Natural Jewels of Trinidad and Tobago

Day 1: Arrival

Upon arrival at Piarco International Airport, a member of our team shall be present to greet you and direct you to the private transport which will take you to the lodge for the next few days. Depending on your arrival time at the lodge, we may be able to do some birding around the property, enjoying species such as Crested Oropendola, Yellow-rumped Cacique, Copper-rumped Hummingbird, Striated Heron, Purple Gallinule, and Wattled Jacana.
Night at Hacienda Jacana.

Day 2: Nariva Swamp

Early morning departure with a pre-arranged packed breakfast to the largest wetland in T&T, the incredible Nariva Swamp on the wild Atlantic coastline. The exact time of our departure will be governed by the high tide, as we will be getting onto small, flat-bottomed boats to navigate the narrow channels through the mangroves. Within these channels we shall enjoy excellent views of Green Kingfisher, American Pygmy Kingfisher, Ringed Kingfisher, Cocoi Heron, Little Blue Heron, and Striated Heron. As we emerge from the mangrove into the grass and sedge habitat of the swamp, we will keep a lookout for small flocks of Red-bellied and Blue-and-yellow Macaws. As we bird we will keep an eye shall be keep an eye out for the rarely seen West Indian Manatee, as this is one of the best places to see these shy behemoths.
We will then disembark from our vessels for a guided walk at the Bush Bush Wildlife Sanctuary. In this eclectic habitat we will search for a variety of forest and wetland species including Boat-billed Heron, Silvered Antbird, Double-toothed Kite, and Rufescent Tiger-Heron. We are also likely to encounter both of Trinidad’s native primate species, the Guyanan Red Howler and the critically endangered and endemic Trinidad White-fronted Capuchin monkey. After our walk around the sanctuary, we shall return via boat to our vehicle, and head to a private estate where we shall enjoy a sumptuous local lunch. After our meal we can enjoy the sights and sounds of several birds around the estate, keeping an eye out for Crane Hawk, Little Cuckoo, and Orange-winged Parrot. We will then return to our lodge for some leisurely afternoon birding. Species expected here include Squirrel Cuckoo, Smooth-billed Ani, Lineated Woodpecker, Silver-beaked Tanager, Great Kiskadee, Yellow Oriole, Ochre-lored Flycatcher, Violaceous Euphonia, White-winged Becard, and Bananaquit. Night at Hacienda Jacana.

Day 3: Southern Wetlands

Another early morning departure with packed breakfast takes us to the southwest of Trinidad this time. Within the distinctly different wetlands here we shall enjoy great views of local specialties such as Masked Yellowthroat, Spotted Tody-Flycatcher, Yellow-hooded Blackbird, Red-breasted
Meadowlark, Great Egret, Long-winged Harrier, and Southern Lapwing. This area is home to all three species of bitterns in the country, so we shall be keeping our eyes peeled for Pinnated Bittern, Least Bittern, and Stripe-backed Bittern. Various migrants also use this wetland during different times of year including Bobolink, Nacunda Nighthawk, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Pectoral Sandpiper, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, and Crested Doradito. Once we are finished here we have the option of sampling a local street food dish called “doubles” before we head to our next destination.
A short distance away, we visit another wetland within an oil refinery that is also a conservation center, breed-and-release facility for a number of waterfowl species including Muscovy Duck, Black-belled Whistling Duck, Fulvous Whistling Duck, and White-faced Whistling Duck, and Blue-and-yellow Macaw. This location is ideal for photography as the birds are typically quite tame. Many other water birds frequent this area including Neotropic Cormorant, Common Gallinule, Wattled Jacana, and Anhinga. Lunch will be at a neighboring restaurant on the same property, at this restaurant we can continue enjoying numerous birds including Giant Cowbird, Masked Cardinal, Spectacled Thrush, and Cocoa Thrush.
For the afternoon session we continue northwards along the west coast, inspecting the expansive tidal mudflats where we will enjoy an assortment of water birds and waders including Great Blue Heron, Brown Pelican, Willet, Whimbrel, Greater Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Mangrove Rail, White-winged Swallow, Fork-tailed Palm Swift, American Flamingo, Scarlet Ibis, Laughing Gull, Large-billed Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Black Skimmer, and Yellow-billed Tern.
Night at Hacienda Jacana

