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Reyno Tour

Bermuda2

By Bermuda2,
in Dominica

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rjscott

rjscott

Posted
Posted

Bermuda2, we have done 2 tours with Reyno and had great tours both times. We did Trafalgar Falls, Emerald Pool, Mr Nice Fruit Stand and the Black Sand Beach on our first visit. On our most recent visit, which was this past Feb, we hiked to Middleham Falls, swam at Titou Gorge, then snorkeled at Champagne Reef. Reyno is a great guy and his vans are very comfortable and air-conditioned. He provides a guide with his tours and we have had Rosalind both times. The guide provides narration along the drive to each site, pointing out highlights along the way. The guide also accompanies the passengers on all walks/hikes and informs them of plants/wildlife along the way as well. Reyno provides a cooler of local soft drinks and beer which is very refreshing after a hike. He will stop for photo's or shopping as requested by his passengers. Reyno wants his passengers to have a memorable visit to Dominica, and that is why we have used his services twice and plan to use him again when we next visit Dominica. You will be very pleased with Reyno Tours. Contact him at reynotours@hotmail.com

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texasmomoftwo

texasmomoftwo

Posted
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We just got back this past week from our Carnival cruise which stopped in Dominica. We had a group of 6 go on Reyno Tours (3 adults, and 3 children). Children's ages: 4,10, and 10. We booked Reyno Tours after much consideration. This was a description of what we were to do when I booked through Reyno:

Thanks you so much for choosing me (Reyno Tours). Yes I will be available, and does have openings for you all Gods willing.I will also be more than happy to be your Guide/Driver ,and to take you all on a Great Site seeing tour, and Snorkeling if you all wishes to do so when you all get to Dominica soon .

 

We will go to see the: Rain Forest, Emerald Pool, Mr. Nice Fruit Stand, Layou Valley View, Morne Trois Piton Natioanl Park, Trafalger's warm and cold Falls. We will also go to Morne Bruce to have a lovely Panoramic View of the Town and the Ship as well, and the Botanic Garden. There will also be other highlights such as fruits, plants, lovely Flowers, Bananas, Cocoa, Cuffy, Pinapples and lots more.

 

Afer we've done with all of the site's seeing, will go to Champagen Beach to end the day with some lovely Snorkeling if you all wish to do so ok.

 

So, we met at our desinated spot and met Reynold. He was very nice and welcoming and we were glad to get our day started. He told me not to be worried, but he was not going to be our driver that he had set up another driver for us. I wasn't real sure about this, but OK...what do you do?!? After reading other posts on this guy, I thought...OK...let's go. We got in an air conditioned van with 7 other people (there was enough room...) plus a driver (Alick) and our guide (Crisca). We went off to Trafalgar Falls.

 

Trafalgar falls is a short drive ( maybe 25 minutes?) from the boat and absolutely beautiful. The hike was a little rough down to the bottom of the falls, but well worth it. I recommend hiking shoes that can get wet. (We bought some right before we left at Sports Authority for around $30. Well worth the price!) The first part of the hike is very easy until you get to the viewing platform. Then, you can go forward (over boulders, etc. down to the base of the falls).

 

Here is the first part of the hike:

 

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I was carrying my four year old over these somewhat slippery boulders to try to get to the bottom of the hill at the base of the falls. No worries....Crisca scooped her up and off they went! I was glad that Crisca did that, as she is used to the rocks and my youngest loved it! (I quite honestly felt much more secure having her held by our guide!)

 

Now...don't worry if you dont want to climb to the bottom of the falls. You can stay up and enjoy its beauty and this porch/viewing area. Still very nice. But if you can make the hike down, I recommend it!

 

Here is the view from the viewing area:

 

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All the while, Alick stayed back by the van. (It was nice to have someone with the rest of our belongings in the van. I never once felt unsafe with Alick and Crisca.) Apparently in Dominica, the guides can bring you through the falls, but the drivers cannot. There are regulations and registration fees to be a "guide."

 

The falls were beautiful but COLD. But the two oldest (both 10) decided to swim around a bit. I got in the base (up to my knees only) with my youngest. It was very cold, but beautiful and well worth the hike down.

 

From the base of the falls:

 

2976632900105343574xDmDsW_th.jpg

 

 

But, I move on....

 

 

We then moved on to a natural spring. Nice, but very anti-climactic after what we just saw. Then, 7 in our van only paid for the ½ day and went back to the cruise ship. So, it left just our group.

