Barbados
Antigua
Grenada
Tobago Tobago |
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| St. James Travel & Tours (Tobago) Store Bay Road Crown Point Tobago |
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Telephone: (868) 631-8338 Facsimile: 868) 639-9909 E-mail: stjamestab@tstt.net.tt |
Tobago and its twin island, Trinidad, are the Caribbean's odd couple. 'Little sister' Tobago is relaxed, slow-paced and largely undeveloped. Trinidad is a densely populated, thriving island with a cosmopolitan population and strong regional influence.
It's famous for hosting the loudest and wildest Carnival in the Caribbean, whereas on Tobago the oceanside hotels are casual, the reefs are calm and protected and the beaches are good. Indulge both the laid-back and the energetic sides of your personality by spending time on both islands.
Visas: Citizens of the USA, Canada, and most European Commonwealth countries do not require visas. Visas are required by citizens of some countries, including Australia, New Zealand, India and Sri Lanka. In most countries, visas are obtained through the British Embassy.
Health risks: dengue fever (Trinidad & Tobago suffer occasional Dengue fever outbreaks)
Time Zone: GMT/UTC -4 (Atlantic Time)
Dialling Code: 868
Electricity: 115V ,60Hz
Weights & measures: Metric
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When to Go
Carnival, two days before Ash Wednesday in either February or March, is the best reason to go to Trinidad. However, if you can live without the big party, you'll enjoy steeply discounted hotel prices and cheaper airfares by visiting in the low season from mid-April to mid-December. During this period, the beaches are less crowded, tourist areas are more relaxed and last-minute bookings are not a problem.
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Events
The calendar of special events in both Tobago and Trinidad is dominated by Trinidad's Carnival, the reputed king of all Caribbean Carnivals. Trinidad also hosts a big jazz festival and a plethora of multicultural events; in comparison, Tobago's festivals are low-key and bucolic.
From New Year's Day onwards, Trinidadians begin their obsessive preparations for Carnival, organising themselves into costume-making working bees, testing out the steel drums and rehearsing Calypso. By Carnival Monday (two days before Ash Wednesday, in February or March) the whole island is revved. It all kicks off with a pre-dawn procession into the heart of the city as tens of thousands of revellers from around the world are invited to become part of the swell, and by nightfall everyone is dancing, drinking and carousing in the streets. On Carnival Tuesday, there are competitions for Band of the Year. Most of the larger events take place at the Queen's Park Savannah in the center of Port of Spain.
The Pan Jazz Festival, held in November, brings together pan drummers and jazz musicians for three days of concerts in Trinidad. There are also numerous East Indian festivals that are based on the lunar calendar; the biggest is Divali, which usually falls in November.
Tobago's Heritage Festival consists of two weeks of traditional-style festivities that begin in late July. For something quintessentially local, there's the big goat race in Tobago's Buccoo village on the Monday and Tuesday after Easter.
Public holidays celebrated in Trinidad & Tobago are: New Year's Day (1 January); Eid Ul Fitr (varies according to the Islamic calendar); Good Friday and Easter Monday (March/April); Spiritual/Shouter Baptist Liberation Day (30 March); Indian Arrival Day (30 May); Corpus Christi (ninth Thursday after Easter); Labour Day (19 June); Emancipation Day (1 August); Independence Day (31 August); Christmas (25 December) and Boxing Day (26 December).
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Money & Costs
Currency: Trinidad & Tobago Dollar
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Meals
- Budget: US$1-6
- Mid-range: US$6-12
- High: US$12+
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Lodging
- Budget: US$20-50
- Mid-range: US$50-100
- High: US$100+
The US dollar can be used in Trinidad & Tobago, and many hotel prices and car rentals are quoted in US dollars. However, for most transactions you'll be better off exchanging your money into the local currency. British sterling and Canadian dollars can also be readily exchanged at banks but are not commonly accepted by businesses.
Visa and MasterCard are accepted at most moderately priced restaurants, hotels and guesthouses. There's a 15% value-added tax tacked onto hotel rates and a 10% service charge. Some restaurants also add a 10% service charge; for those that don't, a 10% tip is standard.
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Attractions
Port of Spain
The islands' capital, Port of Spain is a bustling metropolitan hub of approximately 300,000 people. It's not the country's tourist centre by any means, since its attractions are limited to a few 19th-century colonial buildings and its hotels are geared toward business travellers rather than tourists. The pulse of the city is Independence Square - not really a square at all, but rather two long streets bordering a narrow pedestrian strip. At Independence Square you can pick up a taxi and find travel agents, banks and cheap eats.
