Dates and Costs
No scheduled trip dates at this time. Please contact us if you are interested in this trip.Images
About This Trip
One of our main goals when creating a new trip is to find destinations where the birding is not necessarily all about looking for “special” birds, but finding places where the birding is exciting and there are lots of birds to be seen! We made our first trip to Trinidad and Tobago last December as part of our expansion to new and exciting birding locations outside of Mexico. Needless to say, we were very impressed with what we saw! Not only are there tons of birds just about everywhere that you go, there are so many amazing ones to see! From a huge array of hummingbirds, including one endemic, and several that are very difficult to see in other areas, to Piping Guans, Scarlet Ibis, Bellbirds, Manakins…and the list goes on! We start our tour on Trinidad, the larger of the two islands, where we focus on birding the northern areas of the island. We will spend time at the famous Asa Wright Nature Center where we will enjoy the great birding right on property as well as a couple day trips to Caroni Swamp and the Blanchisseuse Road. At the enormous swamp, we will be treated to the evening flight of thousands of Scarlet Ibis returning to roost. We’ll also have a chance to see Red-capped Cardinal, Yellow-chinned Spinetail and Spectacled Cayman. On the grounds of Asa Wright, we'll bird from the veranda, and hike the many onsite trails where the birding is amazing! Manakins on their Leks, Oilbirds in their cave and the mesmerizing display of hundreds of hummingbirds and Honey Creepers at the feeders! This is relaxed birding at its finest! In the Northern Range, we'll stay on the beach in the village of Grande Riviere. Here, we have a close up view of the natural phenomenon of turtles nesting on the beach. At this well-protected location, if we are lucky, we'll see hundreds of nesting turtles. In the mountains above, we will search for the majestic and highly endemic Piping Guan where we will also find Chestnut-mandibled Toucan, Yellow Oriole and Rufous-tailed Jacamar. A short, inter-island flight takes us to the relaxed island of Tobago. It is geographically much smaller than Trinidad and is home to just over 60,000 people, so very low population density. Our home in Tobago is in the small village of Speyside. From our very comfortable oceanside base, we will explore most of the island looking for White-tailed Sabrewing, Ruby Topaz, Trinidad Motmot and Blue-backed Manakin. We will also take an afternoon to take a boat out to Little Tobago Island, where we will be treated to the nesting site of hundreds of Red-billed Tropicbirds! We will also have time to do a bit of snorkeling over a fantastic reef containing some of the largest brain coral in the world! We say goodbye to birds and blue water of Tobago and fly back to Trinidad for one last night in Port of Spain before flying home!Accommodations
The warmth and hospitality in Trinidad and Tobago adds greatly to our trip. We start out with a three night stay at the historic Asa Wright Nature Centre which does great work in the region to promote ecotourism and conservation. The rooms are simple yet comfortable and the buffet meals are served in the large dining room. High tea is served each afternoon on the veranda. On the north coast, we stay at the sleepy and relaxing Mon Plaisir Estate Hotel which serves up delicious food and great ocean views. On Tobago, we stay at the wonderful Bluewaters Inn, set on a beautiful bay where all rooms have an ocean view. Meals throughout feature local cuisine, seafood and other regional delicacies and the rum punch is wonderful after a long day of birding! This trip starts and ends in Port of Spain, Trinidad.To book your trip or for more information, please contact us by email or call 888-383-0062.
