Valley of Desolation

The Valley of Desolation is located in the Morne Trois Pitons National Park. Visitors can take off from the village of Laudat and then reach close to Titou Gorge before embarking on the trail to the valley. The hike can also start from Morne Macaque from where the trail leads through a rainforest and a rocky incline.

The trail takes the tourist through the Montane Forest and to the top of Morne Nicholls which is about 3,100 feet above sea level. The hiker will catch views of the open Caribbean Sea in several spots along the hike as well as cross mountain-sides with wooden stairs made into them to facilitate easy passage. The landscape at the valley is barren of all vegetation and rocky in some places, and there is water spouting from the ground everywhere with the nasty smell of sulfur strong in the air.

Valley of Desolation is a large volcanic area with boiling mud spots, hot springs, steam vents, sulphur vents, and other fascinating features. Very close to this valley is the Boiling Lake which perpetually spouts a bubbling pond of boiling pond.

It takes an average of 6 to 8 hours to make the hike to and fro from the Valley of Desolation.

In November 2016, the government of Dominica warned people to stop visiting the valley following observations that certain occurrences were happening at the nearby Boiling Lake. The authorities said the Boiling Lake was no longer boiling as usual, and that the water level was dropping rapidly with strong gases emitting from the vents below the lake. These gases could be very harmful to humans.