Prince Rupert’s Bay, a natural harbour, stretching from the Cabrits headland and National Park, site of the Fort Shirley Garrison, to the north, and the district of Picard, to the south, was originally the designated capital of the island, named Portsmouth. The indigenous Kalinago called the area Ouyouhao.
However, because of swamplands to the north and south of the area, and the resultant deaths from malaria, the 1765 plan to make this location Dominica’s capital was shelved, in favour of Roseau, in the southwest.
Portsmouth remains the second largest town on the island, with a population of around 3,600. Cabrits National Park marks the northern end of the Waitukubuli National Trail (WNT), which stretches the length of Dominica and can be walked in stages - some easy, and some very challenging.
Dominica has no marina, although one is currently being planned. Prince Rupert Bay, specifically the part between the Indian River to the south and Cabrits National Park to the north, is a natural, safe anchorage, and is visited by many yachts during the period December to April. The beach here is lined with an array of bars and restaurants catering to the yachties.
The Indian River is the island’s only navigable river, and a very interesting scenic boat trip can be booked, which runs for approximately 2 km up river. From the rowing boat (happily, the rowing is handled by a strong local!), you can enjoy dappled shade and the gentle lap of the oars, while enjoying the scenery and the sight of an occasional large crab sitting amidst the roots of the waterside trees. The river here has mangrove and bloodwood trees along its shores; it is yet another site featured in the Pirates of the Caribbean films. There’s a rustic bar at the turning point of the boat trip, from where you can enjoy a rum punch or a beer, before returning to the pontoon from which you departed.
On the northern side of the headland, harbouring the recently-reconstructed Shirley Garrison, and set on Douglas Bay, is the Intercontinental Hotel, one of the island's luxury hotels, with its beautifully-tended gardens and an enormous pool complex; you can snorkel from its narrow stretch of shingle beach and spot a myriad of brightly-coloured tropical fish there. Secret Bay, another well-known super-luxury development, lies in a beautiful setting to the south of Prince Rupert’s Bay.
To the northeast of Cabrits National Park is the spectacular collapsed volcano of Cold Soufriere, from the base of which cold sulphur springs bubble (cold because of the huge distance the water has to travel before surfacing from its very deep volcanic base).
This is a fascinating area, and a must-visit location on the island of Dominica.