The city is crowned by Queen's Park Savannah, once part of a sugar plantation and now a public park with a race track. Largely an expansive grassy field, the park itself is not particularly interesting but there are some sights along its perimeter. In the park's northwest corner there's a small rock garden with a lily pond and benches. Along its west side is the Magnificent Seven, a line of seven fancy colonial buildings, including Stollmeyer's Castle, built to resemble a Scottish castle complete with turrets.
Asa Wright Nature Center
The Asa Wright Nature Center is a former cocoa and coffee plantation that has been turned into an 80ha (198ac) nature reserve. Located amid the rainforest in the Northern Range, the centre has attracted naturalists from around the world since it was founded in 1967. There's a lodge catering to birding tour groups, a research station for biologists and a series of hiking trails on the property.
A wide range of bird species inhabit the area, including blue-crowned motmots, chestnut woodpeckers, palm tanagers, channel-billed toucans, blue-headed parrots, 10 species of hummingbirds and numerous raptors. The sanctuary encompasses Dunston Cave, which is home to a breeding colony of the elusive nocturnal guacharo, or oilbird.
Asa Wright Nature Centre is less than a two-hour drive from Port of Spain.
Caroni Bird Sanctuary
Caroni Bird Sanctuary is the roosting site for thousands of scarlet ibis, the national bird of Trinidad and Tobago. At sunset the birds fly to roost in the swamp's mangroves, giving the trees the appearance of being abloom with brilliant scarlet blossoms. The sight of the ibis flying over the swamp at sunset is a treat not to be missed.
Maracas Bay
Just a 40-minute drive from the capital is Maracas Bay, Trinidad's most popular beach. This fishing hamlet has a broad, sandy beach and occasionally has decent waves for bodysurfing. Tyrico Bay, just to the east of Maracas Bay, is quieter and less commercial. Las Cuevas, 8km (5mi) east of Maracas Bay, is a pretty, U-shaped bay with a nice brown-sand beach; there's surfing at its west end and calmer conditions at the centreer.
Tobago
Tobago is a delightfully relaxed island with much to offer travellers. There are good beaches, pristine snorkelling and diving spots, excellent bird watching opportunities and just enough tourism to make visiting Tobago easy, yet not so much that the island feels overrun.
The airport town of Crown Point is in the middle of Tobago's main resort area. It's surrounded by palm-fringed, white-sand beaches with good year-round swimming and snorkelling. The attractive fishing villages of Speyside and Charlotteville are interesting out-of-the-way destinations, and the nearby uninhabited islets of Little Tobago, Goat Island and St Giles Island are ecotourist destinations with abundant birdlife.
There's great diving at Buccoo Reef, offshore from the little visited village of Buccoo, and good snorkelling at Pirate's Bay, off Charlotteville. The latter derives its name from the secluded haven it provided to marauding buccaneers three centuries ago. It's rumored that there's still buried treasure around Pirate's Bay today.
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Off the Beaten Track
Buccoo
Buccoo is a small village that's only lightly touristed. The narrow brown-sand beach at Buccoo Bay doesn't compete with the generous white sands at Store Bay, but Buccoo's offshore waters are lovely.
A handful of glassbottom boats provide tours of the extensive fringing reef between Buccoo and Pigeon Point. The boats pass over the reef, much of which is just a meter or two beneath the surface, stop for snorkelling and end with a swim in the Nylon Pool, a calm shallow area with a sandy bottom and clear turquoise waters.
Fort King George
Tobago's best remaining colonial fortification (1779) is well worth a visit for its history, coastal views and parklike grounds. Cannons line the fort's stone walls, and there's a working lighthouse, a shop selling local crafts and a small museum with displays on Amerindian artifacts and Tobago's colonial history.
Manzanilla Beach
Trinidad's east coast is wild and rural, a mix of lonely beaches, rough Atlantic waters, mangrove swamps and coconut plantations. You may not encounter another traveller along the entire coast, but you will encounter free-roaming cows, water buffaloes, vultures, egrets and herons. The main east coast beach, Manzanilla Beach, has brown sand, palm trees and white beach morning glory.
Pitch Lake
The oddest attraction in Trinidad is Pitch Lake, a 40ha (99ac) continually replenishing lake of tar which is the source of the world's single largest supply of natural bitumen - however, as a sight it's reminiscent of a huge parking lot.
