Practical information Dominica

290  sq.mi

There are no direct international flights to Dominica. It is necessary to travel via Martinique, Guadeloupe or Saint-Lucia, e.g: London - Pointe-à-Pitre, which is an 11 hour flight followed by a connection to Roseau (1 hour flight - daily service).

69000 hab.

There are two airports on the island: Canefield, located 10 minutes away from Roseau and Melville Hall, an isolated airport to the northeast of the island and one hour and fifteen minutes away from the capital (not to be recommended, as it's in the middle of nowhere). From Canefield airport, you can catch a taxi (XCD 20 (£4) for four people) or if you're feeling courageous, you can walk a bit and then catch a minibus to Roseau (XCD 1,50 or 30p a journey).

Due to a rise of insecurity, it is recommended that visitors do not walk around at night and avoid isolated areas. We also recommend that you do not leave any valuable objects exposed without surveillance. On the island and in particular in Roseau, cars have priority over pedestrians, so if you are walking, be careful in traffic zones!

English is the official language, but they also speak a creole of French origin.

For European citizens and for a stay of fifteen days maximum, the national identity card is enough. Beyond that, a valid passport is required and a return ticket or one leaving for another destination will be requested.

70% of the population is Catholic. The rest of the population is either Anglican, Methodist, Pentecostal, Baptist, Adventist, Bahá'í, Muslim or Rastafarian.

The currency is the Eastern Caribbean Dollar (XCD), also referred to as the EC. 1 EC is worth around £0.25 Sterling. Credit cards (MasterCard, Visa and American Express) and travellers cheques are accepted in most hotels, at car rental offices and in restaurants. You can withdraw cash from the ATM machines at the major international banks in Roseau 24 hours a day. A transaction fee of 2% applies to Visa cards. Banks are open from Monday to Thursday, from 8:00am to 3:00pm, and on Fridays from 8:00am to 5:00pm.

The roads on the island are in a rather good condition. You will nonetheless encounter potholes in the road and areas which have collapsed, particularly along the coasts. However, you can cross the island in any direction.
Buses are the most economical solution. They are more or less regular all day between Roseau, Canefield and Scotts Head. The further north you go, the rarer they become, however, very few buses function on Sundays.
You can also rent a car, two international agencies are found locally: Budget, near Canefield airport and Avis, south of Roseau. You can try hiring from local agencies, but beware of swindles.
For those that can afford it, it is recommended that you rent a Jeep as it will enable you to go to the rockiest parts of the island. Dominicans, like the English, drive on the left. To rent a car, you will need the local driving licence. To obtain it (at the immigration service of the airport, or the Traffic Department, in Roseau), you have to be aged between 25 and 65 years old, and have had your driving licence for at least two years. Finally, for smaller budgets, hitch-hiking is widely practised on the island.

No particular vaccine is required. However, be sure to be up to date with your vaccinations: tetanus, poliomyelitis, hepatitises A and B and diphtheria. Under the tropics, the sun rays beat down, so do not forget to protect yourself with sun cream, a sun hat and sunglasses and avoid being in the sun between 10.00 am and 2.00 pm, the hours when the sun rays are most harmful.
Othere things to note: tap water is drinkable; you should take a preventive lotion against mosquitoes with you and if you go diving, you must disinfect the wounds caused by coral cuts well, as they often take a long time to heal.

220-240 V. Plugs of US style, but adapters are easy to find in all shops.

There are around 55,000 visitors per year.

Many taxes for tourists. In hotels, 5% of the bill's total goes to the state, as oppposed to 3% for restaurants. Finally, you will have to give the equivalent of US$ 2 (£1.30) at the entrance to all natural sites (in order to protect the sites). Tips will be requested everywhere and for anything, but you can refuse when you do not think that it is appropriate.

To call Dominica from the UK, dial: 767 + the local number.
To call the UK from Dominica : dial 011 + 44 + correspondent's number.
To call within the island dial the seven last numbers of the phone number.