Trinidad and Tobago

Dear lilioftheworld.com reader, here is Lili, your co-editor. Today I will take you to our last stop during the 2-week Caribbean cruise we did in the beginning of 2020- Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad & Tobago was one of the 12 islands we visited during this trip. This article is part of the series of posts presenting each of the islands- I cannot believe that I managed to finish all the posts from this cruise. 

In these articles we are giving you tips on what to see and do “in a day”. The other islands we visited were:

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Barbados
• British Virgin Islands
• Dominica
• Grenada
• Guadeloupe
• Martinique 
• St Kitts & Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• St Maarten
• St Vincent & The Grenadines

In order to read our recommendations for each island, just follow the links. We also shared our overall cruise experience and tips when going on a cruise for the first time.

Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago is a sunny island country that consists of two major islands (actually, of the island of Trinidad and the island of Tobago) and five smaller islands. It welcomes its guests with warm waters of the Caribbean Sea, pristine nature, and exciting things to do. This was one of our last stops and tiredness had already piled up. We had only 9 hours altogether on the island, so not that much time to explore everything we wanted. 

The island of Trinidad is the bigger of the two and this is the closest point to South America. Just 11 km and we could even visit the country of Venezuela (hence the situation there was different). The smaller island Tobago is 30 km away from Trinidad. Close to it there is another island called Little Tobago which is also famous as Bird of Paradise Island. In the past this was the only other place on Earth besides New Guinea, where this unique bird can be seen. Not any more. 

I will start with one recommendation. Whatever you do and wherever you go, plan plenty of time in advance as traffic there is really bad. We almost missed our ship although we left the beach 2.5 hours before departure. In general you need around 40 minutes to get from our start point to the port. But in this particular moment this was not the case.

What I will share with you below are some interesting spots which you might consider visiting during your stay. However, we just focused on two of them- time was not enough for more. 

Things to see in Trinidad and Tobago

Upon arrival at Port of Spain (the main town), we headed straight to the taxis located outside the area of the harbor. Like in all the other island capitals, those taxis had unofficial rates and  you can bargain there. 

•  Fort George (a bit far)

Get a truly spectacular bird’s-eye view of the Port of Spain cityscape and the Gulf of Paria from this colonial-era fort, with stone-built defensive walls pierced by a row of ancient cannons. There’s a wooden signal station with a diorama of the fort and a board detailing its construction by Ashanti prince Kofi Nte in 1883. Benches and picnic tables dot the manicured lawns (bring your own refreshments), and there are telescopes to zoom in on the panorama below.

The road to the fort is steep and winding, and passes through some less than salubrious areas. The recommendation is not to attempt to walk it, and to go in a group if possible. There’s a security guard on duty during opening hours. Best time to go there is in the afternoon, when the heat dies down, but it’s a wonderfully breezy spot throughout the day.

The opening hours are between 9am and 6pm. 

The next three sightseeing locations are in the city itself.

• Botanical gardens 

Resplendent with exotic trees and plants, and networked by paved paths, the Botanical Gardens date from 1818. Take a stroll or relax in one of the handsome wooden gazebos; at Christmas time, trees along the Savannah-facing walkway are lit up with thousands of colorful fairy lights. A graceful mansion built in 1875, the adjacent President’s House is undergoing major repairs and sits shrouded under a protective roof, its west wing having collapsed in early 2010.

• Independence square

The hustle and bustle of downtown culminates along Independence Square, two parallel streets that flank the central Brian Lara Promenade, named for Trinidad’s cricketing hero. The commanding 1836 Roman Catholic Cathedral caps the promenade’s eastern end; at its western end, past the high-rise blocks of the Nicholas and Central Bank towers, and a statue of Brian Lara, the square feeds onto the coastal highway, Wrightson Rd. A raised walkway over Wrightson Rd connects the promenade to the waterfront.

“Though plagued by traffic fumes and the occasional whiff of urine” (we haven’t experienced this ourselves, that is why I’m citing), Independence Square is a characterful place to absorb the downtown vibe. Office workers mingle with the odd rum-head, chess-players hunch over boards inlaid onto concrete tables, and enterprising entrepreneurs take advantage of the power sockets at the top of the street lights, scaling up to plug in clippers used for mobile barber shops.

 

• Red House

Named for its burgundy paintwork, this imposing Renaissance-style parliament was constructed in 1906, having been rebuilt after it was destroyed by fire in the 1903 Water Riots. It’s currently in the last stages of a complete restoration, which saw the building shrouded under a metal roof for several years. The works were stalled following the discovery of ancient Amerindian skeletons in the foundations. It’s slated to reopen in early 2020, but whether this will happen on time is anyone’s guess.

The reason why we skipped these spots was because we had already seen something similar on one of the previous islands. Remember- all the Caribbean islands we visited have an Independence square, or the Botanical gardens at the island of Grenada which were really impressive. What we haven’t seen so far is something unique for this island. It was their national sign- the Scarlet ibis. That is why upon arrival at the port we headed straight to Caroni Swamp. 

