Woody or Levi?

[nc_cruiser1]

Or does it really make any difference?

[m steve]

there were 4 of us and he arranged for a second van so we had a private tour and was able to start a bit later than the planned 8 am departure. The guide was excellent and we took him as our guest for lunch.

[nc_cruiser1]

Thanks. We are going with Levi.

[tnsail]

We spent our day in Dominica with Woody and had a excellent day.... I don't know what type of transportation Levi has or the type of tour he does (I'm sure its decent or he wouldn't be getting rave reviews here) but we traveled in Woody's Land Rover and went to places "Off the Beaten Path"....

 

He is well spoken and knowledgeable about the island.... It seemed as though we had the island to ourselves as we did not meet anyone from our ship until we returned to the city....

 

We went to a waterfall on private property (wished I had one of them at my house) also we traveled to a black sand beach where we were that only folks around (wished I had one of them too...:) )

 

He supplied us with refreshments (homemade rum punch...:eek: ) and also we sampled many of the islands locally grown fruit (the safe fruit anyway)

 

I'm sure you will have a good day with Levi but I thought that I would at least answer your post with a thumbs up for Woody also.....

 

Joey & Pat

[nc_cruiser1]

Thanks for the info. Woody sounds like he gives a great tour and glad you enjoyed it.

[mexicobob]

We went with Levi in June 2007 and had a great tour.

MexicoBob

[Hedocple]

Or does it really make any difference?

Woody for sure! Check out the webshot photos from our June 2008 cruise. Link below...

[nc_cruiser1]

Our party of four booked with Levi Baron (http://bumpiing.bumpiingtours.com/) during our Princess cruise visit to Dominica. The cost was $60pp. You reserve in advance but do not pay (cash or travelers checks only) until the end.

 

I loved this tour! Dominica is a very scenic, rugged island with seven dormant volcanic peaks (highest is over 4700 feet). Parts of the interior of the island receive over 400 inches of rain per year. As a result, the island is largely comprised of tropical rainforests with numerous rushing streams and waterfalls. There are no resorts or shopping malls. Levi picked us up near the pier as instructed in the email he sent. He has a nice, new, air conditioned van that holds 11 people. The first stop was after about a 20 minute drive to the hike to Middleham Falls. This is a fairly strenuous 45 minute hike with some steep areas, and you cross a couple of streams. Wear good hiking sandals as Levi advises! We had perfect weather but it had rained extensively the previous day. The falls are stunning and the sunlight formed a constant rainbow over the mist above the pool below. Levi will take you for a swim across the pool if you’d like. The water is cold! There are restrooms at the beginning of the hike.

 

Next stop was Ti Tou Gorge, a cave where a waterfall enters at one end. A short walk takes you to the cave. You enter at the other end and swim in. Levi provides floats. Part of the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie was filmed here. Again, the water is cold, but this was really fun.

 

The third stop was at Trafalgar Falls. Another short walk to a beautiful site featuring two large waterfalls, and some warm water pools. We all took a dip in the warm pools which are heated by volcanic activity deep underground. Very nice.

 

We had the option of heading to Champaign Reef as the final stop, but our group opted instead for a brief stop at some boiling springs just off the rood. Pretty cool. Dominica is home to one of the two boiling lakes in the world, but to get to it, it’s a 3.5 hour hike each way.

 

Levi brings along a cooler stocked with water, soda and beer. You can purchase snacks at the Ti Tou Gorge and Trafalgar Falls stops. We brought a zip lock bag filled with granola and dried fruit from Horizon Court.

 

Levi is a wonderful guide and I highly recommend this tour if you are just a bit adventuresome.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Thank you for the review. We are also booked with Levi, but on a less adventuresome tour. Some of us are a bit more limited in our walking abilities! We will be going to Titou Gorge & Trafalgar Falls, along with Champagne Reef. We are looking forward to the tour. I have heard nothing but good things about Levi.:)

[angandant]

We did the Tito george, trafalger falls and champagne reef tour with Levis 3 weeks aga, absolutely fantastic. We would do it again anytime. He is great, you'll have a fantastic time. Dont forget the swimsuits. Angela

[warmwinds]

Did you wear your swimsuit the whole time or was there someplace to change (and change back to dry clothes?)

