For my first Travel Tips blog post I thought it’d be best to be about a place that holds a massive piece of my heart. With my grandparents being born and bred Trinidadians’ who moved to Tobago 20 years ago, I consider myself super lucky to be able to have been coming here on holidays’ for the best part of half of my life.
The island itself is pretty small and one that not many people have heard of unless you’re big into cricket. But many the same with other small islands, the size can quite often impact the place for the better. Theres so much I love about this place but to name a few reasons…
- People say hello – No matter who you are, whether you know them or not, people will say good morning, good evening, hi, hello – just as a courtesy.
- There’s no need to rush. This one is possibly because of the heat, but I remember the first time I was here I was walking everywhere SO quickly (and for me it was my normal pace). But there is just no need – take your time, slow down, it’s cool, relax.
- People are giving. It’s like popping over to your neighbour because you’ve ran out of sugar, but it’s something they still do and it’s more with fruit (Mangoes especially!), not sugar and people don’t ask, they just give because it’s the neighbourly thing to do.
Now should you ever visit Tobago, which I would highly recommend, here’s 8 things you should most definitely do:
- Boat Trip from ‘Piogen Point’ or ‘Store Bay’ Beaches – This boat trip is a must do on your list and depending on your itinerary, the trip you can last for a full day or half a day, which is great if there are other activities you want to try in a short time frame! No matter how long the boat trip, the best bits include: Snorkelling in Buccoo Reef (swimming with some amazing tropical fish), A swim and Bathe in the Nylon Pool (magical sands which are know to make you look 10 years younger) and a trip to No-man’s land (glorious isolated beach where you can not only relax but try some local delicatessen and taste some classic rum punch).
- Full Day Island Tour – There are a few different people who offer this excursion and each varies in what they do, but whoever you go with, you get whats on the tin – a full island tour! With the size of the island being so small you can experience most of the key ‘sight seeing’ locations in a day, which works great for those who want to experience some of the other ‘to-do’s’ i’ve mentioned below PLUS some much needed beach time.
- Rainforest Excursion – Make sure you pack long sleeves, legs and comfy shoes for this one! Tobago, along with it’s gorgeous beaches, has so much exotic rainforest hidden within.
- Horse riding on the beach and in the sea – As far as i’m aware there are 2 riding schools on the Island which offer this amazing excursion, a simple google search will help you find these. This isn’t something you can do in many locations so a pretty unique experience.
- The Original House of Pancakes – My personal favourite is the Pancakes and Scrambled egg, but the waffles are honestly just as good. American style pancakes that you just can’t beat, a must visit.
- Jemma’s Tree House Kitchen – Common beliefs that this is one of the best restaurants on the island and with views for days. I once sat and watched 2 stingrays circle the shore whilst I ate THE best BBQ chicken that I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating.
- Water sports at Piogen Point – Similar to most holiday destinations you can’t go wrong with water sports but if you time your trip right, you might be able to combine the fun of water sports and the awe of witnessing Bioluminescence glow beneath you.
- Sunday School – This is a traditional, community event that happens ever. single. Sunday. So similarly to Sunday School’s elsewhere, during the day this involves Church studies, however at night things take a turn… In the evening there will likely be Steel Pan groups’ playing some Island classics as well as songs everyone can sing along to. Now, when the clocks turn 11pm the DJ comes out and the Soca begins blasting, tables and chairs get put to the side and the dancing shoes come out. This is an evening for both tourists and locals, where everyone comes together to dance – you really can’t beat that kind of Island Spirit.
Without a doubt this is just a start to the number of things you can do whilst in Tobago and if none of these take your fancy and you’re more of a beach bum, there are countless both private and public beaches which are so picturesque you wouldn’t quite believe it’s real.
I couldn’t recommend a trip to Tobago more. I don’t know a soul who has been and hasn’t fallen in love.
