Things to see and do Trinidad

The Asa Wright Center is a must for all nature lovers visiting Trinidad. Overlooking the valley, the site extends over the 78 hectares of what was once a cocoa, coffee and citrus orange plantation, the Springhill Plantation. Today, the Asa Wright Center is an emblematic site that embodies the island's commitment to preserving its primary forest and illustrates a new development model based on the resources of ecotourism. Profits generated by the center's tourism activity are reinvested in the purchase of new land to expand the estate, in training programs for new guides and in the publication of naturalist works on the flora and fauna of Trinidad & Tobago. The flora and fauna that can be observed here provide a good overview of the ecological riches of northern Trinidad. Every morning, from the veranda, you can see over twenty different species of birds (hummingbirds, jacamars...) pecking at the fruit left for them. The surrounding trees serve as perches for a host of toucans, and a few caves are home to a vast colony of oilbirds, the famous cave-dwelling birds that Amerindians hunted for their fat. Guided walks with commentary by the center's guides take you into the forest and give you access to the natural environment and its different biotopes, and it's not uncommon to come across an agouti as you pass by.

Medium-difficulty hike (7 to 8h return). Take a guide with you who knows the way, and who you can easily find in the village or have recommended to you in Blanchisseuse. At the very end of the main road, past the last houses and hotel in the village, is a red bridge suspended over the Marianne River.

From this bridge runs a dirt track, only passable for a short distance by car, and even then only in the dry season. If you set off on foot from the bridge, you'll have to walk for around 3 hours through the virgin forest, over fairly steep terrain alternating between ascents and descents.

At the end of the track , you suddenly come upon a vast beach leading to the superb Paria beach, which has remained totally wild and unspoilt. A landscape of the beginning of the world, one kilometer of fine sand with, at the very end, a cliff that falls into the sea and the virgin forest that fringes the entire length of the curved beach. Follow the beach to the estuary.

Fifty meters before the estuary, you'll see a passage that goes inland following the river. Take it. After 200 m, the track joins the riverbed. You'll end up with your feet in the river and a shaded pool with a ten-metre waterfall, where you can enjoy a refreshing swim after your walk. Beware: the pool is deep - 7 or 8 m in the middle - and you'll soon lose your footing.

Beyond this first waterfall, there are two other, smaller pools, a kind of natural bubbling bath that can also be reached on foot, and where you can also take a dip.

Youcan continue to Matelot on a two-day trek, bivouacking on the beach.

By boat. A much quicker and less tiring alternative to the Paria waterfall is to ask a fisherman to take you in his pirogue to Paria beach. The trip only takes half an hour. Today's prices range up to US$150. But whether you're on your own or in a group, the price stays the same. During the trip, as you zigzag between small rocky islets battered by the surf, you'll have plenty of time to appreciate the splendour of this wild coastline, which has not yet been damaged by construction. To find a guide or pirogue, contact your hotel or ask Rodger at Lagunamar.

Laundress's second largest and covered sandy beach is located on the outskirts of the village. It is 1,4 km long (attention is not monitored). There can also be access to the beach by the Laguna Mar Beach Hotel to fall directly on the mouth of the Marianne River. Here the beach is confused with the estuary of the river Marianne, which forms a lagoon and where bathers can always hide when the sea is a little too agitated, the water is very refreshing. Private pay parking is very close.

It is the first beach (attention it is not supervised) when you arrive in the village of Blanchisseuse, rather small. The entrance is in front of the hotel-restaurant Surf's Country Side (indicated by a sign). The hotel does not bear its name for nothing, it is in this place that we find one of the best surf spots of the north coast, because the sea is often very stirring there. To reach it, you will have to take a small wooden footbridge on a hundred meters, bypassing a private property which faces the beach.

