Trinidad and Tobago
The small twin island nation of Trinidad in Tobago is famous for it’s Carnival, Steel Pan Drums, and it’s Doubles but it has so much more to offer. Its no wonder Lonely Planet rated Trinidad and Tobago in its 10 ten countries to visit in 2025. In Trinidad and Tobago we have visited a monastery, two Hindu Temples, British Fortresses, vast mangrove and rainforest with colorful birds, beaches, museums and so much more. We visited Trinidad and Tobago twice in 2024. Once by cruise and once by flying into Port of Spain. Here are our experiences in the country!
How to get to Trinidad and Tobago and Transportation
Being an Island nation there are only a couple ways to get to Trinidad and Tobago and that is by sea and by air. We have done both during our two trips to Trinidad and Tobago. On our first trip we took a Royal Caribbean cruise out of San Juan, Puerto Rico that stopped at both Islands in February of 2024. While it’s not a destination frequented by many cruises, you can find some cruise lines that visit Trinidad and Tobago each year. On our second trip, we flew direct from Houston to Port of Spain (Piarco International Airport) on United Airlines. There are a few US Airlines that fly to Port of Spain such as United, JetBlue, Frontier and American. Trinidad and Tobago only has two international airports with Port of Spain being the largest due to it being the capital city. The only other airport is on Tobago, and it has fewer flights available. Caribbean Airlines is the national airline of Trinidad and Tobago and Jamacia so you can use them from destinations like Miami and New York for example. As for transport around the islands I heavily recommend going with a guide or tour group. I would not take public transportation or rent a car due to some safety concerns.
Country Information
Trinidad and Tobago has two main islands that make up the countries name. Trinidad is the larger and more populated of the two islands with Port of Spain being the largest metro area (but not the largest city), Trinidad is heavily developed partially due to the Energy Industry (Oil and Gas) that is located in Port of Spain. Major companies like ExxonMobil and Shell have offices in Port of Spain. There are many high-rise buildings in Port of Spain including Twin Towers that are their finance center. There are plenty of US based food chains including Chili’s and the best KFC I’ve had with a different and spicier chicken. Tobago is not as populated and has more beaches and wildlife to view. There are frequent flights from Trinidad to Tobago on Caribbean Airlines. The islands were a former British Colony so English is the official language and they drive on the left side of the road. The culture is of course Caribbean with them having one of the largest Carnival celebrations, famous for the steel pan drum and unique food. The currency is the Trinidad and Tobago Dollar that is worth 6.78 per US Dollar(it is worth less than a US Dollar) at the time of this writing in 2024. The US Dollar is used widely in the country but make sure they do not have any rips or issues as they will reject taking them damaged unlike in the US. The countries are below the Hurricane belt so it very rare for them to be hit but they do have tropical rains and high heat with humidity.
Safety
At the time of this writing, the Us State Department has a level 3 travel warning for the nation with the main issue being crime. Tobago is the island with more resorts and is quieter so there is less crime reported. We personally never felt unsafe in Trinidad or Tobago and it reminded us of any US city with there being parts of the city you do not want to go to and it not being a good idea to be out at night. We had a wonderful guide and friend named Calvin in Trinidad that gave us a tour on our cruise and then in November handled all the airport pickups and some tours. He made sure we new where not to go and where is safe to visit. We really enjoyed our time on both islands with all there is to see and do. You for sure have to be more aware and do more planning in Trinidad and Tobago. Do read the travel warnings and make your own judgement if you want to visit. This is all from our personal experiences, but you need to make your own judgement around safety and what your risk tolerance is before you travel. Something unfortunately can happen to you any where in the world so in places like Trinidad and Tobago you have to go with a heightened alert if you are out alone.
Trinidad
The first Island we visited was Trinidad in February of 2024. We docked in the downtown area near a very nice Hyatt Hotel. We went on a city tour and visited the St. Benidict Monastery in the mountains outside of Port of Spain. On our second trip we stayed at the very nice Hilton Hotel in Port of Spain that has wonderful views of the city and is close to the Presidential Palace at the Queens Park Savanah. We visited in Winter and Fall, and it was still very hot but that is typical of any nation in the tropics. Here are all the experiences we have had in Trinidad.
