The Dales, Christmas Island

The Dales is one of Christmas Island's iconic sites and one of the few places with permanent flowing water and stunning wet areas, providing significant habitat for endemic blue crabs and impressive stands of Tahitian chestnut trees. The drive through the Dales leads through rainforest to a scenic and tranquil area, which has two walking trails starting from the Dales four-wheel drive car park. The first is mostly a boardwalk leading to Hugh's Dale Waterfall which is 1 kilometre each way from the carpark. Signage along the trail offers information on the island's plants and animals. For the more adventurous, a second trail leads on from Hugh's Dale for about 800 metres to Anderson's Dale, a small gorge with a stream that flows to the sea. If you venture to Anderson's Dale, please be wary of sea conditions near the shoreline as large waves are common along this coast.