The lake looks like something out of a fantasy story. Thick white steam rises from the surface, and the water swirls with greyish-blue colours. The middle of the lake bubbles wildly, while the edges let off little puffs of steam all day long. Scientists call this a 'flooded fumarole' — a crack in the earth where hot gases push up from deep underground and heat the water from below.
To reach Boiling Lake, visitors have to hike for about three hours through a rainforest valley called the Valley of Desolation, which has its own colourful hot springs, bubbling mud pools, and sulfur-yellow rocks. It sounds spooky, but it is actually very beautiful — the colours of the minerals are bright orange, yellow, and white.
Dominica sits on top of very active volcanic rock. All that underground heat is what keeps the lake bubbling year after year. The water level can go up or down depending on how much steam and gas is pushing up from below. Scientists visit regularly to check on it, but the lake has been bubbling for as long as anyone can remember.