Where we Stayed - Hilton Trinidad and Conference Center
On our second trip to Trinidad and Tobago we stayed in the elegant Hilton Trinidad and Tobago. At the hotel you are greeted by bellmen who help you with your luggage and an interesting walkway to the lobby. The lobby is pretty large with a restaurant that serves a variety of food including Trinidadian food such as Callaloo soup. The Hotel is on a hill and the lobby is actually the top of the hotel and the rooms are on lower floors. There is a restaurant and bar on the lobby level that has great views of Port of Spain especially at sunset. The hotel has a very nice pool area that looks like a resort style pool, The hotel has an activity center and tennis courts. The rooms are very nice as well with a nice balcony where ours looked at the city and the green landscape. We could hear the tropical birds and see the Caribbean in the distance. The rooms are modern. We had access to the Executive lounge where we were able to get breakfast and enjoy cocktails, snacks and other drinks in the evening. The view from the lounge was also of the city. Since Covid-19, it is the only Executive Lounge I have seen open at a Hilton Hotel domestic or international, so it was so nice to be able to go to one again. The staff are extremely friendly and were taking donations when we were there for a Christmas party for less fortunate children in Port of Spain where they give them a feast from their executive chef and plenty of toys and things. The hotel is secured by a fence and security team. From a history perspective the hotel was once the location of the government of Trinidad and Tobago. We will stay there again in the future.
Port of Spain Tour
We toured different areas of Port of Spain on each visit there. On both tours we drove past the “Magnificent Seven” which are beautiful mansions built in the early 1900s that line the Queen’s Park Savanah. One is called the Queen’s Royal College is a large school used to this day. The buildings are all recognized as Historic Sites in Trinidad and Tobago. The Queen’s Park Savanah is a large park that is a very large field like a savannah you might hear about in Africa. They have playing fields for cricket and football (soccer) and plenty of food trucks. We have seen people exercising on trails lining the park. We walked during the day along the edge of the park but did not go there at night due to crime risks. Across from one side of the park is the Royal Botanical Gardens that we also visited on both trips. You can take a nice walk and see the many different flowers, plants and trees from Trinidad and Tobago. As you walk you can go in front of the Presidential Home where there are more gardens and fountains. We also drove past the beautiful Opera House that looks much like the one in Sydney, Australia. Port of Spain also has a large Cricket Complex as it is a very popular sport in the country. There is a national museum, but it is currently under renovation. There are art museums and a small museum of an area that used to be a Fortress that is currently closed but still owned by the Historical Commission there. You can also see the old train station that now contains shops and a locomotive from the time when Trinidad had a train system. Depending on when you go you might see people practicing with their steel drums for Carnival that occurs in February.
On our second trip to Port of Spain we visited many other areas of the city. The city has very poor areas where some live by scavenging the city dump for any valuables and other areas are very nice which reminded me of normal middle class and wealthy neighborhoods in the US. We saw modern malls with US stores in suburbs of Port of Spain. There are tall condos and plenty of shops. Calvin showed us around his city and showed us so much that we had not seen before. Port of Spain does have its challenges with crime but there are many nice areas of the city. Calvin drove us out towards what used to be a large US Military base during WWII. There we could see mountains full of rainforests. Calvin also took us to a local doubles street food vendor. The lady had a small tent covering and had the bread (kind of like a pita, Nan or a very fluffy tortilla, and the chickpea and curry mixture. She also had different pepper sauces that were indeed pretty spicy but were great. The doubles are very affordable and the ones we had there were the best we have ever tasted. It shows some of the best food is not necessarily at a fancy restaurant. He also took us to KFC where we tried “The Zinger” box combo that we saw advertised at the airport in baggage claim. The box contained a Zinger Chicken Sandwich that had a tasty spice to it, a piece of fried chicken, a French fry and a drink. It was very good and was around the price of a $5 box at home. Calvin also on the way to other sites we passed by neighborhoods where the street we were driving on was the dividing point of rival gangs. During the day there is no problem driving through but at night it can be dangerous. We also visited Lady Young Point that has a great view of the city and plenty of vendors to get nice souvenirs. On our second trip we saw the mass of people shopping in the malls as they have “Black Friday” sales just like the US. We headed out of Port of Spain on both trips and saw other areas of the island.
