Trinidad & Tobago - (Page 5)

TOBAGO the dream eco-destination is pa e bot p otos cotourists and acti e acationers will find myriad activities to keep them busy on both islands. Opposite page: Stunning architecture in Trinidad (left); and Carnival time in Trinidad (right). 4-5 TrinidadTobago.indd 5 nearby is Stonehaven Bay, with its hotels and restaurants, and Tobago's other 18-hole golf course, the Mount Irvine Bay Golf Club. To the north lie yet more beaches and bays, often with a diving boat at anchor because there are so many reefs and a sunken wreck along the calm west coast and around the islands just northeast of Tobago: Little Tobago (aka Bird of Paradise), St. Giles, and Goat islands. Tobago's interior is a prize, too. Covering about two-thirds of the island-almost everything north and east of Mount St. George-the Main Ridge Forest Reserve is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the World Travel Awards has named it the "World's Leading EcoTourism destination" four times. This is the oldest forest reserve in the entire Western Hemisphere (established 1776), with undulating hills and woodlands that are home to towering trees, waterfalls, and bromeliads. Its fauna include mammals, lizards, dozens of varieties of butterﬂies, and more than 200 species of birds, not to mention migrating birds for whom Tobago is an important rest stop. The Main Ridge, whose highest point is about 2,000 ft., is also a major draw for hikes, nature walks, and other eco-tourism activities. Amid the dive sites between Speyside on the northeast shore and Goat Island are two legendary reefs: Angel Reef and the Japanese Gardens. This is where even novice snorkelers can swim among millions of ﬁsh, while divers can view the largest recorded brain coral in the world. The east coast perimeter road leads southwest toward Scarborough. Near Roxborough is Argyle Falls, the highest on the island and the quintessential tropical cascade, surrounded by lush vegetation and collecting in a pool that's perfect for swimming. Farther down, near Belle Garden, is the Richmond Great House, a historic plantation house (there's a B&B and cafe, too) with period furnishings. Continuing in a southwestward direction to Scarborough, the road overlooks sweeping views of the blue Atlantic Ocean. Stopping for the 10th time to take pictures of the vistas, a visitor will be glad to have brought extra batteries and storage disks to this extraordinarily varied and photogenic island. THA (2) Resting about 20 miles to the northeast of Trinidad, with its population of 1,273,000, Tobago is smaller, with 50,000 people. Imagine a 26-mile-long, sausage-shaped island that points southeast-northeast; then picture an interior that's forever wild with forests and tropical birds, and a coastline featuring unspoiled beaches and blue-green waters where millions of ﬁsh amaze snorkelers and divers from all over the world. In fact, it is believed that this island inspired both "Treasure Island" and "Robinson Crusoe." Scarborough, the capital of Tobago, hugs Rockly Bay, a coastal indentation on the southeast side of the island. Walking through this 300-year-old settlement, you see Victorian gingerbread houses and the Old Courthouse and House of Assembly. At the top of the town is Fort King George, whose centuries-old buildings now include the Tobago History Museum and a ﬁne arts center-an indication that this island has a lot going for it in addition to its natural wonders. The level terrain from Scarborough to the southwest features stores and homes interspersed with farms, as well as the Tobago Plantation Golf Club, one of two 18-hole championship courses on the island. This being a nature island, golfers will spot birds and, at the water features, even a few caimans. Beautiful Store Bay Beach lies at the southwestern end of the island, and north of that is yet another gorgeous beach: Pigeon Point, an expanse of white sand with small restaurants, beachwear and watersports rental shops, glass-bottom boat tours, bathrooms and showers, and crystal-clear waters. Just west of the point, a combination of calm water and steady breezes makes this a gathering place for kite-surﬁng beginners, experts, and onlookers who just want to enjoy a great show. There's yet more Caribbean-of-your-dreams scenery as you head north, including Buccoo Reef, which is a shallow reef teeming with ﬁsh drawn to the colorful coral and a wide, ﬂat, sand-bottom area- Nylon Pool-where people can wade in waist-deep water said to have fountain-of-youth properties. The village of Buccoo is the world capital of goat and crab racing-much more fun than the Kentucky Derby. Also T5 4/21/15 1:06 PM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Trinidad & Tobago

Trinidad: It Ain’t Just Carnival
Tobago: The Dream Eco-Destination
To Sell Trinidad & Tobago, Know Your Clients
Eco-Adventure
Soft Adventure
Culture & Sightseeing: The A List
What’s Cookin’?
Accommodations
Tour Operators
Events & Festivals
Transportation/Fast Facts

Trinidad & Tobago