The Boiling Lake Photo Archive
Third trip to Dominica in Feb/March 04. Third hike to Boiling Lake too! Love the island, love the people, love the environment. Here’s a picture of me and my partner taking a break in the Valley of Desolation.
Steve Taylor
This group from Alachua, Florida made this Boiling Lake trip while in Dominica to put a roof on the Wallhouse Baptist Church in Loubiere.
Dimitri Sokolenko
Hannes, Olivier, Raul and me visited the Boiling Lake on Nov. 15, 1994 on occasion of a sailing cruise. The hike was pretty tough, at least for me, especially since we had had a long session in the Indian River Bar near Portsmouth (lots of Dynamite!) the day before. Nevertheless, our excellent guide (unfortunately I cannot find the paper with his name anymore; if anybody knows him please e-mail his name to me) managed to take us to the lake and well back. And it was really interesting and an exciting experience. Everyone visiting Dominica should do that.
Werner
I visited Dominica in March 2000. The most interesting thing to do on the nice island is to hike to the boiling lake. The trail through the rain forrest, the view from the mountain top with a sip of the fresh prepared grapefruit juice, the different colours in the valley of desolation (see picture), the boiling lake itself, the not so refreshing bath in the hot river (40°C) (second picture). It can’t say what impressed me most. Probably it’s the combination of all the impressions. I really want to thank Etienne, my guide from Laudat, for the interesting explanations all the time.
After all I really enjoyed it.
Hope to meet you there
Jens
K.H.A.T.T.S writes:
This photo of Mick Jagger and his family was taken on a K.H.A.T.T.S Tour last year.
Steve McCabe says:
Never mind Mick Jagger, here’s a photo of Sulphur the Boiling Lake Cat!
Jan 2000
On November 5, 1998, just after the Independence celebration, my friend John escorted me on the hike. With out question, it was one of the most spectacular things I have ever done or accomplished. I have heard numerous stories and have seen many pictures, but they can do no justice to the experience of the trip. It rained from the moment we started, and stopped only briefly during the hike. We managed to do the walk in 5 1/2 hours (running part of the time) , as John was more interested in the exercise, I being older and in less fit condition trying to keep up with him. The decent into the Valley of Desolation was perhaps more awesome than the view of the lake itself. The vastness and sheer beauty are a site to behold.
This year during my Independence trip 99, I want do the hike again, slowly taking in all there is to be seen, and hopefully with a little less pain. I intend to engage a guide, one that is well versed on Flora and Fauna.
J P Kemmler
This was taken on one of my earliest trips to the lake, circa 1987. As you can see, while the weather was dry, the going underfoot was not!
I took this Boiling Lake photo of Terry Jeanmarie of Trafalgar in October of 1997 just after the conclusion of the First World Creole Music Festival. Terry was my guide at the time, but since has become a good friend. I tried to get him up here to visit me in the US, but we couldn’t get a visa. I did manage to bring him down to St.Lucia this last October, his first time out of Dominica. If he looks a little rough in the photo it’s because he had a rough time landing me alive at the boiling Lake. Actually, I believe that he did save my life when a violent gust of wind knocked me off a knife edged ridge and he caught me before I disappeared into the abyss.
Martin Ames
It is an extremely beautiful hike but you definitely have to be in the right frame of mind….and have a set of healthy legs and arms to make it. If you are a true hiker,it is probably the hike of all hikes. If you are a casual hiker, be prepared for an extremely long…..7-8 hours, grueling trek, up and down, thru rivers both cold and hot, across rocks and trees, thru mud and muck. Parts are spectacular….others seek to consume you…
Larry Stuart, July 1999