Exploring Dominica’s Trafalgar Falls: Twin Waterfalls, Hot Springs, & Swimming Holes
Trafalgar Falls is one of the most popular waterfalls in Dominica — and once you visit for yourself you will see why!
Getting there is easy. Before reaching the viewing platform, you’ll walk about 15 minutes on a well-maintained path — making this an easy-to-hike-to waterfall in Dominica!
Whether you’re visiting Dominica from a cruise ship or staying on the island like we did, we suggest you put Trafalgar Falls on your list of things to do!
Also, just so you know, you do NOT need a guide to view the beauty of these twin waterfalls.
We loved viewing the two waterfalls from the viewing platform.
However, the best part was exploring beyond the platform to find an abundance of swimming holes and even a hidden hot spring!
And to be clear, Trafalgar Falls is NOT the same as Emerald Pool. That is a completely different waterfall about a 45-minute drive away. We highly recommend visiting it though!
Keep reading to learn all about Trafalgar Falls before you go!
The Ultimate Guide to Trafalgar Falls: Dominica’s Twin Waterfalls
| Difficulty Level | Price | Allotted Time Needed | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy – (Viewing Platform) Medium -(Swimming Holes) | 14 East Caribbean Dollars ($5 USD) | 2-3 hours | Easy Hike, Swimming Holes, Hot Spring |
Trafalgar Falls is one of the closest waterfalls to Roseau—just a 20-minute drive away. It’s great for those arriving by cruise ship or staying near the capital city!
A site pass is required to visit a lot of Dominica’s national parks and popular attractions, including Trafalgar Falls. You can purchase a one-time ticket for $5 US or buy a week pass for $12 US. Visit Discover Dominica’s website for more information.
Note that you’ll need about 2-3 hours to visit Trafalgar Falls (including travel time).
We highly recommend visiting Trafalgar Falls in the morning hours as we did as we were by ourselves for the majority of the time.
Most cruise ships port around 8:00 am, bringing buses of people to the falls in the afternoon. Head to the falls first thing if it’s on your list of things to do!
We visited Dominica in early December when cruise ships regularly stop at the island—sometimes up to three ships per day. Check the Roseau, Dominica port schedule and plan your itinerary around the cruise ship traffic to maximize your experience.
Getting to Trafalgar Falls from the Airport or Cruise Port
How do you get to Trafalgar Falls?
This question depends on where you are coming from: airport or cruise port.
Renting a car in Dominica
Renting a car is by far one of the best options for getting around Dominica.
We flew into Douglas-Charles International Airport and rented a car from there. The car rentals are located outside the airport about a 5-minute walk down the road.
Dominica is a very mountainous island and although your destination may only be a few miles away, that doesn’t mean you can get there quickly. For example, Roseau is 17 miles from Charles-Douglas Airport but it takes over an hour drive to get there.
Renting a car is the best option if you are flying into Dominica.
However, we do NOT think it’s worth renting a car if you are visiting the island for a day from the cruise port.
Different cruise lines depart Dominica at different times.
For example, Princess Cruise Lines departs the island early at 16:00 while other cruise lines like Windstar Cruises don’t disembark until 22:00. Check your cruise line schedule!
This gives you little time to rent a car and return it before having to disembark again.
If you are arriving in Dominica from a Cruise Ship, your two best options are either taking a taxi or booking a tour.
Hire a Taxi
You’ll see many taxis lined up and down the road when getting off your cruise ship.
Many of these taxis will take you to more than one place and negotiate a price with you. Some of these taxis charge per person for the entire day. You’ll be able to visit multiple attractions on your list and not worry about finding a taxi back in time before your cruise ship leaves.
If you are staying on the island for multiple days, taking a taxi everywhere you go can get quite expensive.
Book a Tour
There are a few different tours that will take you to Trafalgar Falls (& more) directly from the cruise ship port.
These tours will return you to Roseau, allowing you to relax and enjoy the day without worrying about finding a ride back.
