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<strong>Tobago</strong><br />
Around <strong>Tobago</strong><br />
Crown Point <strong>and</strong> <strong>Tobago</strong>’s Lowl<strong>and</strong> South<br />
The south of <strong>Tobago</strong> is the more heavily developed <strong>and</strong> populated part of the isl<strong>and</strong> with the majority of the<br />
hotels, car rental companies, restaurants, <strong>and</strong> craft shops. Geologically it is a flat coral <strong>and</strong> limestone plateau<br />
<strong>and</strong> the main beaches here–Store Bay <strong>and</strong> Pigeon Point–have powder-fine white s<strong>and</strong>s. The isl<strong>and</strong>’s airport at<br />
Crown Point is almost at the western tip.<br />
Store Bay<br />
Just two minutes from the airport, is a small beach with calm, clear, blue-green water <strong>and</strong> a s<strong>and</strong>y bottom,<br />
located between the Crown Point Hotel <strong>and</strong> the Coco Reef Resort. Behind the beach are a number of food<br />
stalls <strong>and</strong> a craft village selling a range of batik, jewellery <strong>and</strong> leather goods. Boatmen offer deep sea fishing<br />
<strong>and</strong> morning trips out to the reefs in glass-bottomed boats.<br />
Pigeon Point<br />
This is the most photographed place on the isl<strong>and</strong> with glittering s<strong>and</strong>s set off against a backdrop of coconut<br />
palms <strong>and</strong> almond shade trees. Out at sea Buccoo Reef protects the calm, clear turquoise water of Bon Accord<br />
Lagoon. It’s certainly a beautiful spot <strong>and</strong> the calm sea is perfect <strong>for</strong> children. Don’t expect to have the beach<br />
to yourself: it is a popular excursion <strong>for</strong> escapees from the all-inclusives <strong>and</strong> visiting cruise ships.<br />
Buccoo Reef<br />
<strong>Tobago</strong>’s most accessible reef, stretching all the way from Pigeon Point to Buccoo Bay. It is home to 40 species<br />
of hard <strong>and</strong> soft coral, <strong>and</strong> is rich in marine life, from tiny jewel fish to reef sharks <strong>and</strong> barracuda. In the past<br />
the coral has been damaged by the dragging anchors of the glass-bottomed boats, though the boats are now<br />
supposed to anchor only on dead coral. Trips to Buccoo Reef usually include the Coral Gardens then a stop<br />
to bathe in the Nylon Pool. Here a large s<strong>and</strong>-spit within the lagoon creates a pool of shallow water which is<br />
luxuriously heated by the sun.<br />
Scarborough<br />
Scarborough is the largest town, with nearly half the isl<strong>and</strong>’s population. There is a pleasant, well-labelled<br />
Botanical Garden displaying local brightly flowering trees <strong>and</strong> flora amid broad sweeps of lawn. Nearby an<br />
orchid ho<strong>use</strong> displays most of <strong>Trinidad</strong> & <strong>Tobago</strong>’s indigenous species. Scarborough market is an excellent<br />
place to examine <strong>Tobago</strong>’s exotic fruit <strong>and</strong> vegetables <strong>and</strong> enjoy the stall holders’ sales patter.<br />
Fort King George, set high on Scarborough Hill, gives a vantage point over the whole town. Founded by the<br />
British in 1777 as a barracks <strong>and</strong> parade ground, it was later captured by the French then changed h<strong>and</strong>s<br />
many times, as did the isl<strong>and</strong> itself.<br />
Central <strong>Tobago</strong><br />
<strong>Tobago</strong> Forest Reserve<br />
This is the oldest protected rain<strong>for</strong>est in the western hemisphere, a haven <strong>for</strong> 123 butterfly species, 210 bird<br />
species, 16 species of lizards <strong>and</strong> 17 of bats, plus armadillo <strong>and</strong> <strong>for</strong>est deer. Much of this mountainous region<br />
is difficult to access, but there are several authorised nature trails, the most notable being the Gilpin Trace. In<br />
Little <strong>Tobago</strong><br />
This little isl<strong>and</strong>, just a mile across, is a bird sanctuary<br />
popular with walkers <strong>and</strong> birders. It hosts one of<br />
the largest seabird colonies in the Caribbean <strong>and</strong> is<br />
reached from Speyside by pirogue or glassbottomed<br />
boat–a 15 minute trip over coral reefs across Tyrell’s<br />
Bay, passing Little Goat Isl<strong>and</strong>.<br />
Local guides will lead you up first through fan palms<br />
<strong>and</strong> gumbo limbo tree <strong>for</strong>est (yes, that’s right!), then<br />
a xerophytic area to the scrubby cliffside nesting<br />
grounds of the Red-billed Tropicbird.<br />
These lovely birds can be seen all year round but are<br />
especially prevalent from October to June. From a<br />
clifftop vantage point, where Sir David Attenborough<br />
filmed <strong>for</strong> ‘The Trials of Life’, there are great views of<br />
them <strong>and</strong> of other sea birds in flight: brown boobies,<br />
bridled <strong>and</strong> sooty terns, laughing gulls. Magnificent<br />
Frigatebirds <strong>and</strong> Red-footed Boobies nest on nearby<br />
St Giles Isl<strong>and</strong> where much of the vegetation is<br />
smoothed horizontal by stiff breezes off the sea.<br />
Birds of Paradise, once introduced to the isl<strong>and</strong>, are<br />
no longer present.<br />
Little <strong>Tobago</strong> was once a cotton plantation so there<br />
are good (but very hilly) walking trails.<br />
16<br />
GEODYSSEY | tobago www.geodyssey.co.uk/tobago 020 7281 7788
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