With a perimeter that stretches for 3.5 km, Port of Spain's Queen's Park Savannah is like an ocean of English turf that buffers between the busy, noisy streets of the city center to the south and the upscale neighborhoods of Maraval and Saint Ann's, with the very first lush foothills of the Northern Mountain Range in the background. The park was originally just a huge suburban pasture for the capital's herds, but was officially transformed into a public park in the early ^20th century, and even served as an aircraft runway before the airport was built. During Carnival, this gigantic lawn is packed with people and quickly turns into a field that looks like it's been freshly ploughed. This is where most of the official competitions take place, from the panorama featuring all the island's steel-pan orchestras, to the election of carnival queens and kings, calypso competitions and the children's carnival. But in normal times, it's a favorite spot for the capital's sportsmen and women. Every morning and early evening, Queen's Park Savannah is taken over by joggers and other aerobics enthusiasts who come to jump to the rhythm of frenetic music, released by one or two pick-ups. The others, the strollers who simply want a breath of fresh air, are not to be outdone, and all around the Savannah, people are running, walking, stamping their feet, wandering and hopping about. Towers of coconuts stored on trucks are waiting to be decapitated with machetes to refresh the thirsty crowd, and street vendors offer their popular "snow cones", little cups of crushed ice, flavoured with syrup, which you suck through a straw, more for the pleasure of the treat than to really quench your thirst. On the west side of Savannah (north of Maraval Road) line up the Magnificent Seven, the city's seven most beautiful colonial houses, which alone deserve a guided tour to learn the often fascinating stories of their builders and founders. Stollmeyer's Castle was the first to be built, followed by Queen's Royal College, Millefleurs, Hayes court, Ambard's house, Archbishop's Palace and Whitehall. Passing these mythical houses is a walk in itself, and will allow you to bring back exceptional photos like those of these seven wonders.

This 32 km trek is a superb hiking route, between completely virgin wild beaches and dense rainforest, an unforgettable experience, ideal if you plan to visit the island without a car to go from the northwest coast to the northeast without going all the way around Arima. A guide is essential for obvious safety reasons. On these heavenly white sandy beaches, leatherback turtles come to lay their eggs in peace during the season, and the best time to camp is when the moon is full to live this experience under a magical light.

As you leave Blanchisseuse, stop off at the Lagunamar hotel-restaurant for a coffee or even to order your meal for the return trip. Rodger, the Lagunamar's owner, can recommend a local guide if required. The trail starts just before the suspension bridge. It's an easy route along the river through farmland and forest. The three pools are an ideal bathing spot, easily accessible without a guide. The tour can also be combined with a visit to Avocat Waterfall, continuing along the river past the three pools.

This secluded and wild beach is quieter than Maracas Bay and very easy to access by car from the road. After crossing the Yarra River, just before the Wasa Pumping Station, a road turns to the left, then a path goes left again. It leads to this small white sandy beach, very popular with locals who avoid the crowded beach of Maracas. You can take the path by car and park along the path in the shade of the coconut trees. Beware of strong currents when swimming. Nice shade from the palm trees on the beach.

This bay-side beach is located between Maracas bay and Damien beach. Also easily accessible by car, it has the advantage of being supervised by lifeguards throughout the day, offering safe swimming. A small river flows into the beach, where children can swim in the fresh water. On weekends, this beach can be quite noisy, with many locals bringing their music and listening to it at full blast through their car speakers, or even on a powerful sound system.

2 hour round trip hike. Avocat is a small rural community 5 miles from Blanchisseuse. The road continues to the Marianne River, turn left by car and park there. A hiking trail starts here through the rainforest. You will see beautiful birds such as trogons, tanagers and passerines. At the end of the trail you come to the Avocado Waterfall, a 22 meter high waterfall, where you can swim and relax. This hike can be combined with the hike to the three pools.

This pretty little beach is located just before La Fillette. The entrance is not easy to find but it is worth the detour. The landscape from the heights of this beach is spectacular, the azure blue water, the white sandy beach lined with palm trees and coconut palms, with huge rocks standing in the middle against which the waves break, it's beautiful. In the background, red clay cliffs complete this panorama. Yarra bay is one of the most exotic beaches in the north of Trinidad.

