Highlights
Trinidad Carnival
Held on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, with weeks of build-up: calypso and soca shows, steelpan competitions at Panorama, the pre-dawn mud and paint of J'ouvert, and the costumed bands parading through Port of Spain.
Port of Spain
The capital has the Queen's Park Savannah, one of the largest urban parks in the Caribbean, ringed by the ornate Magnificent Seven mansions, the botanic gardens and street food stalls selling doubles, the island's favourite breakfast.
Asa Wright Nature Centre
A former cocoa and coffee estate in the Northern Range rainforest, renowned for hummingbirds, toucans, manakins and a colony of oilbirds, nocturnal birds that navigate by echolocation.
Caroni Swamp
Boat trips at dusk through mangroves to watch scarlet ibis, Trinidad's national bird, fly in to roost, turning the trees red.
Maracas Bay
A popular beach on the north coast, reached by a winding road over the Northern Range, famous for bake and shark, fried shark served in fried bread with sauces and salad.
Pitch Lake
Near La Brea in the south of Trinidad, this is the largest natural deposit of asphalt in the world, and you can walk across parts of its surface with a local guide.
Tobago's reefs and beaches
Pigeon Point has a classic thatched jetty, and boat trips go out to Buccoo Reef and the Nylon Pool, a shallow sandbar in the sea. Speyside, in the north-east, is the place for diving among large brain corals and manta rays.
Main Ridge Forest Reserve
Tobago's rainforest, protected since 1776, with trails to waterfalls and good birding. On the north coast of Trinidad, Grande Riviere beach hosts one of the world's largest leatherback turtle nesting sites, mainly from about March to August.
Interesting facts about Trinidad and Tobago
- The steelpan, made from oil drums, was developed in Trinidad in the 20th century and is often described as the only acoustic instrument invented in that century.
- Tobago's Main Ridge Forest Reserve, designated in 1776, is often cited as the oldest legally protected forest reserve in the Western Hemisphere.
- Angostura bitters, used in cocktails around the world, are produced in Trinidad.
- Trinidad lies just off the coast of Venezuela, separated from the South American mainland by only a narrow strait at its closest point.
- More than a third of the population is of Indian descent, and festivals such as Divali and Phagwah are celebrated alongside Carnival and Christmas.
Best time to visit
The dry season runs from roughly January to May and is the most popular time to visit, including Carnival in February or early March. The rainy season, from about June to December, brings heavy showers but usually not all-day rain. Trinidad and Tobago lie south of the main hurricane belt, so major hurricanes are rare, although tropical storms can still affect the islands. Leatherback turtle season is from roughly March to August.
Practical information
| Capital | Port of Spain |
|---|---|
| Currency | Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TTD) |
| Languages | English |
| Plugs | Type A, B |
| Voltage | 115 V, 60 Hz |
| Emergency | 999 police, 990 fire, 811 ambulance |
| Driving | On the left |
| Tipping | Around 10 to 15 percent in restaurants if service is not already added; tip guides and drivers. |
Getting around
Trinidad has a busy road network and heavy traffic around Port of Spain at peak hours. Shared 'route taxis' and maxi-taxis (minibuses, colour-coded by area) run on fixed routes; private taxis should be booked through hotels or agreed in advance. Hiring a car gives the most freedom, especially for the north coast and the south. Tobago is reached by a short domestic flight or the inter-island ferry from Port of Spain. On Tobago, hire a car or use taxis to explore the island.
Staying connected in Trinidad and Tobago
Mobile coverage is good in Port of Spain, San Fernando and other towns on Trinidad, and around Crown Point and Scarborough on Tobago, with 4G widely available. Coverage can be weaker along the north coast roads, in the Northern Range and in the forest on Tobago. Wi-Fi is available in most hotels and guesthouses. Download offline maps if you are heading to beaches or forest trails. Install an eSIM before you fly and switch it on when you land.
See Trinidad and Tobago eSIM plans · How to install an eSIM
Useful apps for Trinidad and Tobago
- Google Maps: Driving directions and journey times, with offline maps for the north coast and Tobago.
- WhatsApp: The usual way to book taxis, tours and guesthouses.
- eBird or Merlin Bird ID: Identify the many species at Asa Wright, Caroni and Tobago's forests.
- XE Currency: Converting TT dollars, as US dollars are also sometimes quoted for tours.