Tourist Attractions & Monuments Trinidad & Tobago

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.

This small zoo lost in the middle of the jungle may surprise you. In fact it is a private zoo whose animals belong to the owner of the place. It is decorated with traditional arts and crafts as well as a collection of international currency. For the price, the entrance is honest, you can approach flaming parrots that live in large aviaries or monkeys, pythons .... Many plant species endemic to the island are planted there. A thirty-year-old turtle makes the animation of the place. An interesting visit.

On an old and tiny road, we go into the jungle along the Hillborough East River during 3 km then we fork on the left to arrive at a small waterfall, which is not very spectacular but pleasant to swim. The most adventurous ones will be able to go up above the waterfall and to discover several natural swimming pools but be careful, slippery ground! Around this small waterfall are scattered benches for a place to relax since the place has become a national park, a good idea at picnic time.

This forest reserve was created in 1776, making it one of the oldest in the world. It is possible to walk through it today. From the asphalt road, there are very few access points into this primary rainforest. The most convenient is the Gilpin Trace, whose entrance is marked by a boulder on the edge of the road. It's about two-thirds of the way along the forest road from Roxborough. A guide is highly recommended to avoid getting lost in this labyrinth.

In this pretty bay, the fishing boats are anchored waiting for the time to go out. The beach of fine white sand is calm, quiet, shaded and supervised. In the morning or evening, depending on the tide, you can watch the fishermen haul in their nets, a grueling but essential exercise. Between the large and small beaches, you can snorkel between the rocks. If you continue close to the shore on the right, you'll be able to admire some magnificent, colorful fish. Don't go any further than the headland of the bay, as the currents here are quite strong.

Here we are on the last "beach" before Scarborough coming from the west. Here there is no question of swimming, the currents are very strong and the sea is often big but the landscape is magnificent with a view on the capital in the background. It is the beach where many inhabitants of the capital come to make their morning or evening jog. To have a panoramic view on the bay, you can walk to Ford Milford for example. There are several small restaurants and bars along the beach, where visitors can enjoy a meal or a drink.

Last vast, vast beach where you can swim before Scarborough with the advantage of lifeguard surveillance. The sea can be quite rough on this side of the island. For the record, before a racetrack was built on the island, horse races were held on this long strip of white and black sand, bordered by palm trees and the old road to Scarborough. The water here can be a little colder than on the Caribbean Sea side, this is the beginning of the Windward Coast.

This small lagoon is well named as a small hole, between two huge sandbanks. It used to be a favorite spot for windsurfers and kitesurfers because this cove is very windy, but it has been abandoned nowadays, in favor of Pigeon Point beach. Swimming here is not recommended, the waters are dangerous. It is difficult to access Petit Trou because the lagoon is in the heart of the private property of Tobago Plantations, but the walk is worth the effort. You can then go for a walk on the beautiful beach of Magdalena.

This private beach was once the largest Amerindian village on the island. It is their pirogues, moored here, that inspired the settlers in the choice of the name. The access to the beach is not free because it depends on the hotel which is installed there (no longer in very good condition) but it is the price to pay to take advantage of a really relaxing atmosphere, of the straw huts on the beach, of the cabins of showers and WC. Here, we enjoy the turquoise waters of this beach less known than Pigeon Point but very pretty, very quiet for families who want to swim.

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.

Anyone who has looked at the local tourist brochures or talked to Trinidadians will agree that the bizarre geological singularity of Pitch Lake - the asphalt lake located in La Brea, a small village about 20 km south of San Fernando - is such a source of pride for all of Trinidad that many of its inhabitants do not hesitate to declare it the eighth wonder of the world. However, the famous lake has all the appearance of an old crusty tarmac that would smell like tar under the lead of a summer heat and unless you have a passion for geology, you are rather bluffed, even a little disappointed by this singularly unwelcoming place. But the site is indeed curious, at the limit of the improbable. A walk in the footsteps of an official guide - especially not to deviate from it, certain parts of the lake are moving, and one can sink into it - allows to approach more closely the reality of this asphalt expanse, already known and feared in the pre-Columbian era. The Amerindian legends report that, in a crazy arrogance, the chief of a Carib tribe captured and killed the sacred hummingbird. The gods took their revenge by throwing the whole tribe into the depths of black and viscous fluids. Still, the telluric movements that agitate this big pot of bitumen periodically send back to the surface pieces of wood and Amerindian handicrafts. (Some of these can be seen in the small hut of the tourist office, which serves as both a small museum and a place for the official guides) If no one really knows what the real relationship of the primitive populations with the lake was, what is certain is that its first discovery by Europe was made in 1595, when Sir Walter Raleigh, a famous English privateer under the orders of Elizabeth I, used the tar of the lake to caulk his ship. He recorded the discovery in his logbook. The industrial exploitation of Pitch Lake began in the second half of the ^19th century. It is still practiced today and has been for over a century and a half. Thousands of tons of high quality asphalt have been extracted, without reducing the deposit as the resources seem to be inexhaustible. The dimensions of the lake are indeed impressive: 100 ha in surface, 80 m in estimated depth. Only two other lakes of this type exist in the world, one near Los Angeles, the other in Venezuela. Pay particular attention to your footwear. In the dry season, asphalt tends to stick to shoes; in the rainy season, a pair of boots is a welcome comfort. The asphalt holds the rain on the surface of the lake, and you never stop wading in the puddles. A few last curiosities of anecdotal nature will reward those who will tread with their feet these rubbery expanses, often similar to chewing gum. You will surely be surprised by strange little fishes pushed by evolution to acclimatize to the sulfurous waters that fill the crevices of the asphalt and by the surprising spectacle of these old wooden houses built on the edges of the lake, which have become completely wobbly over time under the effect of the slow currents that flow through the subsoil. One would even think that some of them were built on several levels.

