Cabrits National Park

Cabrits National Park occupies a dramatic twin-peaked peninsula jutting into Prince Rupert Bay on Dominica's northwestern coast, just north of Portsmouth. The park encompasses 1,313 acres of land and marine areas, combining historical fortifications, tropical dry forest, freshwater wetlands, and coral reefs in a single protected zone. Its centrepiece is Fort Shirley, an 18th-century British garrison complex that represents one of the best-preserved examples of military architecture in the Caribbean. Construction of the fort began in the 1770s and the complex grew to include barracks, officers' quarters, a powder magazine, cannon emplacements, and a hospital — at its peak garrisoning hundreds of soldiers. After decades of abandonment and overgrowth by tropical vegetation, the Dominica government undertook a major restoration programme beginning in the 1980s, clearing the ruins and stabilising key structures. Today visitors can walk among the restored buildings, climb to cannon positions overlooking the bay, and explore a small on-site museum detailing the garrison's history. The fort's upper ramparts provide sweeping panoramic views across Prince Rupert Bay, the town of Portsmouth, and the green hills of the interior. Hiking trails within the park descend through dry forest to wetland areas where herons, iguanas, and small reef fish inhabit the mangrove edges. The adjacent marine reserve protects healthy coral gardens accessible to snorkellers from the park's shoreline. The park entrance fee is USD 5 (adults) / USD 2 (children). Park rangers are on-site and can provide informal guided tours of the fort. Total visit time ranges from 2 to 4 hours depending on how much of the trail network visitors explore. The park is often combined with an Indian River boat tour, as both are within minutes of Portsmouth.