• Caroni Swamp

Caroni Bird Sanctuary, just south of Port of Spain, is a nirvana for nature lovers. This series of mangrove-lined waterways is the nesting place of the Scarlet ibis, the National bird of Trinidad and Tobago. Although the afternoon boat tours cruise the estuaries in search of these spectacular flame-colored birds as they descend on the trees in large flocks, we decided to go for a visit before noon. And we were quite lucky. We were the first people to arrive there, thus having the opportunity to explore the area without the tourist crowds (which came later).

The amazing lagoon covers about 40 square miles of wetland. While the Caroni Swamp is rich in shrubs, grasses, water hyacinth, bird of paradise, sedges and ferns, the main vegetation is the mangrove. The mangroves are land builders. Their roots provide a suitable habitat for many marine organisms; the crowns provide a roosting and nesting site for avian life. 

Although the local taxis know the location, here is the website in case you want to read more about it: www.caronibirdsanctuary.com

The Scarlet Ibis- the symbol of Trinidad and Tobago

Although you can see a lot of other birds, reptiles, fish, mammals, insects, etc, the main attraction of Caroni Bird Sanctuary is the Scarlet ibis. The locals say that there are around several thousands of this bird living at the Sanctuary.

This unique bird develops with age. The young ibis is usually greyish-brown. The plumage turns pink between 6-12 months and then forms a scarlet colour in 3 years. The adult ibis is a brilliant scarlet color with the tips of the four longest primary feathers being black. Unfortunately we did not see an ibis that close in order to distinguish these black feathers. The legs, bill and face are pink but during the breeding season the bill turns blackish. 

Based on its feather color we can say that this is a baby ibis

In captivity, the Scarlet Ibis loses its brilliant scarlet color because of change in its diet. The diet lacks certain pigments found in the organisms that they eat such as crabs, small fishes, shrimps, insects, and algae, which inhabit the mudflats in the swamp. 

Luckily we could see a flock of scarlet ibis at a distance

Basically the tour is an one-hour boat ride among the mangrove swamp in which you are chasing the scarlet ibis birds. If you are lucky enough, you will see flocks of them, however, the chance is low that this happens in the morning. Another issue is that the boats are quite noisy, thus scaring the birds which fly away from the main canals.

Besides a couple of really beautiful scarlet Ibis birds, we also saw  some flamingos, snakes and younger ibis birds on our way. 

Some of the sanctuary inhabitants we saw during our ride. Thankfully the snake was deeply sleeping as it was right above our heads when we passed by.

• Maracas Bay

After the end of the boat tour at Caroni Swamp, we headed to where we intended to spend the rest of our day in Trinidad and Tobago- Maracas bay. 

Panoramic view towards Maracas bay 

About 40 minutes drive northeast from Port of Spain, Maracas Bay is one of Trinidad’s most famous beaches. A deep bay protects this palm-fringed strip of golden sand, one of the most beautiful beaches close to the city. From Port of Spain, the scenic drive through mountainous rain forest provides breathtaking views of lush peninsulas jutting into the sea. We also stopped at a famous viewpoint showing an amazing view of the bay. 

Maracas Bay beach

This beach is a gorgeous arc of golden sand that can be found nestled between the high coastal hills and rain forests on the north coast of Trinidad. The spot is popular with both travelers and locals. Frothy waves and a peppering of windblown palms add a rugged edge to the beach, while countless lookout points and local craft stores dot the mountain tracks nearby. This means there’s plenty more to do here than just swim and sunbathe. 

We saw a recommendation to try the iconic Bake and Shark joints that hide between the palm groves. These serve up Trinidad’s famous shark fritters – a veritable must-try for any foodies on the archipelago! The beach was a bit crowded (not only with tourists from our cruise ship, but also a lot of locals due to the start of the local festival). However, the visit to this beach was definitely worth it. For me the beach looked like coming out of one of the Baywatch series because of the lifeguard huts and the big waves. Do not miss trying the local rum cocktails which they serve directly in a fresh coconut. Not only can you enjoy the drink, but also they add to a perfect beach photo. 

Your rum cocktail in a fresh coconut fruit

The End

We had a very impatient driver, so we left the beach early. It was 15:30 when we headed back to the ship. I’m so glad we did so, because it was slightly before 18:00 when we got back to the port. The traffic was really awful and this ride was one of the most stressful ever. Luckily we got there on time and we could continue to the next island with the same cruise ship :).

So, this was everything not only from the Trinidad and Tobago islands, but also for the whole Caribbean cruise. In conclusion I would like to say that this was our first, but definitely not the last cruise (I hope). Exploring smaller and otherwise difficult to reach islands is the perfect way via a cruise. I’m already considering other interesting routes, so stay tuned.

If you enjoyed traveling with us, do not miss our other Caribbean stories.