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7 Natural Dominica Hot Springs To Relax In

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Looking for the best Dominica hot springs? Let me help you! I spent a month living in Dominica as a digital nomad, and one of my favorite things to do after work was relax and unwind in the lush hot springs of Dominica.

The best things to do in Dominica are adventure activities – whether you’re bouldering over rocks to waterfalls, hiking to boiling lakes, or scuba diving on top of volcanic vents. But all of this leaves you with some pretty sore muscles, so the hot springs in Dominica are the perfect place to cure that ache!

With nine volcanoes on the island, it’s no surprise that Dominica is home to some of the best hot springs in the Caribbean. I love a good hot spring and made sure to try as many as I could while I was living in Dominica.

Paid Dominica hot springs

While these hot springs are sourced from natural water, they are easier to visit as facilities have been built around them, which you can pay to come and use. Don’t worry; the price for hot springs in Dominica is very reasonable as opposed to some other hot spring areas I’ve visited.

These paid spas often have several pools of varying temperatures with a colorful backdrop of tropical flower gardens, rivers, or forests. Some also offer mud treatments, massages, and peaceful garden walks!

Wotten Waven hot springs

Wotten Waven is by far the most popular hot spring area in Dominica. It’s a tiny village conveniently located just 20 minutes from the capital city Roseau in the Roseau Valley. It’s well-known for its natural hot sulfur springs and mud pools believed to have medicinal qualities.

1. Tia’s Hot Spa

The first hot spring we visited in Dominica was Tia’s hot spa on one of our safe in nature tours during quarantine.

man soaking in hot spring at tias hot spa dominica

We entered Tia’s hot spa via the restaurant/bar, got a potent mixed rum drink, and made our way into a little wooden shack filled with brown water coming from a tap.

It wasn’t exactly what I had been envisioning for my first Dominica hot spring experience, but the water was warm and relaxing.

I wonder now if we were put in the closed-off shack because we were in quarantine, and perhaps there is a more public, open area as this was fairly no-frills.

That said, the cost to enter is Entrance was only 5 USD per person!

tias hot spa dominica hot springs

2. Ti Kwen Glo Cho Dominica

A couple of weeks later, we returned to the Wotten Waven area to visit Ti Kwen Glo Cho upon recommendation from some local friends. The name is Creole for “little corner of water.”

This hot spring spa is much bigger, offering two large pools surrounded by lush jungle. One of the pools is much hotter than the other, so it’s nice that you can switch between them if you get too warm.

They also have a bar where you can purchase drinks, changing rooms, and outdoor showers to cool down and clean off.

The scenery surrounding the pools is gorgeous. There are beautiful tropical plants, a peaceful river, and even a small waterfall you can hike to. Overall this was my favorite hot spring in Dominica!

We spent the entire afternoon lounging around here, drinking local rum, and taking lots of pictures in this adorable bathtub.

The following week we ended up coming back to Ti Kwen Glo Cho at night with some friends after hiking Victoria Falls to soothe our muscles.

That’s when I realized that nighttime is by far the better time to visit hot springs in Dominica. It’s just too hot in the day, and at night with the cooler air, it makes the experience so much more enjoyable. Plus, you can stare up at the incredible starry sky!

The cost to enter Ti Kwen Glo Cho is $10 per person, and you can stay as long as you like. It’s open from 8 am to 11 pm.

🎒 Traveling solo? This highly-rated full-day tour takes you to Emerald Pool, Mero Beach, Tragalgar Falls, and than ends with a relaxing soak at Ti Kwen Glo Cho Hot Springs.

There are also Bongo Baths hot springs and Screw’s Sulphur Spas in the Wotten Waven hot springs area, which I didn’t have a chance to visit.

3. Bubble Beach Spa

lora soaking in bubble beach spa soufriere dominica. she is smiling with the ocean in backdrop.

Another half-natural/half-man-made hot spring you can visit in Dominica is Bubbles Beach Spa in Soufriere on the south of the island.

There’s hot water here coming up from the vents on the ocean floor, but they have trapped the water with sandbags so it stays in one place.

