"Trinidad, the business side of T&T" Top 5 Page for this destination Trinidad by DSwede

Trinidad Travel Guide: 77 reviews and 97 photos

Port of Spain from Fort George - Trinidad
Port of Spain from Fort George

Please note that this page is dedicated more specifically to the island of Trinidad. If you wish to see more general notes on my month long stay on both islands, feel free to visit my Trinidad & Tobago page.

Firstly, to recap an important part from my T&T page, it would be prudent to point out that even though the island is less than 60 miles in any direction, Trinis often refer to not only the regions, but the towns in those regions as 'South', 'Central', 'North', 'West', etc.

To someone from the north, living in the 'South' means not only the lower 1/3 of the island, but more specifically San Fernando.
Central is obviously the middle 1/3, but denotes Chaguanas.
The North is the mountainous northern coast, focusing on Port of Spain (PoS).

Palm forest near Icacos - Trinidad

Palm forest near Icacos

South - has La Brea and Pitch Lake. It is one of only a few natural pitch lakes in the world. Constantly in a state of flux, we happened to visit in the right season not only to see natural oozing pitch, but to walk out and wade in the water pools collected in its folds. Then on to Icacos, on the extreme south western point. It is definitely at the end of a road less traveled. At the end of a palm forest, pocketed with ponds and birds, you come to a wide flat calm beach, from which you can see Venezuela. Also, located only in the South, are the natural mud volcanoes

In Central, we went to the mangroves, coconut and palm forests along Manzanilla coast near the east coast town of Mayaro. For miles, the road is canopied by rows of palms and the Atlantic side beaches have palm shadows and drift wood benches. In the west of Central (and just south of PoS) is the Caroni Swamp and Bird Sanctuary. At dusk, one can watch flocks of the vibrant red Scarlet Ibis returning to the nests after a day of foraging.

To the mountainous North, Port of Spain is home to most Trini people and businesses. Small by foreign standards, it is still comfortable, rather easy to navigate and has a lot of colonial architecture. Built up into the ever steepening hills, the town makes a mosaic of colorful homes interspersed in the jungle. Fort St. George gives a beautiful lookout of it all. Originally a lookout against raiders and enemies, from there, you can see the north coast, all of Port of Spain, Canori, all the way down to San Fernando hill in the South.

The small winding roads along the north coast are mesmerizing and if you can find a place to pull over, would be great for photos, but alas with steep cliffs, tight corners and healthy jungles, the pull offs are limited. Nestled in the north are famous beaches like Maracas Bay also known for its Bake & Shark sandwiches. On the far Northeast, near Toco, the seasonal nesting of sea turtles is a big draw.

Temples & roads in Central near Sangre Grande - Trinidad

Temples & roads in Central near Sangre Grande

I have addressed a few more specific tips and thoughts on the North (Port of Spain) and of the South (San Fernando)

(for more pictures, feel free to visit my Trinidad & Tobago Gallery. If you enjoy the pictures, please leave a comment.)

Pros and Cons
  • Pros:The island is small and can be circumnagivated easily.
  • Cons:Once off of the main highway, roads are not always in the best condition.
  • In a nutshell:Self tour for at least 4 days required to see the variable corners of Trinidad (excluding POS).
  • Intro Updated Mar 14, 2011
  • Add to Trip Planner (?)
  • Report Abuse

Reviews (6)

End of the road above Aripo - Trinidad Aripo Caves Sports & Outdoors (2)

If you have access to your own vehicle and want to get off on a less traveled hike and have an opportunity to see a... more travel advice

Devil's Wood Yard - Trinidad Mud Valcanoes Off The Beaten Path (1)

In South (the lower 1/3 of Trinidad), there are a few mud volcanoes. The largest and most popular of them is the Devil's... more travel advice

Waterloo temple at sunset - Trinidad Temple by the Sea Things to Do (1)

The Temple by the Sea, sometimes referred to as Waterloo Temple is a nice place to visit, particularly during dusk as... more travel advice

Cliffs along your own hidden beach - Trinidad Your own private beach Sports & Outdoors (2)

Along the road that goes to Maracas Bay from Port of Spain, after the summit, Fond Pois Doux road branches off upwards,... more travel advice

Comments (4)

  • Reply
    appleseed81's Profile Photo
    Jan 26, 2010 at 1:33 AM

    Hey Dave, was searching on Trinidad and saw your pages... Great tips and reviews... I'm hoping to secure a job there for a 1 - 2 year posting... Hope to get it... :)

  • Reply
    SLLiew's Profile Photo
    Aug 8, 2009 at 2:33 AM

    Excellent pages of T&T. You have travelled far and wide.

  • Reply
    alexandria08's Profile Photo
    Oct 25, 2008 at 5:16 AM

    Trinidad seems like a "home away from home" for me! good detailing yet again!

  • Reply
    cheesecake17's Profile Photo
    Oct 25, 2008 at 4:36 AM

    great info.best page on VT..you forgot the portuguess:-) my family lives there...

DSwede's Related Pages

Trinidad Travel Guide

 
Explore the World
Travel Destinations
DSwede's Profile Photo

DSwede

“What I lack in experience, I make up for in curiosity”

Online Now

Male

Top 1,000 Travel Writer
Member Rank:
0 0 1 9 7
Forum Rank:
0 0 0 5 5

Badges & Stats in Trinidad

  • 6 Reviews
  • 9 Photos
  • 1 Forum posts
  • 4 Comments
  • 1,261PageViews
  • See All Stats
  • See All Badges (107)

Have you been to Trinidad?

  Share Your Travels  

Latest Activity in Trinidad

Photos in Trinidad

See All Photos (9)

Top 10 Pages

See All Travel Pages (557)

Friends

See All Friends (78)

Travel Interests

See All Travel Interests (5)

Latest Trinidad hotel reviews

Salybia Nature Resort & Spa
82 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Jun 2, 2013
Trade Winds Hotel
40 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 30, 2013
The Emerald Apartments & Plaza
14 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Nov 16, 2012
Hilton Trinidad
393 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Jun 15, 2013
Paria Suites and Conference Centre
20 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Dec 10, 2012
Asa Wright Nature Centre and Lodge
44 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 26, 2013
Crews Inn Hotel & Yachting Centre
50 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Jun 14, 2013
Maracas Bay Hotel
31 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Jan 27, 2013
Anise Resort and Spa
38 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 23, 2013
Kalke Hotel
10 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 23, 2013
Palm's Hotel Trinidad
32 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Jun 3, 2013
The Royal Hotel
26 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Mar 30, 2013
Cara Suites - Pointe a Pierre
59 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Jun 17, 2013
Laguna Mar Lodge
13 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 7, 2013
Coconut Cove Holiday Beach Club
77 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 21, 2013