CHAGUARAMAS NATIONAL PARK

This national park is an ideal "nature" alternative to the city if you're staying here. With mountains and forest in the background, the setting is magnificent. Even though it's a 15-minute drive from the center of the capital, the impression is quite different: nature dominates.

The Chaguaramas Development Authority (CDA) offers numerous guided tours of the park's 14,500 hectares. These include caves, stalactites and an underground river, which are not always easy to find without a guide.

Among the park's main attractions to visit on your own:

Macqueripe Beach. Take the Tucker Valley Road off the Western Main Road, and continue for 4 km to Macqueripe Beach, located in a small cove on the peninsula's north coast. A changing room is available for visitors. Although the sand is not exactly fine, the beach, which has a jetty, is sheltered by greenery, and you can swim in water that is not polluted, unlike on the peninsula's southern coast. Families from Port of Spain come here at weekends, and many children can be seen playing. A path through the forest leads to the Golf de Chaguaramas, a walk well worth the detour.

The bamboo cathedral. Just before continuing on to Macqueripe beach, a sign on the right points the way to the bamboo cathedral, an impressive tunnel formed by giant bamboos, under which the asphalt track runs. It's a pity that the park authorities have decided to asphalt the path, whose entrance is closed off by a barrier. To reach the cathedral, it's a 5-10 minute walk. For lovers of forest walks, it's advisable to continue along the path to reach the top of the site and the abandoned former American radar. It was installed in the early 1970s to prevent Soviet attacks on the USA. The site, totally abandoned, is left to the howler monkeys and capuchin monkeys that populate the surrounding trees.

Edith Falls. Almost halfway between Macqueripe Beach and the junction with the Western Main Road, you'll see a sign on the left pointing the way to the Edith Falls nature reserve. First you follow a small tarmac road which, when taken all the way, leads to the Chaguaramas golf course. Before reaching the golf course lawns, a second sign indicates the trail leading to the Edith Falls waterfall, through giant bamboo, rubber, lianas and succulents. A half-hour walk through the jungle, during which you can often hear and sometimes see monkeys, as well as various parrots, birds of prey (eagles or falcons) and hummingbirds. At the end of the path, you come to the waterfall. A truly spectacular cascade during the rainy season, from July to December.

Large trees with picnic tables. On the old road past the bamboo forest, you can see a large plain with large, century-old trees, the atmosphere is very tranquil. Families come here to picnic in the shade, and the setting is magnificent.

To get to the park , turn right (Tucker Valley) off the Western Main Road at the "base", a large yellow building.