 

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We then went on towards the Emerald Pool and Mr. Nice Fruit Stand. It was a beautiful drive through Dominica, but it is a good 70 minute drive to The Emerald Pool. While it was nice…man, it was a LONG drive through Dominica. Let me tell you the turns and ups and downs in Dominica can make one VERY car sick. (Take something before you go…) I am not a car sick person but the drive made me very icky.

 

The whole drive, Crisca was telling us all about the island, the people, the history, and what we were seeing. She was very nice, very patient with the children. She has three children of her own, and is one of 10 siblings. She was GREAT!

 

We then arrived at Mr. Nice Fruit Stand. This guy gives you samples (or you can eat quite a bunch) of local grown fruits. You just tip him. He does not sell the fruit. He is SUPER NICE, SUPER FUNNY, and the fruit is DELICIOUS! It was a nice treat after the long car ride to him.

 

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Then off to the Emerald Pool. Once again, this is a $5 entrance fee. Another small hike, and we were at the base of the VERY COLD Emerald Pool. Once again, the ten year olds jumped right in then came up and let us know how VERY VERY cold it was. If you though Trafalgar Falls were cold, you haven’t seen anything yet… YIKES! I swam around just a bit with my youngest…OMG. Freezing. A beautiful, wonderful experience.

 

 

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We then drove back towards the boat. I had mentioned to Alick that I loved the black sand and I wanted some. So, on the way back, he stopped, grabbed an empty water bottle, ran across the road, and filled it up with black sand. I love it! This just shows you how courteous both Alick and Crisca were to our group.

 

I recommend Reyno tours, although I have to tell you the drive to the Emerald Pool is very long. Be prepared….

 

Reyno met us back at the boat dock. He said it would take about 4-5 hours. We were slow, I guess, because it took almost 6 and we did not get to the Champagne Reef. Although later on the boat, I heard that several people (in the late afternoon) that were at Champagne Reef got stung by Jelly Fish. So, maybe it was best we didn’t do that. Have to save something for our next trip, yes? J

 

I would recommend Reyno tours.

 

I hope you have enjoyed my little review.

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rjscott

rjscott

Posted
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TexasMom, I enjoyed your review thoroughly and we've toured with Reyno! :D I enjoyed all your details and hearing about the other guide and driver. Isn't it nice to have a guide along while a driver stays with the vehicle and your belongings?

Bermuda2, Reyno does have several vehicles and drivers so he may not be your driver, but he can arrange a variety of tours, depending on which sights you want to see and what level of activity you enjoy.

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  • 2 weeks later...
landlocked2

landlocked2

Posted
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hi - we also did Reyno Tours a week ago. Reyno really nice but he wasn't our driver. Met us at the dock and took us to his van to wait for others. We had Bert and Crisca was our guide. Crisca was great! very knowledgeable about the whole island. She was surprised when I told her she was famous on Cruise Critic! Bert was a fantastic driver, which you need to be on those roads! All the sites Reyno promised were visited and you kinda go at your own pace. there is a fair amount of hiking/climbing on some pretty slippery rocks/trails to get to the falls but should be ok as long as you have sneakers or tread type shoes on. Although we had a good time, the DH and I felt they tried to do too many things. You spend a lot of time in the van driving from one end of the island to the other. You can talk to the others in the van and kinda decide what you really want to do. I think I was the only one who booked in advance so the others went with the flow. We were back to the ship on time with no worries. Be sure and bring some snacks with you as there is no food on this tour (other than at Mr Nice Fruit Stand which we hit first thing) Also make sure they put the cooler in the van with drinks - ours was left out. There are a couple of places where you can get sodas/waters/beers and some food. All in all, a good tour, maybe just a little too much driving. Beautiful Island.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Romy40

Romy40

Posted
Posted

We are in our late 50's and overweight; not in shape at all, but miraculously no other health problems or injured body parts.

Will Reyno Tours be out of the question for us? Trafalgar Falls sounds too strenuous for us.

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rjscott

rjscott

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Romy, the hike to Trafalgar Falls is not difficult. It is mostly on level ground and maybe 20-25 min each way to the overlook to the falls. The overlook has benches where you can rest and enjoy the view before walking back. For those who wish to go all the way to the falls and go under and behind the falls, there are trails, but we didn't do that, nor did any of the others in our party. Trust me, Reyno and your guide will not push you to do more than you are able or willing to do. They want your experience on Dominica to be a pleasant one. Email Reyno to see which of his tours would be the most enjoyable for you and let him know that you don't want to do a lot of hiking.

