The pandemic has made outdoorsy destinations more in demand than ever, and Dominica is at the forefront—a rare Caribbean island that’s as attractive to adventurous adrenaline junkies as it is to those looking for a white sand beach. Nicknamed the Nature Island thanks to its lush forests, it’s welcoming international travelers again, after reopening in August under a new Safe in Nature program that details quarantine requirements.
For a distinctly Dominican experience, head to the natural hot springs around the village of Wotten Waven, heated by underground volcanoes, or snorkel the aptly named Champagne Reef, with its tiny bubbles pushed up from geothermal vents in the ocean floor. You can even tackle the Caribbean’s longest hiking trail, the 115-mile Waitukubuli National Trail that weaves in and out of the island’s mountainous uplands. You don’t have to break a sweat to enjoy a visit to Dominica, though: unwind at one of the new eco-villas at the wellness-focused Jungle Bay resort, or one of the four new Ti-Fèy cottages at Secret Bay hotel, each of them almost 1,400 square feet in size and perched on a hillside overlooking the Caribbean ocean.