In the fifth installment in our series on community tourism in Dominica, it’s all about Titiwi!

Part 5: Layou

The village of Layou is on Dominica’s west coast, just 20 minutes north of the capital, Roseau. It is located at the mouth of Dominica’s longest river (the Layou River) and is thus well-positioned for the natural phenomenon that brings thousands of small fish (titiwi) right to its banks each month. While Layou has always been well-known for its titiwi, over the past several years it has hosted a Titiwi Festival to celebrate them. This year the festival will be held on September 25th & 26th 2010.

The 2010 Titiwi Festival will include two days of activities such as swimming, boat races, zip lining, beach football, fishing tours during the day and live music & entertainment in the evenings. Last year’s festival was marvelous fun for the whole family!

Titiwi Festival at Layou (2009) Photo by ImagesDominica.com

The highlight of this festival is, of course, tasting the delicious titiwi which are prepared in many different ways.  For those not familiar with “titiwi” they are small fish, often prepared breaded and fried, such as titiwi accras.

The Layou Improvement Committee is active in Community Tourism, promoting the community’s attractions such as river tubing, fishing tours, the hot pool ‘Glo Cho’, trips to the Miracle Lake and Wacky Rollers Adventure Park.

• Visit the Layou Community Tourism website for more details about the Titiwi Festival activities and the community tours.