Here are some of our top tour recommendations that include Trafalgar Falls:
- Pepper’s Choice: Waterfalls, Sulphur Spa & Volcanic Black Sand Beach 🌋
- Shoreside Fun-Day with Titou Gorge, Hot Springs & Champagne Reef 🤿
- DG Tours – Full-Day Private Tour Experience 🚕
Viewing & Exploring the Twin Waterfalls
As mentioned previously, Trafalgar Falls has an easily accessible path to the viewing platform.
You may run into some younger locals along the way who are offering to take you on a guided tour. You don’t need a guide if you only plan to view the falls.
However, if you want to find the hidden hot spring, you may want to consider a guide, as we had a hard time finding it ourselves.
From the platform, you’ll have a great view of the twin falls!
The large waterfall on the left is referred to as “Father” and cascades 130 feet from Trois Pitons River into Titou Gorge.
If you’re extremely adventurous, you can also repel down this waterfall with an Advanced Canyon Experience from Extreme Dominica. (We took a similar tour with this company and could not recommend them enough!)
The waterfall on the right is referred to as (you guessed it) “Mother” and is the smaller of the two, cascading into a swimming pool below.
Now for the best part — finding the swimming holes!
Swimming Holes at Trafalgar Falls
We arrived at Trafalgar Falls around 09:00 am, and it was already hot enough to want to jump in the water. Depending on the weather, you should too!
Luckily for us, it was a hot sunny day! And we didn’t hesitate to scope out the nearest swimming hole.
From the left side of the viewing platform, there are stairs leading to the water. Take these stairs and be prepared to get wet!
Tip: We highly suggest bringing a dry bag with you to Dominica as you never know when you’ll be caught in a heavy thunderstorm or perhaps crossing a river looking for a swimming hole! 😉
From here, head straight across the river in the direction of “Mother” falls.
Be careful though as the river can be quite powerful, especially during the rainy season.
We visited during the rainy season and although we found ourselves caught in the rain (many times), it made for some beautiful and POWERFUL waterfalls!
The river was strong but we were able to cross without getting my camera equipment wet, so I count that as a success.
There are a lot of rocks and boulders that you will have to climb up and down. We highly suggest wearing some water shoes with a good grip. (My shoes didn’t have the best grip and I found it a lot easier to take them off).
You’ll find a couple of good swimming holes along the way. But the best ones are near the top!
We heard that there is a good swimming hole at the base of “Mother” Falls but we didn’t have time to go down that way. If you have time, try to find your way there!
We honestly didn’t want to leave — the water was so refreshing. However, we were on a time limit as we had a canyoning tour scheduled at 1:00 pm. Keep an eye on the time if you do too!
Hidden Hot Springs at Trafalgar Falls
Trafalgar Falls is more than two picturesque waterfalls — there’s actually a hidden hot spring at the base of “Father” falls!
Finding your way up to the hot springs takes a lot of maneuvering — climbing on rocks and wading through the water. Be prepared to spend at least 30 minutes making your way up to the top.
Once you get close, look for the orange-stained rocks! The hot spring water comes out of the rocks slightly to the left of the falls.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get to visit the hot spring ourselves as we were on a time limit, but, we heard that the water was hot!
If it’s too hot for you, try a couple of the other pools nearby. These pools are a mixture of both hot from the springs, and cold from the falls, creating that perfect soaking temp.
Final Thoughts
Now that you’ve read the ins and outs of Trafalgar Falls, do you think you’ll put these gorgeous twin waterfalls on your list of things to do in Dominica?
Important things to remember when exploring Trafalgar Falls:
- Arrive early in the morning or late in the evening to avoid the crowds
- Wear a good pair of adventure sandals or preferably water shoes (we swear by our Tropicfeel sneakers)
- Allow yourself at least 2-3 hours to enjoy the twin falls fully
- Leave valuables at the hotel/ship or secure them in a dry bag (like this one)
- And most importantly, have fun! ✨