Day 4: Transfer to Grande Riviere

This morning we will have a relaxed start and begin the journey to the remote village of Grande Riviere after breakfast. Along the way, we shall make a stop at a private estate within the Matura National Park where we can enjoy our first taste of birding in the majestic Northern Range, the northernmost outcrop of the Andes mountain chain. Hummingbird feeders and a cornucopia of flowering plants attract many of the forest species, including the tiny Tufted Coquette and the rare Amethyst Woodstar. After some time enjoying this space, we continue onward to Grande Riviere. We have one more stop before we get to our final destination, the very northeast tip of Trinidad. At Galera Point, the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean meet, and the confluence of these bodies of water makes for attractive fishing. We shall scan the coast for several species of Terns, Brown Noddy and good numbers of Magnificent Frigatebirds and Brown Pelicans. Within the littoral forest we shall search for Lilac-tailed Parrotlet, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Common Ground Dove, and Scaled Dove. Upon arrival to Grande Riviere, we check in to our lodge and unwind after the long journey.
Night at Le Grand Amandier Hotel.

Day 5: Mythical Guans and transfer to Asa Wright

The forest of Grande Riviere is possibly the best place on earth to catch a glimpse of the critically endangered endemic Trinidad Piping-Guan, and that is exactly what we plan to do this morning. A guide from the village accompanies us to a special location where these turkey-sized birds can most likely be seen, along the way we shall also be on the lookout for Black-tailed Tityra, Guianan Trogon, White-bellied Antbird, Golden-headed Manakin, Golden-crowned Warbler, White-flanked Antwren, Streaked Xenops, Grey-rumped Swift, Band-rumped Swift, White Hawk, Bat Falcon, Swallow-tailed Kite, and Trinidad Euphonia. Trinidad Piping-Guans shall remain our primary target, however, and we will be listening for them from long before sunrise. Once we are satiated (bird-wise), we will return to our lodge for a full breakfast.
After breakfast we start our journey to the world-famous Asa Wright Nature Centre. Our journey can take anywhere between three and four hours – so we shall not be making any stops here. Upon arrival to Asa Wright we will be shown to our rooms and we shall make ourselves comfortable while enjoying great views of both Green and Purple Honeycreeper, Bay-headed Tanager, Silver-beaked Tanager, White-chested Emerald, White-necked Jacobin, Blue-chinned Sapphire, Tufted Coquette, Copper-rumped Hummingbird, Ochre-bellied Flycatcher, Brown Violetear, Channel-billed Toucan, and Green-backed Trogon.
Night at Asa Wright

Day 6: Asa Wright trails

We rouse at a comfortable time and begin enjoying the views around the property. We can explore the trails at leisure, searching for some of the more difficult to see forest species such as Great Antshrike, Black-faced Ant-thrush, White-bellied Antbird, and Red-crowned Ant-Tanager – a social bird with an interestingly patchy distribution that isn’t a tanager at all!
Along the trails we shall also visit a multi-generational lek of the White-bearded Manakin, while keeping an eye out for a secretive Green Hermit zooming across the trail. This location is also home to two of our biggest targets of the trip, Bearded Bellbird and the mysterious Oilbird.
Night at Asa Wright

Day 7: Arima-Blanchisseuse Road and Brasso Seco

Following an early breakfast, we depart our lodge and begin to ascend along the Arima-Blanchisseuse Road. This lengthy road has an impressive altitude profile, and we shall be able to access some of the higher elevation habitat where we will search for Speckled Tanager, Collared Trogon, Common Black Hawk, Hepatic Tanager, Golden-crowned Warbler, White-necked Thrush, and Yellow-legged Thrush. With some luck we may find Black Hawk-Eagle and Ornate Hawk-Eagle. At the village of Brasso Seco, we shall enjoy a delicious lunch and an opportunity to learn about the operations of the Brasso Seco Chocolate Company, producers of award-winning chocolate. On the return journey to our lodge, we slowly make our way along the same road, keeping our eyes out for birds throughout.
Night at Asa Wright

