Our journey to Dominica, the Nature Island proved to be everything and more than we could have hoped for. The island is, in jest, referred to "as the one island in the Caribbean that Christopher Columbus would recognize if he returned to the area". It is a beautiful forested mountainous paradise that rockets in several peaks out of the sea to as high as 4700 feet on one peak.
Because of its severe geography and the lack of a proper protected port it has been relatively left alone over the centuries and escaped significant development. It features beautiful waterfalls and remote canyons for hikers, trekkers and birders among others. It is a destination for many who enjoy the active sport called "Canyoning". We saved this experience for another trip but did manage to spend two full days exploring the forests and coast for their endemic birds. Absolutely beautiful.
Of note several sites on the island were used as locations for the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean a few years ago. For our purposes the main attraction was the ability to gain permits from the government of Dominica to join a locally based research team who is studying a local population of Sperm Whales. These family groups are in the general area for almost the entire year to raise their young and feed in the warm deep waters which are rich with "arrowhead squid".