The popularity of this beach stems from its beauty: white sand and azure, crystal-clear waters, palm trees galore, have made Maracas Bay one of Trinidad's best-known postcard landscapes. When you arrive, on the right-hand side of the road you'll find cabins for showering and changing, as well as a supervised parking area (charge $2 for parking and $1 for use of the cabins). On the left-hand side of the road is a sandy beach supervised by lifeguards and dotted with a multitude of straw huts offering drinks and, above all, the famous bake & shark. It's a far cry from the tranquility of the wild beaches further east, but who cares? Here, friends and family come in search of entertainment. Reggae sound systems are set up here and there, street vendors come and go, and the golden youth of Port of Spain show up - in fact, everyone does, with the entire capital relocating to this large but crowded beach on weekends and public holidays. During Carnival, this beach is naturally chosen as the main spot for "Ash Wednesday", the day of rest after two days and nights of partying. Beware: like most beaches on the north coast, it's invaded by sandflies at sunrise and sunset. Beware of bites, very painful to bear and difficult to avoid at these times. To make the most of this beautiful beach, we advise you to come during the week to avoid the crowds.

The Oropuche lagoon extends its 56 km² a few kilometers south of San Fernando. Unlike the marshes of Caroni, it is very rarely visited and constitutes de facto a paradise for naturalists. The fauna, not used to human presence, is plethoric. Its waters are very rich in fish and shrimps. You can explore the lagoon by kayak accompanied by a guide. It is a unique experience because the lagoon of Oropuche is still almost virgin of any tourist presence. Take advantage of this experience while there is still time.

The park is centered around a large lake with a small island in the middle. The place is favored by "birdwatchers", those who like to observe birds. The most common birds here are the egrets, which like to nest in the bamboo. Picnic and barbecue areas are available for families. Finally, and most interestingly, a log path allows you to "walk on the water" for about three quarters of the lake. Fishermen take advantage of this green walk to catch local freshwater fish that are very rare elsewhere.

In practice, only the visits accompanied by a guide allow to go a little safely, by boat or by kayak in the swamp of Nariva. The best time to go there is the wet season. In 1996, the government of Trinidad ratified the international Ramsar Convention, which commits it to the protection of the Nariva Marshes. It is true that there was danger in the house. These marshes of 15 km² constitute one of the most perfect specimens of aquatic system in stagnant water of Trinidad and shelter a fauna of a unique wealth, today threatened. In addition to various and innumerable mosquitoes, the marshes of Nariva are home to caimans, anteaters, opossums, howler and capuchin monkeys, plus a host of snakes, including the famous anaconda, which can reach 6 to 9 meters in length. Among the rare species is the manatee, a mammal that lives in fresh water but is related to the dolphin family and is called "manatee" in Trinidad. It has become very difficult to observe a manatee in the marsh. Firstly because the species is very shy and keeps away from any intrusion in its habitat and because it lives in biotopes very sensitive to the ecology, ultra-reactive to thermal and chemical changes in the environment. Today, all over the world, the manatee species is becoming scarce. And this progressive extinction does not spare the Nariva marsh. It is estimated that only a handful of manatees could still exist there. They were counted by hundreds only thirty years ago. Over time, the marsh has suffered from human proximity. In addition to illegal hunting, small-scale rice farmers continue to encroach on the marsh at its edge and contribute to its crumbling. During the construction of the bridges over which the coastal road passes at the edge of the marsh, the public engineering works dug the river beds to better channel them, allowing the regular intrusion of brackish water into the water system of the marsh. Add to this the regular practice of farmers setting fire to the bush on the outskirts of Nariva during the dry season, and it is clear that these poor manatees still have a lot to worry about.

In the center of the swamp is a curiosity, the "Bush Bush" island, a strip of land covered with forest that emerges a few meters above the waters of the swamp and that shelters an important population of monkeys.

Cape Galeota, it is the cape that Christopher Columbus, on July 31, 1498, saw the first from his ship, and that he shouted "Land!" to the passengers exhausted by such a long crossing towards the unknown. A salvific cape after 7 months of crossing and non-existent food, for an island that he named the Trinity. He then named this cape "Punto de Galeota" (the point of the ship) in homage to his dear ship the Santa Maria and his vassal caravels the Pinta and the Niña. It is not possible to access it nowadays because the peninsula is dedicated to the oil industry.

