River · Dominica
Layou River
The Layou River is the longest river on the Caribbean island of Dominica. It tumbles down from the rainforest mountains in the middle of the island and meets the Caribbean Sea near St. Joseph.
Picture credit: Jean & Nathalie (CC BY 2.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is the Layou River?
The river starts here: Rainforest mountains in the centre of Dominica.
It ends in the Caribbean Sea at St. Joseph.
Countries on the river: Dominica.
The story behind it
Dominica is famous for having a river for almost every day of the year, and the Layou is the biggest of them all. Its valley is narrow and steep, filled with tree ferns, wild bananas and the calls of parrots. Warm springs bubble into the water in some places, so swimmers can find a patch that feels like a bath. Because the mountains catch so much rain, the river can rise within minutes during a storm, and guides warn visitors to leave the riverbed as soon as the water turns brown. In 1997 a landslide blocked the valley and created a temporary lake, which later burst and sent a wall of mud towards the coast. Fishers, crab hunters and children playing in the pools still share the same green water.
Questions children ask
How long is the Layou River?
The Layou River is about 27.6 km long. Dominica is a small island, so even its longest river stays short.
Which country does the Layou River flow through?
The Layou River lies entirely in Dominica, an island state in the eastern Caribbean. It drains a large part of the island's mountainous interior.
Where does the Layou River flow into the sea?
It reaches the Caribbean Sea near the village of St. Joseph, on the west coast. At the mouth grey pebbles form a wide beach where the fresh water fans out.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
Last checked: