Some Adventures to have in Tobago
While Trinidad booms with industry and parties all night, tiny Tobago (just 26m/42km across at its widest point) kicks back in a hammock with a beer in hand watching its crystalline waters shimmer in the sun. Though Tobago is proud of its rainforests, fantastic dive sites, stunning aquamarine bays and nature reserves, it’s OK with not being mentioned in a Beach Boys' song. It accepts its tourists without vigor, but rather with languor, and allows them to choose between plush oceanside hotels or tiny guesthouses in villages where you walk straight to the open-air bar with sandy bare feet, and laugh with the locals drinking rum.
Take some tours, enjoy some water sports, hike into the rainforest & enjoy nature. Here is a list of things to explore during your visit.
Beaches, rivers & waterfalls
Discover Trinidad & Tobago Pages:
Pigeon Point - Photo by Caristock
Beautiful turquoise waters and lots of fish to see around the jetty, where you can take a glass-bottomed boat to Buccoo Reef and the Nylon Pool, rent snorkeling equip., jet skis, windsurf, or parasail. Calm waters and lots of beach to explore. Good facilities — changing rooms, restaurant, bar, shops with inflatables, snacks and swimwear. Huts with tables are available for free and you can rent a sun lounger (TT$30). Entrance fee: TT$20
Nylon Pool (near Buccoo Reef)
This world-famous spot was so named by Princess Margaret who said the water was as clear as her nylon stockings. A wallow in its shallow waters is also said to rejuvenate both the skin…and relationships. If you’re lucky, you will be joined in this reputed fountain of youth by baby stingrays. The nearby No Man’s Land is also a must-stop and a great spot to cook a freshly caught snapper or lobster, and the popular Buccoo Reef is nearby.
Bon Accord Lagoon - Bioluminscence
Move around in Bon Accord Lagoon and watch the water come to life — in electric blue! This amazing natural wonder (known as bioluminescence) occurs around the time of the new moon when millions of phytoplankton emit flashes of light to startle predators. A definite buzz… Radical Sports: 631-5150.
Englishman’s Bay (near Castara) - Photo by Chris Anderson
This is a lovely, secluded beach with a river at one end and lots of coconut and palm trees. Usually there are only a few visitors so the place is quiet and peaceful. It’s best to stay in the shallows because the waves can be powerful due to the sharp drop-off of the shoreline very close to the beach.
Castara Bay (Caribbean coast) - Photo by Chris Anderson
This delightful and quiet little bay has a lagniappe (added benefit) — bread yummy enough to eat just by itself. The delicious goodness of the piping hot bread baked in the traditional outdoor dirt oven behind the local primary school on Wednesday and Saturday mornings has become legendary. Women from the village make bread, cakes and pastries. Be sure to get there early in the morning to put in your order – everything sells like, well, hot cakes! Even locals from as far away as Scarborough line up for the best thing since sliced bread. Castara is also a beautiful unspoiled village with comfy guesthouses. A waterfall in the rainforest is an easy walk from the bay. The water is quite calm with a nice reef quite close to the shore. The small beach bar serves a generous lunch. For totally getting away and chillaxing in serenity, this is the place.
Castara Waterfall
Its a short walk from Castara Bay. Walk up the road away from the beach, turn right on the main road, and take the first street on the left. Walk straight across the football pitch and follow the path through the trees to the river bed. Head to the left and follow the river bed for about 300 meters and you will find the beautiful swimming pool.
Bloody Bay (near Parlatuvier)
Majestically surrounded by mountains, this crescent of a beach is spectacular and dramatic, the water breathtaking. Very NatGeo. Watch stingrays in the water from the jetty, and fishermen hauling in their nets as pelicans pilfer from the catch and frigate birds swoop to catch fish jumping out of the water. A river flows into the sea at one end. There’s a newly built changing facility. Stop at the Glasgow Bar and take in the great view overlooking the bay from the hillside. As for the name "Bloody", a sign on site gives an explanation, but there are three working theories: a battle circa 1666; a slave uprising 100 years later; and pigment from red dyewood trees …
Pirate’s Bay (Charlotteville) - Photo by Stephen Jay Photography
Secluded and serene, this beach has been rated one of the best in Bago. You can get there by boat, or take a short hike from Charlotteville. There are about a hundred steps to walk down, but the stunning views make it worthwhile. Calm waters, excellent for getting some Vitamin S – sunbathing, swimming and snorkeling. The rainforest comes right down to the beach so you can sit with binoculars and watch birds feeding in the water, and crabs and snails on the rocks.
Argyle Waterfall - Photo by Chris Anderson
Tobago’s highest waterfall (54m/175ft), Argyle tumbles over three tiers into a deep pool. Located on the northeast side of Tobago, just outside Roxborough on the Scarborough road, the Roxborough Visitor Service Co-op office is the entrance. Butterflies, birds and bromeliads can be seen along the trail that leads to the falls. You can hire a guide, if you like. The thunder of the waterfall can be heard long before you see it. The gush of the first cascade hides the real splendour of its upper levels. If you are adventurous, climb up the steep path on the right to the second level. Bathe in the natural ‘rock tubs’. At the highest level, the pool is deep with vines overhead that are perfect for swinging (carefully). There’s a changing area, and gumboots for hire. Wear comfy, good-gripping shoes, sunscreen, and bring bug spray and a towel. The shop sells bamboo carvings at a good price. Admission $60 adults, $30 children • 660-4152
ANIMAL PARKS
Corbin Local Wildlife
Surrounded by gentle hills and valleys overlooking the sea at Hope Bay, and situated in 20 acres of beautiful forest, Corbin Local Wildlife is a hidden gem. Plentiful fruit trees and flowers attract all kinds of native wildlife – plantain, sugarcane, mango trees and wild heliconia are abundant, to name but a few.
Wild caiman sunbathe on the banks of the park’s lily ponds, sally painters dash along the many trails and agoutis hop through the bushes. The park is a treasure-trove for birdwatchers – attracting hummingbirds, manakins, herons, mot-mots and jacamars. For more information on the animals you are likely to see here visit our Species List section.
In addition to the wild animals, the large enclosures in the park house many rescued and threatened species. It provides a protected area, with diverse habitats, essential for the preservation of Tobago’s native creatures. This safe environment, away from hunters, allows animals to breed and babies to be released into the forest when they are ready – protecting the natural wildlife which is under threat on the island. Watch video on Youtube here. Call to schedule a visit 1-868-327-4182.
Shurland James Hummingbird Nature Park
After a beautiful ride up into the edge of the Main Ridge Forest Reserve you arrive at the beautiful gardens teeming with gorgeous hummingbirds and many other birds and creatures.
Schedule tours on WhatsApp only at 1-868-294-3740. Location on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/EEk6xxUW6j...
TOURS
CocoMotion - North Coast Tour
Marlon and Rachel run a great tour of Tobago's beautiful Caribbean North Coast and you can't really miss out doing this tour before you go. You will travel on a 10 man speed boat and be taken to some bays which are inaccessible by road. You will do some great snorkeling and if you are lucky even dolphin spotting.
You can do a half day tour where you will visit two bays with a stop off at Nylon Pools, or a full day tour with BBQ right up to Englishman's and Pirate's Bay. Nylon Pool is a sandy beach that you stand waist high about 2 miles out at sea. In Cotton Bay, 'Big' lives there. He is a sting ray that likes swimming very close to women and he does live up to his name! Keep very still when he does this and you will be fine!
Tobago Cocoa Estate Tour
Tobago was once known for having the best Cocoa in the world and Duane Dove who owns a nearby Cocoa estate is re-igniting the Cocoa industry in Tobago. This is top of the line chocolate grown in Tobago and then refined and made in France from Normandy milk. Tel: 1-868-390-2021. www.tobagococoa.com
Nature Tours by Peter Cox
Do you want to see Cayman Crocodiles 15 minutes drive from Ohana? Or be turned into an avid bird watcher by seeing some of the most beautiful tropical birds in the world? Call Peter Cox and take a tour of Tobago with this amazing guy. Many people visit Tobago and never really know its real beauty and this man will reveal all.