This reserve, with its rich flora and fauna, is also the easiest place to observe mud volcanoes. Imagine a greasy jungle, full of thorny plants, where you have to wade through thick mud to make headway. After ten minutes or so, you come to an expanse like a clearing. In the middle is a muddy puddle with an irregular bubbling at its center. Be careful not to get too close to the strange puddle, as the ground here is shifting.

San Fernando Hill, officially Naparima Hill, is a small mountain that is only 180 meters high, but offers a magnificent view of the surrounding plains as well as San Fernando. The city of San Fernando has grown at its feet over time and completely encircles it today. It is like an island of nature in the heart of the city. But this small mountain has above all a sacred symbolic importance for the Amerindians who populated this region before the colonization. According to the Warao tradition, the mythical hero Haburi and his mother had to flee the vindictiveness of the frog woman by seeking refuge in the Orinoco delta. But when they reached Trinidad, they were transformed into a mountain: Anaparima, the mountain of the world.

This myth, very popular among the Warao and other South American Amerindian tribes, is the origin of a pilgrimage tradition that has survived for thousands of years, going back to at least 6500 BC, and finally disappearing around 1900. Until that time, Native Americans or their descendants from all over the southern Caribbean and South America used to travel long distances by boat and on foot to pay homage to the mountain of Anaparima. Some tribal leaders even crossed by canoe from the Orinoco Delta in South America to Icacos, Quinam, Erin and Moruga, and walked to San Fernando for meetings of wise men. They believed that this hill was the home of a supreme spirit and a heroic ancestor, inventor of the first canoe and his mother, a divine ancestor. In 1920, the Indians of the Gwaranao tribe were still crossing for this eternal sacred appointment, and according to the records of the Angostura Historical Digest they caused a scandal in the city of San Fernando because they passed... all naked! Unfortunately, the sacred beliefs of the Amerindians were not respected by the settlers, who did not hesitate to use the stones of the hill for more than 200 years to build houses and buildings, so much so that the mountain was reduced by almost a third of its volume. After decades of popular protest, the quarry was closed and the hill was declared a protected area in 1980. Now it is a recreational area and a reforestation project is underway. You can have a picnic in the forest using the available barbecues and enjoy the view of the surroundings.

The road that leads to this beach is wonderful, bordered by a forest of wild coconut trees. The beach of Manzanilla is immense (it spreads out on 20 km), wild, magnificent for a stroll. It extends almost to Mayaro, and it is perfectly preserved. But be careful, all along the east coast, the sea is sometimes agitated by violent currents that make swimming dangerous. It is deserted during the week. It is equipped with cabins for changing clothes and showers, a parking lot and, above all, it is supervised along the first 4 km of coastline.

The beaches of this part of the island are far from idyllic, and often at the foot of monstrous petrochemical complexes... nice to swim! Popular beaches close to the city are frequented by the inhabitants of San Fernando, like Vessigny near Bréa, Point Fortin or Iros Bay. Some beaches, however, deserve an effort, for all those who would like to swim a little further away from pollution and will be surprised by the beauty that nature opposes to the industrial horrors that humans have installed there.

Quinian Bay. To reach this pretty bay, we cross fields and bamboo and teak plantations all along the way. The current on this beach is moderate, and lifeguards watch over the safety of swimmers. You can also use the barbecues, day tables, and parking for your car. Camping and fishing are popular here and the area is safe as long as it is not deserted.

Further west at the end of the southern peninsula is Bonasse Beach, with clear sand and crystal clear lagoon water, at the foot of a fishing village (it's beautiful), in the Cedros area. Almond and coconut trees line the unsupervised beach, which becomes dangerous in rough seas. A neighboring alternative, Colombus Bay, offers milder waters. There is even a parking lot, showers not always in good condition, street vendors on weekends but no lifeguards.