Mount St. Benedict Abbey
On our first trip to Trinidad, we headed up to the Mount St. Benedict Abbey. It’s a functional monastery even today of Benedictine Monks. It has great views of the country from it and multiple buildings. We started with a visit to a lady’s group with the church who gave us a type of savory pie and a drink we fell in love with called Sorrel. It’s a type of hibiscus and its mainly a Christmas time drink. It’s spiced with things like cinnamon and clove. It is served cold and reminds me of a cold version of Gluhwein or Mulled wine. They gave us a history of the monastery and gave us the chance to donate to them to help the less fortunate. This was arranged by our cruise tour. Afterwards we had the chance to visit the beautiful church and shop at the small giftshop that had many books and Catholic materials inside. After our nice visit we headed back to the cruise ship as Calvin gave us more great information about Trinidad.
Caroni Bird Sanctuary
We booked a tour that took us just outside of Port of Spain to an expansive Mangrove Forrest that is a bird sanctuary. Caroni Bird Sanctuary is an interesting place to visit. The only way to get into it to see the many birds is by boat. Our tour picked us up at our hotel and we headed out with two ladies from the UK. We had a nice discussion on the differences in the working world in the UK versus the US and talked about our different medical systems. We arrived at a dock with several boats ready to take people into the forest. We loaded up with about 20 people or so on our boat. The Mangroves are very thick, and you see large termite nests, snakes on branches, and we saw a few birds. The Scarlett Ibis and the Flamingo are the most colorful birds to see in the forest. The Scarlet Ibis as the name suggests is a deep red and the flamingos are of course pink. Its due to what they eat that gives them the color. As we went through the forest we arrived in a large lake where we saw wild Flamingos. We tied the boat up to a pole and waited. At sunset the birds in the area fly to a small island to sleep. As the sun set all the sudden hundreds of birds started flying to the island. White birds, herons, and then the Scarlett Ibis started to come in. The island quickly filled up with wild birds. Around our boat were also many catfish hoping for a snack from the people. When it got dark, we headed into the Mangrove Forest and back to the dock. It’s a unique tour and a must if you like wildlife.
Dattatreya Mandir Temple and the 85 Foot Tall Statue of Hanumam
Calvin took us on a tour to a few different Hindu sites on the island. Trinidad and Tobago is a very diverse nation. It’s a melting pot in the Caribbean. You will find many Indians and Middle Eastern people on the island. There are many mosques and Hindu Temples mixed in with churches throughout the island. The food and culture also have these influences as well. Our first stop on the tour was to visit the Dattatreya Mandir Temple. It is dedicated to Hanuman and has a 85 foot statue of him. The temple is very colorful with many sculptures of different deities. The Temple itself is guarded by large elephants. There were many worshipers and pilgrims while we were there. After our visit we headed to another temple in Trinidad.
The Temple in the Sea
Further South from Port of Spain is another Hindu Temple that was built by a man who worked without many tools and brought each stone manually to the sea. He built a walkway and a couple small temples to different Hindu deities. The site is one of a couple Calvin let us know that allows Hindu Cremation where a pyre is built by the sea of wood and the body is burned inside the pyre. We witnessed two of these funerals going on with the families watching on. We drove through the small fishing village nearby to see what a more rural Trinidadian village looked like. There was a steady rain as Trinidad had a lot of rain at the time that caused flooding and landslides in some areas, so we moved on and headed back to Port of Spain.
