The Boiling Lake

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.discoverdominica.com

Volunteers and myself took the holiday to hike the toughest route on Dominica. The boiling lake was intense and beautiful at the same time. After about an hour of hiking we reached "breakfast river", filled our water bottles and had a snack.