It’s very relaxing to soak in, especially because the scenery around Soufriere is so beautiful. It’s free to use, too, just buy a drink at the bar!

Natural (Free) Dominica hot springs

I had visions of finding large, secluded pools in the middle of the jungle while hiking through Dominica, but sadly I did not find exactly my vision. Still, I did find some smaller natural hot pools!

4. Trafalgar Falls

One of the natural hot springs I found was at Trafalgar Falls, one of the most famous waterfalls in Dominica. While you can easily hike to the viewpoint of the twin waterfalls in about 10 minutes, it’s a whole other adventure getting to the hot springs.

trafalgar falls hot spring in dominica

As you face Trafalgar Falls, Father Falls are on the left-hand side, and Mother Falls is on the right.

The hot springs are beneath Father Falls on the left. There’s no clear path, and it took us a lot of trial and error to get up there.

We were just trying to swim under the waterfalls, but right before getting there, we realized that there was actually a stream of hot water coming down that you can sit in. So neat!

trafalgar falls in dominica with lush green around

5. Soufriere hot springs

The other natural hot spring I found was in Soufriere behind  Soufriere Guesthouse (where I highly recommend staying in Dominica).

The guys who run the guest house will happily direct you to the springs; it’s just a 10-minute walk up the road from the guesthouse towards The Soufriere Sulfur Springs Dominica Eco-Tourism site.

soufriere hot springs dominica

As you began the hike up, you’ll see a tap with hot water coming out into a small pool – a few locals were bathing there when we visited. If you walk even further up, there’s a hot spring waterfall which we had all to ourselves!

lora under a hot spring waterfall soufriere dominica

Big warning about these two natural springs: the sediment WILL stain your clothes, so don’t wear anything light. I completely ruined one of my bathing suits, and it now has orange strains I can’t get off. My friend wore black, and he seemed to be okay!

6. Champagne Reef

dive swimming by champagne reef in dominica

While it’s not really a hot spring, Champagne Reef is a place where you can see springs coming up from vents on the ocean floor.

The best way to experience this is by scuba diving here, but you can also go snorkeling and see the bubbles coming up by entering via champagne beach – one of the best beaches in Dominica.

🤿 This highly-rated tour takes you to Trafalgar Falls and snorkeling at Champagne Reef. Transport and snorkeling equipment included!

7. Boiling Lake

lora sitting on the edge looking over boiling lake dominica, steam is coming up from it

While technically Boiling Lake is one giant hot spring, you wouldn’t dare get in it. However, there are some smaller pools of warm water along the hike to the lake that you can take a dip in.

These are not marked, and since some of the water here can be excruciatingly hot, I highly recommend getting a guide for this hike so they can point out the pools that are safe to swim in (it was the only hike I got a guide for in Dominica).

Even though you can’t get into the boiling lake, it’s absolutely worth the trip there to see this crazy natural phenomenon. It’s the second-largest hot lake in the world!

🥾 Looking for a guide? This highly-rated guided hiking tour includes all admission fees, snacks, and time to relax in natural pools.

What to Bring to Dominica hot springs

Bring a towel, a change of clothes, and water! Most of the commercial hot springs have changing rooms and showers but do not provide towels.

The natural waters can oxidize jewelry, so leave it at home and wear dark swimming wear to be safe.

Bring cash when visiting the hot springs, especially if you want to have a few drinks. And remember to stay hydrated with water – sitting in hot water can be extremely dehydrating.

Benefits of hot springs

Aside from being the perfect way to relax your soothing muscles after adventuring in Dominica, hot springs have many other benefits.

They boost blood circulation, promote sleep, relieve pain, and reduce stress. Plus, Just being around natural hot springs can do wonders. The simple act of breathing in fresh forest air and opening your eyes wide to the abundance of nature around you can have huge benefits on your mental health.

Planning a trip to Dominica? Don’t miss these posts!

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Author

  • Lora Pope

    Lora is a full-time digital nomad on a quest to visit every country in the world and pet as many dogs as she can along the way. Over the last 15 years, she has traveled to 70+ countries and six continents solo. She currently calls Puerto Vallarta, Mexico home and enjoys ending each day with sunset and tacos on the beach.

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