Dominica has half of the Eastern Caribbean's twenty active volcanoes. Although they have been silent for the past 1000 years, bubbling sulfur springs, fumaroles, solfataras, and a massive boiling lake indicate that the volcanic activity below the ocean floor reaches the island's surface.
Dominica's Boiling Lake, second in size to the Frying Pan lake of New Zealand, is 200ft wide. It is located five miles from the city at the core of the Morne Trois Piton National Park, a World Heritage Site. This steaming basin of earth is one of he most amazing geothermal features on earth.
The Valley of Desolation, just a few miles from the Boiling Lake, is another of the island's spectacular hot spots. The floor of the valley resembles a multicolored spattered canvas, from which solfataras and fumaroles spurt.
Liquefied matter from the Boiling Lake and the Valley of Desolation stream into the Victoria Falls and White River, creating a waterway of rich minerals. Volcanic hot spots are also situated at the Trafalgar Falls, allowing visitors to enjoy both the fresh water from the falls and the warm pools along the river at its base. Across the Trafalgar valley are many natural cauldrons and hot water pools in the village of Wotten Waven.
There is so much evidence of the island's volcanic origin. Atop the northern peak of Morne Aux Diables, where a volcanic crater sits, sulfur springs fizz. Even beneath the sea the earth broils. Just a mile from the village of Pointe Michel, vents spills hot water under the sea, creating amazing fizzles amidst unusual coral formations, causing locals to name it Champagne.
Just a few miles south of Champagne, in the village of Soufriere, lies The Soufriere Sulfur Springs, which is the best developed of all the hot spots for tourism recreation. Artificial pools swallow the natural flow of a hot stream allowing patrons to frolic in the therapeutic water. A gazebo, changing rooms, and restaurant make the spot a popular stop for tourist.