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Activities
Tobago has some fine strands of beach on a par with many of the Caribbean's better known destinations. There are white-sand beaches and glass-clear water at Store Bay and Pigeon Point. There's a coral reef at Buccoo Bay, not far from Pigeon Point, and a concentration of dive sites around Little Tobago, Goat Island and St Giles Island, three uninhabited islets off Tobago's northern coast. There's also good snorkelling to be found at Pirate's Bay on the northern side of Charlotteville and at Angel Reef off Goat Island.
Trinidad is not known for its beaches, but the island's singular favourite is Maracas Bay, a scenic spot north of Port of Spain. Trinidad boasts several worthwhile hikes, including a fine hiking trail to Blue Basin Waterfall in the Northern Range. Attacks on hikers sometimes occur, so a safe way to get into the wilderness is to join one of the monthly hikes led by the Trinidad & Tobago Field Naturalists Club or one of the frequent walks at the Asa Wright Nature Center. An alternative is to hike in the Tobago Forest Reserve, which has a number of safer trailheads leading into the rainforest. It's not uncommon to see parrots, hummingbirds, motmots, coricos, woodpeckers and trogons on these routes.
To see and hear the birds on Trinidad, check out the Caroni Bird Sanctuary, Pointe-a-Pierre Wildfowl Trust, the Asa Wright Nature Center or the bird sanctuary on Little Tobago, the islet close to Speyside.
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History
Trinidad was sighted in 1498 by Columbus, who christened it La Isla de la Trinidad, for the Holy Trinity. The Spanish who followed in Columbus' wake enslaved many of Trinidad's Amerindian inhabitants, taking them to toil in the new South American colonies. Spain, in its rush for gold, gave only scant attention to the potential of Trinidad's land, which lacked precious minerals. It took until 1592 for the Spanish to establish their first settlement, San Josef, just east of the present-day capital of Port of Spain. Over the next two centuries unsuccessful attempts were made by Spanish colonisers to establish tobacco and cacao plantations but crop failures and a lack of support from Spain left the island only lightly settled.
As a result, the British took the islands from the Spanish in 1797. Slavery was abolished in the1830s, prompting the British to import thousands of indentured workers, mostly from India, to work in the cane fields and service the colony. The indentured labour system remained in place for over 100 years.
Tobago was also sighted by Columbus and claimed by the Spanish but there were no attempts to colonise it. During the 17th century, Tobago changed hands numerous times as the English, French, Dutch and even Courlanders (present-day Latvians!) wrestled for control. In 1704 it was declared a neutral territory, which left room for pirates to use the island as a base for raiding ships in the Eastern Caribbean. The British returned to establish a colonial administration on Tobago in 1763, and within two decades 10,000 African slaves were imported to establish the island's sugar, cotton and indigo plantations.
Tobago's plantation economy slid into decline after the abolition of slavery but sugar and rum production continued until 1884, when the London firm that controlled finances for the island's plantations went bankrupt. Plantation owners unable to sell their sugar or rum quickly sold or abandoned their land, leaving the economy in shambles but most of the islanders with a plot of land; those who had no money to purchase land simply squatted.
In 1889 the British made Tobago, which previously had its own independent legislature, a ward of neighbouring Trinidad. Demands for greater levels of autonomy grew following WWI. The depression of the 1930s led to a series of strikes and riots and the growth of a labour movement on the islands. As a consequence, the British granted universal suffrage in 1946 and took measures to institute self-government. Independence eventually came in 1962. In April 1970 the 'Black Power' movement's public demonstrations created a political crisis and an army mutiny, but the government held on to power. Just as it seemed that the country's prospects were slipping, oil was discovered. The oil boom in the 1970s brought prosperity to the islands but the East Indian community became increasingly isolated from political power. In July 1990, members of a minority Muslim group attempted a coup. They stormed parliament and took 45 hostages, including prime minister ANR Robinson, who was shot in the leg after refusing to resign. Since then, the oil business has taken a downturn and the government has implemented austerity programmes while boosting its efforts to promote tourism on the islands.
In 1994, the government introduced tough anti-crime measures to combat what was perceived to be an alarming rise in crime levels in some neighbourhoods. More petroleum and natural gas reserves were discovered in the late 1990s, promising a return to prosperity for the nation. The political process, however, is mired in uncertainty, with the opposition becoming increasingly unwilling to participate in a process it sees as inherently geared towards the government.
