Trinidad and Tobago consists of the two southernmost Caribbean islands, geologically an extension of the South American continent. While individually the islands contrast vastly in character, together they offer the best of everything one can expect from a Caribbean experience. Only 21 miles apart visiting the two islands is made easy by the regular flights and ferries offered.
Trinidad and Tobago are one of the most prosperous island nations in the Caribbean, primarily due to offshore petroleum and natural gas production and processing. Tourism is a significant industry here, with most visitors favouring the idyllic island of Tobago.
Tobago is a holiday paradise retreat just 26 miles by 7 miles wide and outside the usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms. In recent times, Tobago has been hailed as a premiere eco-tourism destination not only in the Caribbean, but also around the world, winning eco-excellence awards.
Tobago is renowned as being the last unspoilt Caribbean paradise. A typical tropical wonderland of palm-fringed beaches, verdant rain forests and sparkling coral reefs, Tobago also boasts a nature-lovers treasure trove of birds, butterflies, flowering plants and shrubs. To the south of the island the Atlantic beats against a coast dotted with fishing villages, while the hilly interior is coated with one of the world's oldest rainforest reserves.
In contrast, Trinidad and its bustling capital, Port of Spain is sophisticated, cosmopolitan and culturally diverse. Famous for its annual Carnival in February, Trinidad's vibrancy is reflected in the explosion of calypso music and dance, steel bands, food, dazzling costumes and marvellous floats that take over the streets. The busy capital, with its colonial style houses and contrasting modern high-rise towers, continually hums with colourful markets, bazaars, and malls, with a miscellany of gothic-style cathedrals, mosques and Hindu temples demonstrating the diversity of cultures and creeds.
The Islands
The channel between South America and Trinidad is broken by a series of breathtakingly beautiful islands dear to Trinidadians as sites for holiday homes. The islands offer a glimpse into both colonial history and the way of life of the well off Trinidadians. These islands in colonial days supported a flourishing whaling industry, coconut plantations and small communities of fishermen.
The islands are easily accessible by boats from the Chagaramas National Park where marinas are crowded with yachts from all over the world. The 23 islands boast limestone caverns, coves and bays, birds of paradise, beautiful swimming spots and walks, as well as national history with a prison island, and a Leprosy Colony with only the ruins of colonial architecture and an abandoned convent remains, and the island of Chacachacare which had been an outpost of the Venezuelan war of Independence.
The "Bocas Islands" lie between Trinidad and Venezuela in the Bocas del Dragón (Dragons' Mouth). Locally they are referred to as "Down the Islands" and consist of 5 islands where you can see the peninsular of Venezuela.
