Inside divine Dominica: the Caribbean’s fascinating ‘nature island’ is undergoing changes, but it’s still a tropical treat like no other

A helicopter buzzes back and forth near Trafalgar Falls, one of Dominica’s prized natural attractions. The company is building a cable car that will take tourists over the island’s Boiling Lake – a spectacle that normally requires a three-hour hike.

Meanwhile, work continues on a new international airport (built by the Chinese and paid for through a ‘citizenship by investment’ programme), which may or may not entice companies like British Airways and Virgin Atlantic to fly direct.

In the capital Roseau, the government wants to increase the number of cruise ships that dock daily from October to April.

And what used to be known as the Princess Margaret Hospital (Dominica was the last Caribbean island to be colonized) is now called the Dominica China Friendship Hospital.

Change is afoot on this beautiful outpost, which bills itself as the ‘Island of Nature’ – although cable cars, international airports, Chinese investment and a fleet of cruise ships coming and going may not sound like nature’s most obvious gifts.

There are those who worry that Dominica may not be heading in the best possible direction, and that any move towards mass tourism will be counterproductive.

“We need to play to our strengths and give people an experience they can’t find anywhere else in the Caribbean,” says Dr. Lennox Honychurch, 71, a conservationist and undisputed authority on the island’s history and its place in the wider world.

Those strengths are great. Dominica (pronounced Dom-in-ee-ca and not to be confused with the Dominican Republic – although many people do) is about the same size as Barbados, but with half the population.

Hidden comfort: During a visit to Dominica, Mark Palmer checks into the Secret Bay resort (photo)

Baywatch: Secret Bay offers uninterrupted views of the Caribbean Sea. It’s ‘really special’, says Mark

It has a higher concentration of volcanoes per land mass than any other country in the world, there is a sperm whale population, some 365 rivers, dramatic waterfalls, extensive reef systems and the bird life is so great that one morning we found Dr. Birdy – also known as Bertrand Jno Baptiste – we spotted all four species of hummingbirds.

Then we see, with the help of Dr. Birdy, the endangered imperial parrot, also known as the sisserou.

Dominica’s landscape is more lush and green than any other Caribbean island. During our trek deep into the forest around the base of Morne Diablotin, the island’s highest mountain (which attracted both George V and Theodore Roosevelt), we don’t see another soul.

That could change once the new airport opens (scheduled for 2026), but the brutal truth is that Dominica is not prepared for mass tourism – and its appeal is precisely that it is not a fly-and-flop destination.

You come here because it is different. You come here because you don’t need Whispering Angel rosé at London prices. You come here to watch and learn – and discover that the Dominicans are quieter and less confident than their better-known Caribbean neighbors. But there is also a charm in that.

The place to stay is Secret Bay, just ten minutes south of Portsmouth on the north-west coast, a project that has taken the ‘nature island’ ethos, added a touch of luxury and come up with something truly special.

It is the creation of entrepreneur Gregor Nassief, whose grandfather fled Lebanon a century ago, settled in Dominica and began selling clothes and other household items door to door.

As a child, Gregor cycled with his brothers through the woods where Secret Bay now has 22 villas, cleverly hidden between the trees. They are all built on stilts and have outdoor kitchens and refrigerators that are miraculously filled with all kinds of goodies every day.

“Dominica’s landscape is more lush and green than any other Caribbean island,” writes Mark. Above the impressive Trafalgar Falls

Marks visits Red Rocks (pictured), one of Dominica’s natural wonders

Above, a purple-throated carabid hummingbird, the largest species on the island

There are two beaches. One is located below the spa and has a pool, bar and various water sports (although nothing as crude as noisy jet skis), and the other is only open to those swimming or kayaking.

There are four dining options, including two in a brand new building called Bwa Dann (laurel in Creole), which also houses an art gallery, a kombucha brewery and a shop.

In the high-class Terrezza restaurant there are no real menus; instead you’re presented with whatever the French chef decides to conjure up, and honestly, he’s a culinary magician.

Dominica is all about exploration – so we rent a car, stop regularly to marinate in hot sulfur springs, craft in villages where the multi-colored wooden houses match the vibrant wildflowers, and admire Red Rocks, an extraordinary landscape of weathered cliffs looking down on deserted beaches.

The east coast is home to the Kalinago Territory, where Dominica’s indigenous people – who originally came from South America – occupy some 4,000 hectares of land and do their utmost to maintain a distinctive identity.

The country’s current president is the first woman and the first Kalinago to hold this post.

We’re going to love Portsmouth. More shabby than posh, it was once a major seaport and the British named it the capital in 1765, but the marshlands to the north and south resulted in too many cases of malaria and yellow fever, so Roseau took over three years later .

In Cabrits National Park, just outside the city, you’ll find the partially restored and still mighty 18th-century Fort Shirley garrison. It is a gentle climb to the fort, from where there are impressive views over the coast.

I can just make out Secret Bay in the distance, which embodies so much of what is unique about this fascinating island. Let’s hope the Chinese don’t watch it either.