Trinidad Full Island Circle Tour
On our last day in Trinidad, we took a full circle tour of Trinidad. We were picked up at our hotel and we headed South into areas we had not visited before. After leaving Port of Spain the area became much more rural with small farms and forest. The road became a two-lane road as we continued South with a few stopping points due to construction. We stopped by two beaches on the Southern area of the island. The first beach had fairly rough water due to the wind that day and the watercolor reminded me of Galveston with a brown tint due to the extra sediment that is coming from numerous rivers flowing into the sea. We visited a nice beach in the far Southern area of the island. We drove through many small cities and saw mangroves, some farms and winding roads through the forests. We headed to two of the largest cities on the island called San Fernando and Chaguanas. Before we got to San Fernando we stopped and got doubles as a small lunch. Our driver got up very early to beat the heavy traffic on the island and needed some food. He used to work in construction but is giving tourism a try now. In San Fernando we tried to head up to the top of San Fernando Hill which is a National Park but could not since it was closed to setup for an event. We ran into some bumper-to-bumper traffic near shopping malls and on the main freeway. After heading back into Port of Spain, we got back to our hotel to relax before we headed to the airport that evening. The United flight leaves very late at night (around 1am) so Calvin picked us up and showed us the oldest church in Trinidad and a nice entertainment area with restaurants, bars and clubs. Near the airport there is a very nice, gated community with mansions and a golf course. At the airport we got the dreaded SSSS so we got additional inspections and security checks but the staff at the airport were friendly and helpful. We headed out of Trinidad and back home with much more understanding of Trinidad and thankful to spend time with our friend Calvin.
Tobago
Tobago is the smaller and quieter island in the two island nation. It’s not nearly as populated as Trinidad with only around 60,000 people on the entire island. It has many nice beaches, natural sites in the rainforests and former British fortresses. The relatively small city of Scarborough with less than 20,000 people is the capital city and where the cruise port is. Nature, history and a more relaxed atmosphere is what we found in Tobago. We have only visited Tobago once on our February 2024 cruise. There are a few ways to get to Tobago. The first is fly into the small international airport where there are flights from Port of Spain on Carribean Airlines and British Airways flight to London. The second is a ferry between Port of Spain and Tobago. The last way is to visit by cruise ship like we did in 2024. Here is what we experienced in Tobago.
Our Arrival
On our arrival at the small but nice cruise port we were greeted by people dressed in Carnival costumes. The music of Carnival was in the air. While the largest Carnival celebration is Trinidad they have nice Carnival celebration there as well. We were also greeted with intense heat and humidity that reminded me of back home in the summer. Thankfully out tour van did have Air Conditioning, but you will find in most countries around the world it’s not used to the extent we do in the US and it might not work as well as we are accustomed to. It was pretty hot in the van too, but it was still a great day to explore a new island for us. In Scarborough, we could see a fairly large fortress in the hill overlooking the town and I wanted to see it once we got back.
Adventure Farm and Nature Reserve
Our first stop on our tour was to the family-owned Adventure Farm and Nature Preserve in a rural part of the rainforest on the island. There is a small house there that is full of hummingbird feeders and beautiful plants and flowers. They put out fruit and the feeders were ready. We were surprised to see that the wild hummingbirds and other birds were trained to come when they rang a bell. When they rang the bell more hummingbirds than I’ve ever seen came flying in to feed. There were so many different species with a wide variety of colors. You could stand pretty close to the feeders to get pictures of all the different birds. After spending time watching these amazing creatures, we went on a hike through the rainforest on their property where they showed us many different plants and fruits. Many of them we had not seen before. Our guide went over all the uses of the different plants and how they can be used to heal many different ailments. The grounds keeper made his own drinks and products from some of these plants that we bought. It was a great walk and a very unique experience where we learned a lot. We headed back to our tour van to head to our next two stops.
Fort James
Our next stop took us to the small fishing village of Plymouth and to the Fort James Historic site. It’s a British Fortress that has been around since 1650. It’s a fairly small fort with a small wall with multiple cannons. It has an armory where they could heat cannon balls to be fired at ships since this fort points towards the sea. There is a nice beach at the fortress that did fight against the French at one point during the colonial struggles. After the short visit and reading the history of the fort we headed out again.
