Sightseeing: Region 3 - Upper Caribbean
Our Tobago sightseeing guide shows every notable sightseeing location or feature on the island. Hold your mouse over any location spot to identify it, and click for detailed information.
Castara ***Castara is probably Tobago's most rapidly expanding village. Tourists have taken this small fishing village to their hearts in a big way in recent years and the number of visitor beds has quadrupled in the past few years. Fortunately the accommodation is all 'rustic' and has not destroyed the nature of the environment. There are no hotels, but equally, no other resources - such as supermarkets, souvenir shops or entertainment. There is an increasing number of restaurants, but these are locally owned and managed and offer variations of the same simple Creole cuisine, so don't expect great variety or anything as formal as menus. The village has two lovely bays with excellent beaches which offer good swimming and snorkelling. There is a small waterfall where you can enjoy a swim in a natural pool, just a short walk into the rainforest. |
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Englishman's Bay *****Fully discussed in our Beach section, Englishman's Bay is included here because it is such a popular stop on all sightseeing tours. Even if you don't actually visit the beach or take a swim, the view of the bay as you approach up the North Coast Road is nothing short of spectacular. |
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Highland Waterfall ****The Highland Waterfall at Moriah is my personal favourite. Like so many of these features, it is totally unmarked, so finding it without a guide can be impossible, particularly as this one is located in an area where you are unlikely to find a living sole to ask directions. The falls can be found to the left of the minor road between Les Coteaux and Mason Hall. Ignore the "Road Closed" sign at the turn off. Having driven as far up the trail as you can, you park and take a 10-15 minute hot hike alongside an extremely attractive stream to the falls, where the lagoon before the falls offers a perfect location for a cooling dip. Not for the unfit. Sturdy shoes (not flip flops) fairly essential for your comfort and safety. |
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Main Ridge Forest Reserve ****The Main Ridge is the mountainous volcanic spine of Tobago. It extends for about two thirds of the length of the island, from the north east tip. It is the oldest forest reserve in the western hemisphere and was proclaimed a Forest Reserve in perpetuity by an Act of Parliament in 1776, shortly after the island fell under British rule. Most of the forest remains totally natural, although major hurricanes in 1790, 1847, 1963 and 1974 damaged much of the forest area. The forested mountains rise to a maximum height of about 580 metres. A guided tour into the rainforest is an absolute must - but take lots of insect repellent. Timid visitors may be relieved to know that Tobago has no poisonous snakes. The drive between Roxborough and Bloody Bay is well worthwhile even if you don't stop to take a rainforest tour. The best marked and most easily identified trail in the reserve is Gilpin Trace. It is accessed off the Roxborough- Parlatuvier road and the entrance is clearly indicated by a sign on the main road - and a horde of young guides who will rush out into the road, try to force you to stop and attempt to persuade you to use their services. The scene can seem intimidating, but they are good natured and a polite "no" is enough to deter most. However, if you are going to go into the rain forest, it is important to do so with a guide. Personally, my choice would be to take a pre-arranged rainforest tour with one of the acknowledged and expert TTTIC-certified guides listed on this site. The Gilpin Trace trail starts in the mountains and leads downhill past a small waterfall to Bloody Bay. It is quite a long hike and it is a good idea to arrange to be picked up in Bloody Bay village. |
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Witch's GraveLocal folklore has it that Gang Gang Sara, whose grave can be found in the village of Golden Lane, was a witch who flew in from Africa hundreds of years ago. Sadly she ate salt and was unable to fly back to Africa. She climbed the silk cotton tree (shown right) while attempting to do so and fell to her death. I don't know what the moral of the story is, but that's the legend. |
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