Classic Caribbean

Is there a holiday island where sun-worshipping hedonists can co-exist with wilderness and wildlife lovers? Yes, says Angela Dewar. It’s called Tobago.

If you are looking for a beach holiday with a difference, try Tobago. Its pristine, white sand beaches and secluded bays make it ideal for sunbathing and swimming, while its 60 million-year-old rainforest nourishes flora and fauna more diverse than anywhere else in the Caribbean, and makes it a magnet for eco-tourists.

The island has taken its time to get involved in tourism, so the rustic charms of the villages dotted around the coast are still there to be enjoyed by visitors. And what a coast it is! It has some of the richest and most colourful reefs in the Caribbean, with 40 different coral and more than 600 species of fish.

Wildlife

It’s best to hire a guide for a trip to the central mountain range and a hike through the bamboo groves and towering ferns of the lush Tobago Forest Reserve, the Western world’s oldest legally protected rainforest.

Stand under the tree canopies to hear a cacophony of sound from singing birds, gurgling streams and cascading waterfalls. Lizards and iguanas scuttle in the undergrowth, and armies of cutter ants with triangles of green leaves on their backs look like tiny windsurfers, swaying as they march back to their nest. Armadillos, wild pigs, red squirrels and opossums live here, but it takes patience and a walk deep into the forest to find them. David Attenborough came here to film the Trials of Life BBC television series, and Michael Creighton considered it as the setting for the movie Jurassic Park.

Dotted across the thick green foliage and hanging lianas, there are bursts of colour – exotic flowers such as the bright red lobster claws, where hummingbirds feed, and wild pine bromeliad, with their spiky red flowers.

As well as parrots and kingfishers, tanagers and Blue Emperor butterflies aren’t uncommon. Some of the best action happens on the beach in the middle of the night. That’s when giant leatherback turtles clamber out of the sea to nest and lay their eggs (from March to August), which hatch two months later. The females return to the same beaches where they were born to nest – and their own young will come back to them in a few years time to continue the cycle.

Best beaches

You don’t have to go far to find classic Caribbean palm-fringed beaches and crystal-clear coves and bays for swimming. The north coast has some of the best beaches in Tobago, from Englishman’s Bay to the small fishing ports of Castara, Parlatuvier and Bloody Bay. Sun-seekers are joined by snorkellers who come here for the offshore coral reef. But it’s not the only place to get a taste of life underwater; snorkellers are spoilt for choice on Tobago. There are reefs and colourful tropical fish at Great Courland Bay, while a clear sea draws visitors to chill out at Pigeon Point on the tip of the island’s west coast. If lazing in the sun with a book sounds too much like hard work, there are plenty of watersports options for hire – windsurfing, sailing and kayaking.

Nearby is busy Store Bay, packed with craft stalls and restaurants cooking up the Tobago favourite, curry crab and dumpling. When you’ve had your snack or lunch, take a glass-bottom boat trip to see more of the coast and watch fishermen bring in the day’s catch later in the afternoon. Sandy Point beach couldn’t be more different. Often deserted, it has a strip of sand disappearing into the azure water, with shade from a searing sun provided by lolling palms.