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Culture
Calypso, a medium for political and social satire, has roots on Trinidad. It stems back to the days when slaves sang in patois, mocking their colonial masters. The Mighty Sparrow, long-time king of calypso, is a Trinidadian native, as are many of the Caribbean's up-and-coming calypso stars. Today, the music of indentured servants from India has also become an integral part of Trinidad's musical repertoire.
Integral to Trinidad's outrageous Carnival festivities is the music of the steel drum (pan), which was invented in Trinidad half a century ago using the hammered-out ends of discarded oil drums. Panyards, where steel drum bands practice in the evenings, abound in Port of Spain and, particularly in the weeks preceding Carnival, the decibels go through the roof.
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Environment
Located at the end of a sweep of islands on the southeastern boundary of the Caribbean, Trinidad & Tobago are just barely off the coast of Venezuela. Trinidad's land area is 4828 sq km (1883 sq mi) and Tobago's is 300 sq km (117 sq mi). Geographically, boot-shaped Trinidad was clearly once part of the South American mainland. Over time a channel developed, separating Trinidad from Venezuela. The connection to South America is readily visible in Trinidad's lofty Northern Range, a continuation of the Andes, and in its abundant oil and gas reserves, which are concentrated on the southwestern side of the island facing oil-rich Venezuela.
The Northern Range spreads east to west, forming a scenic backdrop to Port of Spain. In the centre of the range, above Arima, lies the 941m (3086ft) Cerro del Aripo, the country's highest peak. Much of the rest of the island consists of plains, undulating hills and mangrove swamps. Trinidad's numerous rivers include the Ortoire River, which runs 50km (31mi) on its way to the southeast coast, and the 40km (25mi) Caroni River, which empties into the Caroni Swamp.
The island of Tobago, 20km (12mi) northeast of Trinidad, has a central mountain range that reaches 620m (2034ft) at its highest point. Deep fertile valleys run from the ridge down towards the coast, which is indented with bays and sandy beaches.
Because of its proximity to the South American continent, Trinidad & Tobago has a wide variety of plant and animal life. There are more than 400 species of birds, 600 species of butterflies, 50 kinds of reptiles and 100 types of mammals, including red howler monkeys, anteaters, agouti and armadillos. Tobago has fewer species than Trinidad but parrots and other bright tropical birds are nonetheless abundant in the mountainous interior. You can commonly spot pelicans, osprey and frigatebirds along Tobago's coast. Both islands have luxuriant rainforests.
Because of Trinidad's southerly location, temperatures are equable year round. The average daily high temperature in Port of Spain is 31°C (88°F) in both January and July, while the low averages 22°C (72°F) in July and is only one degree cooler in January. February to May are the driest months, with a relative humidity of 74%. June to August, the wettest months, average 260mm (10in) of rain and 23 rainy days each month. Trinidad & Tobago are outside the hurricane belt.
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Getting There & Away
Both Trinidad & Tobago are home to international airports. Tobago's Crown Point International Airport dominates the island's southwest corner and Trinidad's Piarco International Airport is 23km (14mi) east of Port of Spain. Direct flights from the US arrive in Trinidad; planes from London fly to Tobago. Within the Caribbean, LIAT (the major inter-island carrier) has nonstop flights between Port of Spain and St Lucia, Grenada and St Croix. Trinidad-based BWIA also flies between the Caribbean islands.
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Getting Around
BWIA flies between Tobago and Trinidad many times a day. The flight takes 15 minutes and tickets are reasonably priced. You can buy an open return ticket that's good for one year.
Bus services linking Trinidad's larger towns depart from Port of Spain's City Gate terminal on South Quay. On Tobago, there's a regular bus service from Scarborough to Crown Point, Plymouth and most other villages. Services are less reliable on the weekend.
Regular taxis ('tourist taxis') are available at the airports on both islands, and you'll find them lurking around hotels and cruise-ship docks as well. There are no taxi meters, so try to negotiate a fare before setting off (ask your hotel reception for a list of government-regulated rates). Shared 'route taxis' and minibuses are the main form of public transport on the islands. These taxis travel along a set route dropping off passengers anywhere along the way.
There are a number of small car rental companies on Trinidad and rates are competitive. You must be over 25 to hire a car on Tobago, and rental prices are higher. Fill up with petrol before you head out for a long day of touring, and remember: stick like glue to the left.
Ferries run between Port of Spain in Trinidad and Scarborough in Tobago every day of the week except Saturdays. The trip takes five hours - but plan on arriving early to avoid losing your place, tickets are sometimes resold.
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