Discover Trinidad & Tobago Travel Guide 2019 (issue #30)

RAPSO IMAGING
Chaguaramas
National
Heritage Park
Just 20 minutes from Port of Spain,
hikers, bikers, explorers, bird watchers,
hashers, archers, and golfers
all have their place in “Chag”
(chaguaramas.com, 225-4232).
Tucker Valley nature trails
The Covigne River trail passes through nutmeg
groves and along a tributary of the Cuesa
River uphill through a gorge. The trail ends at
a waterfall with a plunge pool. Edith Falls is
located in an abandoned cocoa estate nestled
against the eastern side of Morne Catherine
and overlooking the golf course. A fairly gentle
hike, you will hear red howler monkeys in
the forest canopy along the trail.
Down de Islands (DDI)
Off the northwest coast, several offshore islands
offer a range of beloved escapes. There
are the Five Islands (including Nelson Island,
where Indian immigrants were quarantined
when they arrived by boat); the Diego Islands;
Gaspar Grande; Gasparilo Island (aka Centipede);
Monos; Huevos; and Chacachacare
(which was once a leper colony, and has
saltwater ponds, ruins, and a still-functioning
lighthouse). These islands were originally the
ceremonial grounds of the First Peoples. On
Gaspar Grande, the jetty at Point Baleine was
once a whaling station. This is the home of the
underground Gasparee caves’ stalagmites and
Blue Grotto, with its “sunroof”.
Sunset in Chacachacare
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discovertnt.com
Recent additions
More recent man-made attractions, all popular
with families, include the ZIP-ITT’s seven
zip-lines in Tucker Valley (one passes over
Macqueripe Bay) and five canopy walks or net
bridges (TT$85–150, zipitt.net, 303-7755);
the Boardwalk along the beachfront; the Five
Islands Waterpark; and the Safari Eco Park.