Carnival, steelpan and the scarlet ibis
The working half of the country: a real capital, the birthplace of the steelpan, and the biggest Carnival in the Caribbean.
Trinidad is the working half of the country: oil and gas, a capital that keeps its own hours, and the birthplace of the steelpan. It is not a resort island and does not pretend to be, which is exactly why people who come here tend to come back.
Carnival is the obvious draw and fills every room on the island months ahead. Outside it, the pull is Maracas Bay and bake and shark on the north coast, the long Atlantic stretch at Mayaro in the east, the scarlet ibis coming in to roost over the Caroni Swamp at dusk, and birdwatching in the Northern Range that people fly in specifically for.
Two days in February or March that the rest of the year is measured against. Rooms book out months ahead.
Over the Northern Range from the capital, about an hour. Come for the beach, stay for the bake and shark.
A late afternoon boat into the mangroves, timed so you are in place when the national bird flies in to roost.
A birding lodge in the Arima Valley that people fly in for specifically. The veranda does most of the work.
Where Port of Spain eats and drinks. Busiest on a Friday night.