This day trip will start with a brief city tour in the bustling heart of Port of Spain, Trinidad’s capital. Enjoy the scenic North Coast Road to Maracas Beach, with a stop at the Maracas Lookout for panoramic views and photo opportunities. Trying some local snacks here is a must. At the beach you can relax, swim or take a walk along the sandy shores, even taste the world-famous Bake and Fish. Next, the tour will visit the mysterious Caroni Wetlands. Slowly glide through the waterways in a large flat-bottomed boat, viewing various wildlife with a highlight being the roosting of Scarlet Ibis. A sunset in nature.
Start the day with city tour of Trinidad’s capital, Port of Spain. Admire the Parliament Buildings, Supreme Court, historic Woodford Square, shopping streets in the city’s bustling center and Independence Square, with its Central Bank. A drive through the city brings the tour to the Queens Park Savannah, a 200-acre recreational park lined with exotic trees and interesting colonial style mansions with amazing architectural designs and the newly constructed National Academy of the Performing Arts, similar to the Opera House in Sydney.
Traveling through Maraval, the tour will reach the scenic North Coast Road. From here, one can admire a stunning view of the lush green Paramin Hills to the west and the thick rainforest to the east.
Upon reaching the Caribbean Sea, take in the most spectacular panoramic view of the ocean. A stop at the panoramic Maracas Lookout provides the opportunity for some photos of the surrounding bays. You can taste some delicious local snacks like fresh pineapple chutney or "toolum" made from sugarcane molasses. You simply must try it.
The most popular beach in Trinidad, Maracas Bay, is surrounded by lush green, rainforest-covered mountains, with a sandy beach lined with coconut trees. Take a walk or swim, or just relax by one of the beach shacks. Try a famous Bake and Fish, a hot crispy fish sandwich with homemade bread, at your own expense. There are many different sauces from which you can choose, just beware of the very hot pepper. Basic dressing rooms with changing and toilet facilities and beach chairs are available to use during the 1.5 hour beach time.
Continuing on, pass through the lush green valley of Santa Cruz with its cocoa and coffee plantations. The second half of the tour provides a delightful introduction to the Caroni Bird Sanctuary where avifauna is particularly abundant. The sanctuary is a 48 square mile wetland area on Trinidad’s western coast, part mangrove swamp and part lagoon. Upon arrival, you'll board a large flat-bottomed boat and slowly travel along the beautiful waterways admiring the unusual landscape and variety of birds, crustaceans and other wildlife. Red, black and white mangroves populate the edges of the waterways, with many tiny oysters clinging to their roots. It is also possible to see non-poisonous snakes in the branches of the trees and caimans or silky anteaters.
Upon arriving in the wide lagoon, the boat becomes your floating vantage-point to witness the protected and brightly colored Scarlet Ibis. The birds feed and nest in this area and every sunset they fly in unison to roost, a spectacular cloud of red against the evening sky. They settle in the mangroves as the sun is setting, the quiet atmosphere of the lagoon adding atmosphere to a memorable trip. You will be dropped back of at your hotel at approximately 7:00pm.
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