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rjscott

rjscott

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CC, on both occasions we've toured with Reyno, we've had large groups from our roll calls, and we've paid $40 pp, plus the price of admissions at the parks. Reyno can put together a private tour for you if you wish; the cost may be more since he will be taking fewer people. Email him and let him know what you want to do and he'll give you a price. reynotours@hotmail.com

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CruisinManiac

CruisinManiac

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Romy40 We are NOT in shape - -

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We are in our late 50's and overweight; not in shape at all, but miraculously no other health problems or injured body parts.

Will Reyno Tours be out of the question for us? Trafalgar Falls sounds too strenuous for us.

I am so glad you made this post. :D We are also in our 50's. While my DH is in great shape, I am a bit overweight, but still do very well stamina wise. I just don't do steep hills very well. I can go down fine, but coming up is a different story.

 

Can anyone recommend a less strenuous tour, while still getting to see the views? Also, my husband just wants a half day tour. He does not want to be in a crammed tour bus (or mini van) all day, so I think we can rule out going all the way over to Emerald Falls. However, he would like to have a good snorkeling experience. What else is there to see/do?

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rjscott

rjscott

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CruisingManiac, we really enjoyed snorkeling at Champagne Reef. We expected the bubbles (the "champagne"), but the variety of fish and coral was a very pleasant surprise. You can do a half day tour. Perhaps you'd like to see the black sand beach and drive up into the rain forest and stop to have some photo op's from a nice vantage point. A visit to Mr. Nice Fruit Stand is a fun and refreshing stop. Or perhaps you'd like to see the Carib Indian village. There is also a falls that doesn't require a hike to see, I believe.(we plan to do the Carib Indian village and falls on our next visit) Reyno can put together a tour that will accommodate how long you want to spend on your tour and what sights you want to see. He has several vehicles and drivers available to accommodate small and large tour requests. reynotours@hotmail.com

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rjscott

rjscott

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CruisinManiac, actually, Trafalgar Falls & Mr Nice Fruit Stand are kind of on a route and you'll drive thru the rain forest to see both. Then, you'll go back thru Roseau (where the ship docks) to go to Champagne Reef to snorkel. They do have a snack bar at Champagne Reef if you want to get something to eat. We took some snacks from the ship; some fruit and cookies. So, if you email Reyno, let him know these are the stops you want and let him know you only want a half day tour and ask him if that's feasible. The roads on Dominica are very winding and under construction constantly, so it takes a while to get from one place to another, but I think the stops you have planned sound doable in a half day, based on what we've done in the past.

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CruisinManiac

CruisinManiac

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Thank you again. I will write him. We like to get an early start, and then get back to the ship by around 2:00, so that we can get a bite to eat before heading out again, or sunning up on deck. Any idea how long the Champagne Reef stop would be, and does the guide stay with you? Is there a beach to relax on?

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rjscott

rjscott

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CruisinManiac, if it's just the two of you, you decide how long the stop at Champagne Reef will be. Actually, even tho' we had a full van, we all decided among ourselves how long we wanted to spend there, and we spent about 1 1/2 hrs, which is plenty. There is equipment to rent if you don't have your own. There is a small admission fee to the marine park there as well. There is really not a "beach" to speak of, as it is really a rocky shore, being volcanic, but there are some smoother areas where you can lay out some towels and relax for a bit. And yes, your guide and/or driver (if your driver is not Reyno) will stay with you while you snorkel, so you don't have to worry about your belongings. If you have any valuables, you can leave them in the vehicle, and the driver will lock them up. As for getting an early start, I believe we started our tour this past Feb at 8:30AM, which was right after we were able to disembark. Reyno Tours is very easy to find, just outside the pier area. He will give you very specific directions, and everyone knows him, too.

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rjscott

rjscott

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Got an email back from Reyno. The price for the two of us is going to be $160. :eek: The ships excursion is cheaper than that, and also goes to Emerald falls. I am asking Reyno if I can get a CC group together from my Roll Call, for a price break.

 

CrusinManiac, if you want to do a private tour, it is more. But, yes, the last two times we've toured with Reyno, we've put together groups from our roll call. He will work with you on that. The problem with being added to a group at the pier is that they may be going to sites you aren't interested in visiting, and you'll be spending time on that van that you didn't want to spend, as you mentioned in your first post. So chat with people on your roll call and see if you can put together a group who want to visit Trafalgar Falls, Mr Nice and Champagne Reef, and then chat with Reyno again about the price. Good luck!

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