An hour’s cross-island drive takes you to Kalinago Territory, officially established in 1903 as the Caribbean’s only autonomous enclave for indigenous people. The settlement covers six square miles, and many of its 3,000 inhabitants live in traditional wooden huts. Guests are welcome at a model village, where they can watch dance performances and shop for reed baskets and other crafts.
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Kalinago Barana Autê
This Amerindian interpretive center offers a glimpse into the past of the Dominica’s first people. Its model village includes ajoupas (huts), a large thatched karbet (meeting space), and a canoe-carving area, as well as the Isulukati Waterfall pool, which is popular for swimming. Though guests can explore the loop trail independently, the site truly comes to life via the stories of a Kalinago guide. Should you want to immerse yourself even deeper in Dominica’s indigenous customs, arrange for accommodation through the Kalinago Territory Home Stay Programme.
Pack a Picnic
The warm, welcoming weather makes the Caribbean’s Nature Island perfect for eating al fresco. Grab supplies at Sukie’s, a bakery and business empire that started with a young boy delivering bread on a bicycle (now enshrined on the roof of its Newtown outlet!). An especially popular picnic spot remains the Amerindian interpretive center Kalinago Barana Autè. Grab a table by the oceanside Isulukati Waterfall pool, where locals still eat, bathe, and wash clothes.
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Kalinago Territory Crafts
Descendants of the island’s first settlers, the Amerindian Kalinago people sell intricate baskets woven from larouma reeds. Shop for these and other crafts, such as pottery, hanging coconut-shell planters, carved calabash decorations, and mats and hats made from vetiver grass. The best souvenir: coconut cassava bread from Daniel’s Bakery in Salybia (so delicious it won’t last long).