[nc_cruiser1]

On our tour, everyone just wore a bathing suit, with a t-shirt, cover-up, or shorts (for some) that they removed when they swam. There are restrooms at the beginning of the Middleham falls tour where you could change if you wanted. Don't forget a towel!

 

Main advice is to wear closed-toed hiking sandals, good for crossing streams (your feet will get wet) and avoiding slipping. Some in our group wore sneakers... I would not recommend this.

[warmwinds]

Thanks, we have those "water shoes" (don't know the official name) - I might wear sneakers and just change into them for the water portion.

 

I guess I was worried about getting Levi's vehicle wet but sounds like it would be ok.

[Kylie]

On our tour, everyone just wore a bathing suit, with a t-shirt, cover-up, or shorts (for some) that they removed when they swam. There are restrooms at the beginning of the Middleham falls tour where you could change if you wanted. Don't forget a towel!

 

 

The restrooms were out of order when we were there last week - could have used it too!!

[CaribbeanBound]

I can't tell you about Woody, but I can tell you we got an awesome tour from Levi's tour!

 

Roseau, Dominica

We prearranged the "Roseau Valley Treasures" tour with Bumpiing Tours (Levi Baron). $49 per person plus tip. We tendered into Roseau. Tendering was very efficient. Levi Baron met us just outside the pier and turned us over to Gary, our awesome driver and guide for the day. Gary kept us one step ahead of most of the tours. We started our day at Wotten Waven Sulphur Springs which entailed a short walk to view small boiling pools. Then it was off to Trafalgar Falls which features two large waterfalls in the same area. There was about a 10 minutes walk through a rainforest to a viewing platform where we took pictures and then proceeded past a "Proceed Only At Your Own Risk" sign and descended down to some hot springs where we relaxed and played in several hot pools. We also got some closer views of the falls. From here we drove to Titou Gorge where part of Pirates Of The Caribbean 2 was filmed. It was an easy 10 minutes walk to the Gorge, where we got into cold mountain water and swam a short distance through a cave to a waterfall. (If you go, don't wimp out. It's worth the chill). We instantly warmed in the sun upon exiting and got toasty in a nearby hot spring. We visited the Botanical Gardens where we learned about see different plants, trees and flowers grown on the Island. A short 5-minute drive to Morne Bruce presented us an overview of the entire city of Roseau, and port, from the top of a hill. We ended the tour snorkeling at Champagne Bay, where we hired an snorkel guide for $10 to show us the fish and underwater sites just offshore. There is no way we would have seen as much without our water guide, T.J. The entire tour lasted about 7 hours. Gary kept us well hydrated with Kubuli Beer (the best local island beer we tasted on this trip) and water. Gary was also quick to stop the van for any pictures we wanted to take and often stopped to pluck a leaf, nut, fruit, branch or root for us to smell and identify as one of the many local spices grown on the island. Recommended!

 

Hope this helps.

 

Here are more of our Secrets of the Caribbean!

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/caribbean-secrets.html

These are our very detailed personal reviews, hints, and tips for ports of call that you will be visiting.

[prescottbob]

Ahoy!

 

I'll cut and paste a blurb from a larger review of our recent 26 day Amazon Explorer cruise (HAL) that included Woody's tour. If you decide to use him be sure to give him a hug from us (Bob & Judy-AZ).

 

I'll also provide a link to the entire review of the cruise that included several Caribbean ports. You will need to scrool down a bit to find the full review, if so decired.

 