From the pier, boat tours leave at about 4:00 pm every day, for a 2-hour walk in the marshes, as it is at sunset that you will have the chance to see scarlet ibis and beautiful landscapes. There is also a walking circuit with small pontoons and wooden walkways on stilts. This walk leads to an observation post, a 24 m high tower that allows an exceptional view of the canopy and the birds. A wooden platform also allows you to get a little closer to take beautiful pictures.

Shark River runs through the Matura National Park. Large natural pools allow visitors to swim quietly because the sea is very rough at Matelot. The vegetation along the river is a bamboo forest, which is very refreshing on hot days. The upper part of the river is idyllic and invites to explore because a part of the bed is dried up. We walk on stones while going up the river, and we bathe in small pools of crystal clear water. Kingfishers and hummingbirds come to drink.

This beach is located at the red house in the village of Trois Roches after Sans Souci. A small road just before the house leads to a small beach of sand and rocks. A natural pool in the rock is compared by locals to a natural saltwater bubble bath, so experience it for yourself! Be careful not to venture out to sea, as currents can be very strong. Those who have the necessary equipment, especially flippers, can enjoy the pretty underwater world between wave-beaten rocks.

The access to the Maracas Falls is indicated by a sign along the Maracas Royal Road. You can go by car, which you will park at the bottom of the hill that goes up to the falls. After a quarter of an hour of walking, we arrive at the first falls. It will take another twenty minutes to reach the main waterfall, which falls from a height of 90 meters. This waterfall is surrounded by mysteries. It would be a sacred place where Hindu ceremonies and Orisha and voodoo rituals would take place... Don't worry, they only take place at night.

Also called Saline Bay, this beach is located between Matura and Balandra, just after the bridge over the Rio Seco. The currents are strong in this bay, but families like to meet there to swim in the mouth of the river that flows into the calmer ocean. Lifeguards watch over the beach, which is equipped with toilets and showers. You can even rent kayaks on the beach. One of the most beautiful beaches of this coast before arriving at Grande-Rivière. Beware of turtle nests, often marked by locals.

The road that gives access to Galera Point runs along a very beautiful beach, undeveloped, unsupervised, but sheltered by coconut trees and where there is also a small coral reef. On weekends, this beach is used as a picnic area by the local population, and small snacks are served in stands set up for the occasion. The rest of the week, the beach is usually deserted. Snorkelers, this coral reef is ideal for a short trip with your mask, snorkel and fins to swim in the currents.

As you climb to the top of this rocky cape, you'll have a magnificent view of the ocean that juts wildly out from the foot of steep cliffs, battered by an often rough and quite treacherous sea. The Cape is a favorite place for shamans and descendants of the Amerindians who worship the Orishas, especially for the Olukun Festival (Celebration of the Ocean) which takes place on February 21 each year. This festival is marked by a procession that leaves from the lighthouse of Galera. Offshore are two merchant ships torpedoed by a German ship in 1941.

Balandras is a small fishing village with a beautiful beach and some houses to rent. The beach is wild, shaded by coconut trees, and the currents are gentle at this place. There is a rudimentary shower on the beach. Going up a small river, we arrive at the Balandra Pool, a natural swimming pool, then further on at the Cirra Falls. The waterfall is small but the gurgling invites to swim. No need for a guide here for once, the path is marked and very easy to follow.

The trail starts just after the Salybia bridge over the Rio Seco River near Sally Bay. This waterfall is one of the most impressive of the island. We go there accompanied by a guide, as the agency Nature Seekers, because the path is not very well marked even if the forestry division has improved it well these last years. At the foot of the waterfall, a beautiful natural pool awaits you to refresh yourself and the most adventurous can even climb a little and jump from about 5 meters high, in the pool. Be careful, we lose our footing in the middle.