The hike to Middleham Falls was one of my favorite trips on Dominica. The waterfall is truly amazing and the fact that I was all alone made it even more unique.
What are the Middleham Falls?
The Middleham Falls is a 60 meter (200 feet) high waterfall in the Morne Trois Pitons National Park on Dominica. It is the highest waterfall on the island and one of the highest in the Caribbean.
To reach the waterfall, you walk on a clear but wet and slippery trail with a lot of stairs. The total hike to reach the falls and return to the starting point is 2 to 3 hours.
How to get to the starting point?
The official starting point is at the end of a side street of the road from Roseau to Laudat. You can easily start the walk from the main road which takes 15 minutes (1 km/0,6 mi) to the starting point. There is a sign at the crossroad pointing you in the right direction.
In case you don’t have a car, you can take a bus from Roseau towards Laudat and ask to drop you at the side street towards the trail. The buses leave from the corner of Valley Road and Bath Road in Roseau. The ride takes 20 minutes and shouldn’t cost more than 5 EC dollar (1,6 euro/1,85 US dollar).
Alternatively you could hitchhike because the waiting time for a bus to Laudat can be long. Hitchhiking from Roseau can be difficult, but it’s possible to take a bus to Trafalgar Falls. Ask the driver to drop you at the crossing towards Laudat, from where it will be easier to catch a ride.
How is the trail to the Middleham Falls?
If you start from the main road, you can warm up for 1 kilometer (0,6 miles) on a small asphalt road with some steep hills. After 15 minutes you reach the starting point of the trail, from where you walk on a smaller muddy path.
You’ll immediately have to cross a little stream by stepping on a few stones if you don’t want to get your shoes wet. This is the only place where you have to cross a river like this.
Further you start climbing a lot of stairs while the trail continues winding up the hill. After crossing a little bridge over another river, a little sign points out that the trail to the fall continues to the left.
From here the path becomes more rough while it descends down towards the waterfall. Most parts are decent, with even a few stairs but it also involves a few technical parts where you might have to get your hands dirty. After some time, you can see the waterfall for the first time through the trees of the rainforest. Continue going down till you reach a wooden platform at the bottom of the waterfall.
If you want some more adventure, you can climb over the rocks for a swim in the lake. Be careful because this can be very dangerous with slippery rocks you don’t want to slide down from.
Do I need a guide?
Personally I don’t think a guide is needed if you have some minimal hiking experience. The trail is very clear, but involves some climbing and can be very slippery. It’s even possible with adventurous children if you are careful.
Phone reception was unstable at some parts of the trail.
Do I need to pay admission?
Officially there is an admission fee of 5 EC dollar (1,6 euro/1,85 US dollar), but I didn’t see any ticket office or place to pay the fee.