"ROSEAU, DOMINICA (0800-1600): Dominica belongs to the Leeward Island group in the Lesser Antilles. Christopher Columbus, on his second voyage to the Americas in November of 1493, named the island to mark the day he found it (Sunday). We had booked a full day private Land Rover tour (just the two of us again) with Woody Lawrence (“Off the Beaten Trail” tour / adquatics@yahoo.com / $200/day for 2-4 folks) that included libations (water, pop, champagne and a wonderful rum punch) plus snack foods. Woody is the owner and sole operator who is a native Dominican, educated in Switzerland and was a swimmer who competed in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Highlights of the tour included beautiful Spanny waterfalls (no other tourists due to inaccessibility), the Central Forest Reserve, Pagua Bay and a stop at Londonberry Bay (the location of the filming of one of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies / again, no tourists). We motored along the coastline north to Batibou Bay and found a small uninhabited black sand beach where we opened the champagne, enjoyed a swim for an hour or so and took plenty of pictures. We then drove westward to visit the small community of Portsmouth where Ross University (medical school) is located. Following a pit stop, we continued south passing through a number of local hamlets, passing Batalie and Castaway beaches and eventually making it back to the dock area by 1515. Woody is quite the articulate and knowledgeable guide, is quite familiar with the history and politics of the island and never failed to answer a question that I posed. We enjoyed a wonderful tour and would like to visit again and spend more time on the beautiful island of Dominica."

 

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=434425&page=28

 

In any event, HAVE A GREAT CRUISE!

 

Bob Voyage & Good Health!

Bob:)

[prescottbob]

Ahoy!

 

I'll cut and paste a blurb from a larger review of our recent 26 day Amazon Explorer cruise (HAL) that included Woody's tour. If you decide to use him be sure to give him a hug from us (Bob & Judy-AZ).

 

I'll also provide a link to the entire review of the cruise that included several Caribbean ports. You will need to scrool down a bit to find the full review, if so decired.

 

"ROSEAU, DOMINICA (0800-1600): Dominica belongs to the Leeward Island group in the Lesser Antilles. Christopher Columbus, on his second voyage to the Americas in November of 1493, named the island to mark the day he found it (Sunday). We had booked a full day private Land Rover tour (just the two of us again) with Woody Lawrence (“Off the Beaten Trail” tour / adquatics@yahoo.com / $200/day for 2-4 folks) that included libations (water, pop, champagne and a wonderful rum punch) plus snack foods. Woody is the owner and sole operator who is a native Dominican, educated in Switzerland and was a swimmer who competed in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Highlights of the tour included beautiful Spanny waterfalls (no other tourists due to inaccessibility), the Central Forest Reserve, Pagua Bay and a stop at Londonberry Bay (the location of the filming of one of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies / again, no tourists). We motored along the coastline north to Batibou Bay and found a small uninhabited black sand beach where we opened the champagne, enjoyed a swim for an hour or so and took plenty of pictures. We then drove westward to visit the small community of Portsmouth where Ross University (medical school) is located. Following a pit stop, we continued south passing through a number of local hamlets, passing Batalie and Castaway beaches and eventually making it back to the dock area by 1515. Woody is quite the articulate and knowledgeable guide, is quite familiar with the history and politics of the island and never failed to answer a question that I posed. We enjoyed a wonderful tour and would like to visit again and spend more time on the beautiful island of Dominica."

 

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=434425&page=28

 

In any event, HAVE A GREAT CRUISE!

 

Bob Voyage & Good Health!

Bob:)

 

 

Ahoy!

 

I feel terrible. Since we did a number of private tours while in the Caribbean area I misquoted Woody's current fee schedule for a day tour. The cost is $220 for two folks only and not $200 for 2-4 people. I would certainly contact him for his rates for larger groups.

 

Also, since I was using a map to refresh my memory, we went to another secluded beach on the island and did not stop at Batibou Bay. Age is a terrible thing.

 

In any event, Woody provides a wonderful tour of his beautiful island. Please contact him for further details.

 

Bon Voyage & Good Health!

Bob:)

[ladyonboard]

We were in Dominica last Monday and toured with Woody. There were 5 of us and we agree with everything the above poster just wrote. Woody was fun to be with and a fabulous ambassador of his island. The only 2 snags, and things you would want to prepare and arrange in advance for are,

1.there is no lunch break

2. no bathroom breaks

We could have used both, but didn't want to slow the momentum of the excursion.

We were out for 7 hours and Woody charge us $75.00/pp. He provided drinks and fresh pineapple slices. His Land Rover got us places that other groups couldn't get to in the bigger vans. Additionally, there was just us...it was our personal tour of this beautiful island. We passed a couple of tour groups who had hiked from a main road to get to a waterfall he took us to. We had a short hike from a small trail.

We would definitely recommend Woody and hope you have as lovely a day as we did.