The Mysterious Tombstone
Also in Plymouth is a mystery that has been unanswered for 300 years. The tombstone to Betty Stiven and the inscription reads as follows:
“Beneath these walls are deposited the body of Mrs. Betty Stiven and her child. She was
the beloved wife of Alex B Stiven. To the end of his days will deplore her
death, which happened upon the 25th November 1783 in the 23rd year of her age.
What was remarkable of her, she was a mother without knowing it, and a wife
without letting her husband know it except by her kind indulgence to him.”
Our guide told us that no bodies were found in the tomb and there is a lot of speculation to who Betty was and what the inscription really means. Some say it’s talking about a death during childbirth or more scandalous stories. We probably will never know for sure.
Resorts of Tobago and the End of the Tour
On our tour we passed by the many beautiful beaches and much of it is undeveloped. The resorts on the island are not the mega resorts that you might find on other islands but smaller and more local resorts. We stopped at a couple of the resorts including one that had a gold course. They have not fully recovered from Covid-19 but it’s a beautiful island that I think will continue to grow in tourism just like Lonely Plants thinks.
We finished the tour by driving along the coast. I did not know what it was at the time but I could smell a very strong oil/gas smell along the beach as we passed by some of the beaches. There are no oil refineries on this more tranquil island so I wasn’t sure what was going on. It’s not normal for Tobago. With the high heat I had opened the car window to get some air but had to close it due to the smell. We arrived at the cruise port but we decided not to go back on the ship just yet but to do a little more touring on our own since we had time.
Fort King George and the Tobago Museum
We headed to the taxi stand and at first the gentleman that was first in line wasn’t interested in the short ride up the hill to Fort King George. It was getting late in the day and most of the cruise passengers on the only ship in port was heading back on the ship. An older man said he was willing to take us but then the younger man decided to take us since it was better than no money. It’s a short ride up the hill that overlooks Scarborough. The fortress was built in the 1700s to defend the island’s capital city against the French and the Dutch. At the top you can see the walls, a lighthouse, cannons and a great view of the area. There were a few vendors there hoping to make a few sales with the few visitors there. We bought some items and a carved calabash (a type of hard gourd used for bowls) from a Rastafarian man. In the fort barracks we visited the Tobago Museum that had artifacts from the indigenous peoples all the way to current days. It’s a well-done museum and was a place to cool off on this very hot day. After we finished at the historic site we headed back to get back on the cruise and head to our next destination in the Caribbean.
Barge Oil Spill
After we got back to the cruise we did what we usually do after a port and took a shower and and then headed to our balcony to watch our port we had visited drift away. It always allows us to see the island/country from a little different perspective. As we sailed away I could smell the heavy oil and gas smell again and this time I noticed a large oil sheen on the water that stretched for seemingly miles. I knew this was not a normal situation with oil but didn’t know what had happened. A few days later after looking it up I found out an oil barge had capsized and the ship moving it ran from it leaving an environmental disaster and Tobago in a state of Emergency with polluted beaches and animals. They eventually caught the boat who did this and cleaned up but it was sad to see what was done first hand. We have got to make sure people are good stewards of our environment and don’t put money above our people and planet.
Conclusion and Tips
Trinidad and Tobago is a nation with so much to see and do with the most diverse culture that I have seen in the Caribbean. From colorful and lively festivals to plenty of amazing wildlife experiences you can spend a lot of time in this twin island nation. Do read and listen to the travel advice from the country you are from in regards to Trinidad and Tobago as it is your choice to travel as like many countries in the world including the US there are challenges around crime and violence. Each time we have visited though we felt safe with Calvin and our guides as they knew where they were going. It’s not really recommended going out at night especially walking in downtown Port of Spain (I personally don’t like walking in many US cities at night either as many have safety issues). Do be prepared for hot, humid and possibly rainy weather like anywhere in the tropics.
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