Boiling Lake, Dominica

Sunday, February 10

Boiling Lake is probably the most famous hike in Dominica.  It's a 14-mile total (7 miles in and 7 miles back) hike through the rainforest to a boiling lake (second largest in the world after New Zealand's).  The hike itself is wihtin the Morne Trois Pitons National Park and travels through steep cliffs and sulfurous hot pools, waterfalls, streams, and steam vents (The Valley of Desolation).  After 7 miles, you finally arrive at the Boiling Lake which is flooded fumarol, 200-ft wide, filled with bubbling greyish-blue water.

We went on this hike with our guide, the famous "SeaCat"; our fellow cruising buddy, Lynn; and SeaCat's daughter, Amber.  We had a really great group!  Here are some pictures from our hike:

Gene and Kat in front of the Titou Gorge (start of the Boiling Lake trail)

We had some rain at the start of the hike.  Here's Gene preparing for the first river crossing.

Waterfall that ends in the Titou Gorge

This was the highest point of the hike, on top of one of the mountains in Morne Trois Pitons looking West.  You can see the ocean in the distance.

View of some of the heights on the trail.  The trail itself is very well maintained.

Water break along the trail.  One of the many rivers.

Descending down into the Valley of Desolation.  Steam can be seen in the distance from the many steam vents in the valley.

Valley of Desolation - a volcanic area of steam vents, fumaroles, hot springs, and boiling mud pots.  Extremely active.  We realize that in the future, this area will probably be blocked off to hikers via a surrounding boardwalk, like Yellowstone.

 Lynn at the bottom of the steep boulder hill.  Amber is in the background getting some assistance from a couple other guides.

SeaCat and Gene testing the water temperature.  This small pool in the Valley of Desolation is where the hot water from the fumaroles and cold water from the rainforest rivers meet, so the water is warm.

Climbing down the slippery cliff trying to avoid the hot streams.  SeaCat is way in the distance.

One of the boiling mud pots in the Valley of Desolation.  SeaCat takes eggs with him on every tour, and he runs ahead of the group to put the eggs into one of the boiling pud pots for a hard boiled egg snack for the group. 

Amber and Lynn with their mud masks.  Yes, we all had mud masks!

Hot stream that flows into a hot pool further downhill.

Hot springs pool.  We stopped here on the way back for a swim.

Dominica's Boiling Lake

SeaCat preparing lunch for us at the Boiling Lake.  You can see the other hiking group in the background jealously watching SeaCat prepare lunch - he's the only guide that actually brings lunch for his hikers.  One of the many reasons why SeaCat is the best.

Another shot of the Boiling Lake, the steam clearing a little so you can see the bubbles in the water.