Day 8: Transfer to Tobago

Our final morning in Trinidad will begin with a relaxed leisurely breakfast and a final tour of the grounds. After checking out we will take a slow drive to the adjacent valley of Lopinot, where we shall visit a small, family-run cafe. The option to hike to this location is available for those so inclined. This cafe specializes in farm-to-table, indigenous cuisine; they have received several awards for their craft. To add to the allure, they make their own chocolate with world-famous Trinitario beans. We enjoy a light lunch here in the company of numerous hummingbirds, tanagers, and honeycreepers, after which we head to the airport, from which we fly for all of 20 minutes to the nearby island of Tobago.
Upon arrival we shall begin our foray into birding in Tobago’s southwest. Within minutes of leaving the airport we shall be on the lookout for Green Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Anhinga, Least Grebe, White-cheeked Pintail, Grey Kingbird, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Scrub Greenlet, White-fringed Antwren, Red-crowned Woodpecker, Trinidad Motmot, Black-faced Grassquit, White-tipped Dove, Eared Dove, Black-bellied Whistling Duck. We will also search for wintering boreal migrants including Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs, Solitary Sandpiper, Willet, Whimbrel, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Blackpoll Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, and Sora. We depart the wetlands and head directly to our hotel for the next few nights.
Night at the Blue Waters Inn

Day 9: Main Ridge and Little Tobago

Early morning departure into the famous Main Ridge Forest Reserve, the oldest legally protected rainforest in the western hemisphere. This legacy of protection has given the forest ample opportunity to flourish, even after being damaged by a major hurricane in the 1960s. Here we seek regional specialtiesmlike the near endemic White-tailed Sabrewing, Trinidad Motmot, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Stripe-breasted Spinetail, Great Black Hawk, Grey-throated Leaftosser, White-throated Spadebill, Blue-backed Manakin, Yellow-legged Thrush, White-necked Thrush, Golden-olive Woodpecker, Red-rumped Woodpecker, Collared Trogon, and Olivaceous Woodcreeper.
After our morning birding session, we return to our lodge for a delicious meal. After lunch we take a short boat ride to Little Tobago island. upon arrival here we have a short hike to the main viewing platform for an incredible view of the island. Along the way, we remain attentive for Chivi Vireo within the vegetation and Scaly-naped Pigeon at the tops of trees. But the hundreds of Red-billed Tropicbirds running the gauntlet of Magnificent Frigatebirds shall surely take our breath away! After some time enjoying the sights here, we shall return to our hotel for dinner.
Night at Blue Waters Inn.

Day 10: Leisure Day, Night Birding

Today is a relaxed day of birding, nature and leisure.
After a relaxed breakfast at our hotel we embark on a short journey to one of the world’s most picturesque beaches, Pirate’s Bay. Accessible via a series of concrete steps, this tranquil bay provides ample opportunities for relaxation, snorkeling, and pure fun. The birding never truly stops as Yellow-crowned Night-Herons patrol the shoreline while Ospreys hunt in the crystal-clear water just offshore. The shoreline vegetation is forest, and we are very likely to enjoy sightings of Trinidad Motmot, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, as well as migratory species such as Northern Waterthrush.
After several hours of lounging on the beach, we return to our lodge for lunch and a relaxing final afternoon on the island of Tobago. After dinner, we enjoy a session of night birding, keeping a lookout for White-tailed Nightjar, Common Potoo, Striped Owl and Barn Owl.
Night at Blue Waters Inn.

Day 11: Transfer to Trinidad, Caroni Swamp

After breakfast we depart our hotel and begin our journey back to Trinidad.
Our short flight back to the larger island will be around lunchtime, we shall pick up lunch on the road, check in to our hotel, and head to our final birding destination for this trip, the Caroni Swamp. We board our private boat and begin searching the mangroves for Masked Cardinal, Tropical Screech-Owl, Black-crested Antshrike, Bicolored Conebill, Boat-billed Heron, Straight-billed Woodcreeper, Spotted Sandpiper, Little Blue Heron, and American Pygmy Kingfisher. We may be lucky enough to spot a Scarlet Ibis or two within the mangrove – but once we arrive at the main viewing area we shall be expecting hundreds, even thousands of these brilliant red birds arriving at their preferred roosting location. Adding to the ambiance would be the sun setting and scores of American Flamingos amidst the Snowy Egrets and Semipalmated Plovers. We return to our hotel for our farewell dinner.

Day 12: Departure

Following a fantastic trip, we will be transferred to the airport for our flights home.

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Tour price: $5390 (8 participants)
                 $4990 (10 Participants)
Single supplement: $480

Price includes:
Airport transfers
11 nights of accommodation
Transportation throughout
Flights to Tobago and back to Trinidad.
All meals from dinner on day 1 to breakfast on the last morning, including some drinks.
All guiding services and entrance fees

 

Price excludes: 
International flights
Travel insurance
Medical treatment and prescription drugs
Additional drinks during meals, alcoholic drinks and items of personal nature
Tips