pre-Columbian name of the island, means “tall is her body” and refers to the volcanic fertility of the land and the mountains.     Before modern roads, the island was interconnected by trails, which had been carved out by various groups over the centuries: hunter-gatherers, the indigenous Kalinago people and of course, the enslaved Africans. Such footpaths were also vital to maroons (escaped slaves),... .... Continue Reading at Explorers Web