We chose to travel to Trinidad and Tobago mainly because it is easy to get married there and because the country has signed all the conventions for the validity of marriage in Slovenia. Of course, there are other reasons that attracted us. Far from mass tourism, beautiful nature, affordable prices and above all, a desire to explore the unknown. The wedding was carried out perfectly, which you can read in part 1, and this time find out what else there is to experience in Trinidad and Tobago.
Trinidad and Tobago is volcanic in origin, so you can still see some volcanoes today, but they are not volcanoes as we know them, they are mud volcanoes. It is a landform made by the eruption of mud or slurry water and gases. We visited a volcano called Devil's Woodyard, which first appeared in 1852. At that time, it knocked down tall trees and buried them in the mud. The villagers believed that the devil had risen from the earth. Today, there is a pile of mud which is said to have healing properties and is used by some people to rub on their skin.
The swampy area in the north-western part of Trinidad is certainly one of the places to visit. A very interesting landscape, full of lakes, small islands and, in between, caimans and snakes, which are normally harder to see. According to one source, Trinidad and Tobago is home to 27 species of snakes, three of which are venomous. We saw only one caiman of all the reptiles. But there are also many species of birds. In the north-western part of the island, we drove to the end point of the island, the last village, from where we had a good view of Venezuela, which is only a few kilometres away from Trinidad. An area that is a great spot for drug smuggling, and because of the current big crisis in Venezuela, pirates from Venezuela are coming to Trinidad to steal boat engines and other things. We were there just in the afternoon, when the locals were taking the engines on wooden carts and hiding them in the rainforest.
Pigeon Point is a sandy beach on the cape, considered to be one of the most beautiful. You can go there by car, however there is an entrance fee. You can also take a boat around Pigeon Point, which takes you to The Nylon Pool. That is a shallow area in the middle of the sea where boats go and stop for a while so that visitors can swim. The water is very shallow, with sand on the ground. It is considered the most visited tourist spot in Trinidad and Tobago.
The capital of Trinidad and Tobago has a population of around 130,000 and is notoriously famous, both positively and negatively. Notorious because it is home to the biggest festivals in the world, but on the other hand, it is also home to a lot of crime. In some places, gangs operate and deliberately discourage tourism, as Trinidad is one of the most important smuggling routes for drugs from South America. Port of Spain is home to half of the country's population. Tourism is less developed here, with few individual tourists and only the occasional cruise ship docking in the harbour. Highlights include Queen's Park Savannah, the Gothic-style Holy Trinity Cathedral, the Presidential Palace in the Botanical Gardens and the neo-Renaissance Red House, where the government has its offices.
Both islands have a lot of rainforests, rivers, a few lakes and waterfalls. The latter are well indicated on tourist maps or advised by locals. They can be reached on foot, along well-trodden paths. The interesting thing about these waterfalls is that the water is clear, you can swim in them and, unlike the sea, the water is slightly colder, so you can cool off in them. You can also take a walk in the rainforest. In some places, the trails are well-marked, but there are also guided tours.
Trinidad is home to the world's largest asphalt lake, called Pitch Lake. Inside is a compound added to asphalt for road construction and exported all over the world. The lake holds about 10 million tonnes of the asphalt compound and is about 75 metres deep. New species of microbes and fungi have been discovered in the lake. It is thought to lie at the intersection of two fractures, where some of the petroleum flowed to the surface, forming the lake. When the lighter compounds evaporate, the asphalt remains. Today, Pitch Lake is also a tourist attraction, where you can take a guided tour of the lake and read and see more about it in a museum. Asphalt is an important economic industry in Trinidad and Tobago.
As Trinidad's tourism industry is underdeveloped, so are the diving attractions, so my partner and I decided to go diving in Tobago. We found a couple of diving agencies through the locals and then arranged a dive with one of them. We borrowed the equipment from them. All dives are carried out by taking a dive boat to points at least half an hour away, where different dives are carried out. These are possible all year round, but visibility is somewhat reduced during the rainy season. They are lucky that if conditions or visibility are not right on one side of the island, it will almost certainly be a different story on the other side. Distances are very short. As locals say, the most beautiful dives are at about 20 metres, where it is full of life. We could confirm that as soon as we reached the bottom, as it felt like we were in an aquarium that was too full. Even though Trinidad and Tobago are considered to be an affordable destination, especially when compared to other Caribbean countries, diving is not among them. Two dives with boat and all equipment quickly cost at least €80 - €100 per person. The locals are aware of its beauty beneath the surface and that tourists certainly want to see it, whatever the price, so haggling is not an option.
Both islands have plenty of beautiful beaches. Some are well-known, others barely mentioned, but just as beautiful. We have travelled to many of them, and if I were to draw a line, they are all very similar to each other, beautiful, with clean and very warm water. There are no crowds anywhere. The most famous beaches promoted are Maracas Bay (Trinidad), La Cueva Bay (Trinidad), Mayaro Bay (Trinidad), Blanchisseuse Beach (Trinidad), Pigeon Point Beach (Tobago), Black Rock Beach (Tobago) and Englishman's Bay Beach (Tobago).
Trinidad and Tobago is famous for its diverse birdlife. The best way to observe is on a guided tour of the Caroni Bird Sanctuary. The most distinctive bird that lives on the islands is the Scarlet Ibis, which is special because of its red colour. Initially (when it hatches) the bird is not this colour, it is white, but changes colour while feeding on red crabs. It is also possible, however, to see interesting bird species anywhere in nature.
Trinidad and Tobago is a country where there is no mass tourism yet, despite its paradise beaches and a bunch of other attractions for visitors. Reports of crime, which in general does not affect tourists, is nevertheless a major reason why people do not travel there. The islands made a special impression on us, unlike any other.
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