Terrific Trinidad and Tobago

Exploring Trinidad

Port of Spain located on the northeast coast of Trinidad is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago. It has impressive colonial-style architecture. On the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday the capital comes alive with Carnival, where everyone wears colorful costumes, listens to calypso and soca rhythms, and simply enjoys themselves.

The National Museum and Art Gallery is housed in a classic colonial building. It offers exhibits that range from Amerindian settlers to African slaves and indentured Indians. On the top floor, the rotating collection of artwork is one of the highlights and is a great introduction to the Trinibago art scene.

Queen’s Park Savannah is a lovely park in Port of Spain. At one time it was part of a sugar plantation and also home to a racecourse. This is a public park that is encircled by a 3.7km perimeter road which the locals refer to as the world’s largest roundabout. You can see people playing cricket and football while joggers run about the path. Vendors sell cold coconut water.

Emperor Valley Zoo is a small zoo full of interesting animals. You can see indigenous red howler monkeys, ocelots, birds, and snakes native to Trinidad and Tobago. In a newly landscaped section, the new residents are sea otters. flamingos and there’s a butterfly park. Some of the larger residents are giraffes, warthogs, and Bengal tigers.

Botanical Gardens are lovely with exotic trees and plants. For visitors, there are paths for strolling. The gardens date from 1818.

Woodford Square in the center of downtown Port of Spain is a grassy square with a fountain and ornate bandstand. It has a “Speakers Corner” where people can express themselves. There are many impressive buildings surrounding the square.

Red House stands by Woodford Square. It is an impressive Renaissance-style parliament building dating back to 1903. Ancient Amerindian skeletons were found in the foundations during restoration. At its main entrance, an eternal flame burns to commemorate the lives lost in the Islamic coup of 1990.

Holy Trinity Cathedral is majestic and built in Gothic style. It is located on the south side of Woodford Square dating from 1818. This is an Anglican church with an impressive ceiling that is supported by an elaborate system of mahogany hammerbeams. There are stained-glass windows. There is also a marble monument to Sir Ralph Woodford, the British governor who was responsible for the construction of the cathedral.

Waterfront Park sits opposite Independence Square. It is surrounded by the high-rise offices of the International Waterfront Center and by the Hyatt Regency. The park offers visitors waterfalls and manicured landscaping.

Stollmeyer’s Castle has battlemented turrets. This is an amazing Scottish Baroque castle. It was modeled after the British Queen’s home at Balmoral.

Caroni Bird Sanctuary has a series of mangrove-lined waterways and is the nesting place of the scarlet ibis, the national bird of Trinidad and Tobago. Other species of wildlife here include herons, egrets, cormorants, tree boas, anteaters, and caimans.

Bird lovers really enjoy the Asa Wright Nature Center & Lodge which has 1,500 acres of dense forest in the Arima and Aripo Valleys. You can see hummingbirds, woodcreepers, pygmy owls, trogons, and the rare nocturnal oilbird. Visitors can sign up for a birding tour, have lunch or high tea on the verandah, or stay at one of the cottages. Income from guest funds goes for the conservation of the surrounding forest, new land purchases, and environmental educational programs.

Yerette Hummingbird Sanctuary is deep in the Maracas Valley. Visitors can see hummingbirds feed.

The red-roofed church tower of Mount St. Benedict Monastery rises above the Northern Range Hills. It is one of the most striking landmarks east of Port of Spain. This community was established in 1912 by Benedictine monks and the monastery is the largest and oldest in the Caribbean. It is a complex of religious buildings, a farm, a rehabilitation center, and a guesthouse. The monastery is known for its yogurt, which is shipped to supermarkets across the country.

Nariva Swamp on the east coast of Trinidad covers about 60 sq.km. of freshwater wetland that is inhabited by anacondas and some manatees.

Rio Seco Waterfall is in northeast Trinidad. Once you pass the bridge over the Rio Seco you can find it by a signposted trail leading inland. There is a swimming hole and waterfall surrounded by a rainforest. You can take a hike along a signposted path.

Waterloo Temple was built by indentured laborer Sewdass Sadhu. This lovely place is surrounded by the shallow waters of the Paria Gulf at high tide and there are prayer flags fluttering in the air.

Pitch Lake could just be Trinidad’s greatest oddity, a bubbling black “lake”. It is a 40-hectare expanse of asphalt and is about 75m deep at the center. Hot bitumen is continuously replenished from a subterranean fault. It is one of the only three asphalt lakes in the world and has the single largest supply of natural bitumen.

Looking at Tobago

Pigeon Point is the most beautiful beach in Tobago. It has white sand and aqua seas. It is also referred to as the Pigeon Point Heritage Park and has snack bars, shops, a change room, and thatch-covered seating. You can rent sun loungers. Boats are available for snorkeling trips to Buccoo Reef and a swim at Nylon Pool, a meter-deep offshore sandbar that resembles a giant swimming pool.

Little Tobago Island also known as Bird of Paradise Island is an uninhabited bird sanctuary with trails with great views. You can get the most awesome views from the hills that overlook the seaward direction. There are red-footed boobies and frigate birds in large flocks. You can also see red-billed tropical birds, Audubon’s shearwaters, laughing gulls, and sooty terns. Visitors can take tours on glass-bottomed boats.

Fort King George was built in the 1780s overlooking Scarborough Bay. It offers great views of the town. There are remnants of the original brick and stone walls, an early prison, the officers’ mess, several canons, and a lighthouse. Also on the grounds, is the Tobago Museum which displays collections of antique maps, African art, Amerindian artifacts, coins, and shells.

Past Charlotteville’s pier is a dirt track that leads to concrete steps that descend to Pirate’s Bay. Here you can go snorkeling and there is a fantastic beach. People enjoy picnicking and playing beach football.

Adventure Farm and Nature Reserve is a working organic estate. You can find many bird species here and lots of hummingbirds that enjoy clustering around the bird feeders at the main house.

There are marked trails for hiking around the estate.

Argyle Falls is a 54m waterfall on the Argyle River and is Tobago’s highest. There are three falls cascading down at distinct levels, each with its own pool of spring water where you can go swimming.

Tobago Cocoa Estate sits in the hills above Argyle Falls. There are hour-long plantation tours. The tours end with a taste of this award-winning chocolate.