We offer several different tours:
- The Main Ridge Rain forest and Argyle Waterfalls
- Little Tobago Bird Sanctuary and Argyle Falls
- Rain Forest Night Safari
- Trinidad Tour - Asa Wright Nature Centre - Caroni Swamp Bird Sanctuary
- Turtle Watching Mid March - July
Prices are from US$25-100 pp depending on the size of group and choice of tour. Email: petercoxtours@gmail.com Tel: 1-868-294-3086, 1-868-751-5822
SPORTS
Check-out these companies:
Tobago Dive Experience (Speyside)
Parasailing off Pigeon Point
Kite-surfing, kite-boarding, kayaking, stand-up-paddling, surfing, sailing … If these are your thing, head to Pigeon Point, Mt Irvine, Charlotteville, and Little Rockly Bay, or check out Radical Sports (631-5150), the Tobago Kite-boarding Organisation (331-3775), the Tobago Sea Kayak Experience (660-6186), or Stand Up Paddle (681-4741).
Kayaking
A variety of sea kayaks – sit-on-top, recreational and touring – can also be rented from water-sport providers. Kayaking around the Bon Accord lagoons and mangroves is a good way to see wildlife. Another popular kayaking spot is Charlotteville, with its coves that can only be reached by sea. Kayak tours of other parts of the island, plus lessons, can be easily organised.
Fishing Trips
Charter 'Super Cool' from its moorings near the house in Scarborough and enjoy Tobago's sport fishing during the season from November to May. For a full day charter of 9 hours, you can hire this boat for US $700. You can also opt for a fishing cruise combo where you will eat lunch on a beach with the fish you have caught. This boat cruises at 18 knots and is a 38 ft Bertram SF equipped with all the latest fishing equipment. Sit yourself in the 'Big Game' fishing chair and bring in that Blue Marlin!
Jungle Mountain Biking
Follow natural trails through the Tobago rain forest with incredible views of the sea. Stop at deserted Robinson Crusoe beaches inaccessible by car for a refreshing swim. Choose from beginner to expert level trails and experience these rides with the 'Ice Man', (868) 681-5695 or (868) 689-6438, who will show you the way. Prices start at US $40 per person and include transport, bike rental, helmets, light snack and water.
Being with horses (Buccoo) - Photo courtesy of www.healing-with-horses.com
If you love animals, the sea, and have a soft spot for rescued horses with moving back-stories, then you’ll want to check out Being With Horses. Run by German-born Veronika La Fortune and her husband Lennon, they offer sunset swim-ride sessions, trail rides, picnic rides, and horseback weddings (weight limit is 190 Pounds or 13.6 Stone). 639-0953, being-with-horses.com. For printable flyer click here.
Tobago Plantations Golf and Country Club
A par-72 18-hole championship course among the old coconut plantations, located near the Magdalena Grand Beach Resort. http://www.magdalenagrand.com/...
RELAXING ACTIVITIES
Take a workshop at Planet Ceramics
You can go visit Helen and browse through her beautiful shop for handcrafted souvenirs or visit her website and sign up for a workshop to create your own wares. Located on Pigeon Point in the shops near the jetty. Phone: (868) 631-8101, email: info@planetceramics.com
Kariwak Village Hotel - Restaurant, Yoga, Tai Chi, and Meditation Classes
If you fancy a night out from Ohana we recommend the Kariwak Village Hotel at Crown Point near the airport. It has the best food on the island and this is also where you can go for yoga, tai chi and meditation classes. They have recently started Thai Yoga Massage and this is a one and a half hour massage done in the open air for US $95.
On Friday night they do a buffet with entertainment and it is worth booking ahead to ask for a table outside in the huts. The Canadian owner Cynthia and her manager Colin are really nice people and it is worth visiting this place for lunch and even breakfast.