The Indian River Dominica

Thursday 15^thMarch started early with a pick up from BV by one of Eddison’s guides (Very embarrassingly, a month on I can’t remember his name; must keep the blog up to date more effectively!) and, I have to admit, a bit of telephoto lens envy. During sundowners the previous evening we had agreed to team up with Sea Windfor a tour of the Indian River and when we moved over to pick them up, Lars and Susan appeared with cameras and lenses that would have made a professional photographer at a football match very happy. We have shared our photos of the trip and so the credit for any wildlife photos that you see below which are top quality and super close up should go to Lars and Susanne.

After the pick up we made our way to the entrance to the Indian River which is in the middle of Prince Rupert Bay. The river entrance had been bashed about a bit by Hurricane Maria and there were still boats cranes and other debris waiting to be cleared.

We passed under the bridge where the coast road crosses the river; this marks the point from which outboard engines have to be turned off. The rest of the tour would be rowed. It was much more peaceful, totally in keeping with the surroundings and, hopefully, would allow us to see more wildlife. Our immediate impressions though were of how the trees had been devastated by the hurricane. Many had no leaves and lay at odd angles where they had been blown down by the strong winds. Despite this, weeks of hard work by the local guides have paid dividends by opening the river up again so that tours can take place and the river waters can flow out to the sea and not flood inland areas behind a barrage of hurricane debris and silt.

We had been recommended to take the tour as early as possible so that we would benefit from the early morning light, smooth water through which to see the fish, and the likelihood of seeing far more wildlife. It was a top tip recommendation. As the boat crept along almost silently we did indeed see fish in the river and the early morning tranquillity was just lovely.

All the while though, we were being watched. A variety of herons and ibis eyed us cautiously as we slipped past; they too were up early on the lookout for fish in the river.

It was good to see so many birds back. They had apparently sensed that something was wrong and flew away before the hurricane came. The area should have also been full of parrots but they previously foraged for fruit here and so have not returned yet because the fruit trees, having lost all of their leaves and fruits during the storms, have yet to recover sufficiently to sustain them. It is thought that the fruit trees will take about a year, perhaps more, to recover and then, hopefully, the parrots will return when there is something for them to eat.

Moving further up the river we still had the feeling that we were being watched. Looking closely, we could see that the holes in muddy the river sides housed large land crabs. Some were scuttling about in the undergrowth and at the entrance to their burrows and we could see several of these with the characteristic extra-large right claw of the male crab. Presumably that large claw is for defending his territory and fighting over the best mates.

The foliage was apparently a shadow of its former glory but despite that it was still a beautiful place to visit. Encouragingly there were also signs of regrowth everywhere. The unusually wet weather that we had been experiencing over the last month had helped tremendously. Trees laid bare by the hurricanes had already thrown out new shoots and leaves giving them a ‘tufty’ look. We also saw that, where the tree canopy had gone, the sunlight was able to get in and energise dormant seeds which were also throwing up shoots.

The Jungle Bar quay

Not knowing how the river had looked before the hurricane hit was a bonus for us because, instead of being distracted by the damage, we could just enjoy the sights in what is still a beautiful place.

Eventually we arrived at a small quay where we disembarked. Very much in the process of being rebuilt is a wild jungle bar. Before the hurricane we could have stopped here for lunch or a drink but that will have to wait for another time when the damage has been repaired.

Instead we spent our time here learning about the flora and fauna. Our guide had to be very knowledgeable about them to qualify for his job and so it was a delight to hear in detail about everything that we could see around us.

As well as the butterflies, insects and brightly coloured flowers, we also stood right next to a large lizard which stayed perfectly motionless in an attempt not to be seen.

Once back in the boat we started to return down river. With the slightly brighter sunlight the huge buttress roots of the trees stood out more clearly. Twisted and almost magical looking, they looked as though they were part of a fairytale filmset….

The now broken home of the witch Calypso
from the film Pirates of the Caribbean 2

….which was not that far from the truth. Around the next bend we turned into a narrow offshoot called Bar River. Here there was a little shack, now badly damaged by the hurricane, which had been used as a set in Pirates of the Caribbean 2. In the film, the witch Calypso lived in the shack and the river was illuminated by torches to create a strange and mystical atmosphere.

Back in the main artery of the river we were able to enjoy a last look at the flora and fauna before it was time to head back towards BV.

We’d started so early that on the way past we had to stop at the now open Park Office to pay for our permits to visit this and the other National Park sites on the island. We planned to stay for a few days and intended to see as many of those sights as we could. If they were as good as the Indian River we’d do very well in Dominica but there was always the question of how much had been wrecked by the hurricanes.

As we headed out of the river to be dropped back on BV and Sea Wind we agreed that it had been great way to start the day. And it had certainly whetted our appetites to see more of Dominica’s beautiful natural areas.

Prince Rupert Bay, Dominica