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Ultimate Guide to Trinidad and Tobago
Before a trip to Trinidad and Tobago make sure to check out what is worth seeing in this country, how to plan the journey and how to prepare for visiting Trinidad and Tobago.
I put together all the necessary information, which I checked and tested by myself. I hope you will find them useful when planning a trip.
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What to do?
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The trip plan for 11 days
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How to sightsee?
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Where to sleep?
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Where to eat?
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Safety
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The best time for travel
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The transport
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The cost of travel
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The Currency
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SIM Card
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A Visa
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Coronavirus
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What to wear there?
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Toiletry bag and first aid kit
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Trinidad and Tobago Vaccinations
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Which souvenirs are worth bringing home?
Contents
What to do? The best attractions in Trinidad and Tobago
- Port Of Spain — Queens Park Savannah, Magnificent Seven, Emperor Valley ZOO, Royal Gardens
- The North-East region of Trinidad – Toco, Galera Point, Matura
- The North-West region of Trinidad – Chaguaramas, Edith Falls, Bamboo Cathedral, Tracking Station
- Caroni Swamp
- Tobago — Crown Point, Scarborough, Corbin Local Wildlife, Castara, Buccoo, Speyeside
More details about each of these places will be available in separate posts, which will soon appear on the blog.
The trip plan for 11 days:
Day 1. The arrival to Port of Spain
Day 2. Sightseeing of the capital of Trinidad and Tobago
Day 3. A trip to Toco
Day 4. The Bird Sanctuary
Day 5. Hiking and the waterfall
Day 6. A sail to Tobago
Day 7. A visit to Crown Point
Day 8. Buccoo and Tobago Plantation
Day 9. Plymouth and Castara
Day 10. Speyeside – diving
Day 11. Leaving Tobago and departure from Port of Spain
If you need help planning your trip, hit me up in a private message. I will try to help as best as I can. ☺️
➡️ A full plan of journey to Trinidad and Tobago is available at the Plan of Journey to Trinidad and Tobago post.
How to sightsee? With a guide or on your own?
Trinidad and Tobago is a country that you can sightsee on your own. Some places are more worth visiting with a guide, though. Trips to the forests with no paths to be exact.
Most of the tours can be bought in local travel agencies, where a guide and appropriate safety will be provided.
I booked a trip to Caroni Swamp at this company: Nanan’s Eso Tours.
The leatherback sea turtles watching was picked at this company (unfortunately, the site is under construction, but you can call them): Matura Turtle Wathing.
Remember that you need to reach all of these places on your own!
Where to sleep? The places where I stayed during the trip to Trinidad and Tobago
I stayed at four different places during this trip. The flats were searched for at Airbnb.com and Booking.com.
I can recommend a great apartment in an excellent location in Port of Spain – near the Queen’s Park Savannah. The owner is one of the most open people and he will tell you a little bit about his country if he finds some time. I especially recommend this person as he was one of the best hosts I have ever met!
I stayed at a private apartment in Crown Point, which is about 5 minutes away from the city and beaches. The flat was well adjusted for two people, it even consisted of a well equipped kitchen.
I stayed for two nights in a guesthouse in Bon Acord, which is close to a supermarket and about a 10 minutes drive from the beach. The advantage of this apartment was the reservation, which could have been done straight away. The flat was a part of an enormous house, which reminded me of a hostel a little.
Before flying out of Trinidad I stayed at a little hotel, about a 5 minutes drive from the airport. The price for the hotel included a transport to the airport. Montecristo Inn.
Hotel Montecristo Inn near to the airport.
➡️ More about the apartments I slept in during this trip is available in a Where to Stay in Trinidad and Tobago post.
Where to eat?
For the sake of this guide I picked the best, in my opinion, restaurants in Trinidad and Tobago that you can visit during your journey.
3 best restaurants in Trinidad and Tobago:
- Captin Doubles — Trinidad
- The Meena House — Trinidad
- The Pasta Gallery — Tobago
➡️ More about these (and other restaurants I visited) is available to read in the following posts: Where to eat in Trinidad and Where to eat in Tobago.
Safety
Trinidad and Tobago is a country of moderate safety. During my visit I did not encounter any dangerous situations, however I was bothered by the homeless a few times and it was not very pleasant.
However, I found out that tourists in Trinidad are being targeted by the local robbers – these situations happen more often in Trinidad, which is a less popular tourist spot than Tobago island.
There are generally less white people in Trinidad and Tobago, which is why the tourists stand out in public.
The best thing to do is not to show off too much jewelry, equipment or cash. I do not recommend walking after dark, especially in more local districts.
➡️ More information about safety you will find in the post: Trinidad and Tobago: safety.
The best time for travel. Weather in Trinidad and Tobago.
There is a rainy and dry season in Trinidad and Tobago. The peak of the tourist season falls upon the driest one, which occurs between December and May, while the period between June and December is the wettest one and tropical storms or hurricanes can appear.
My trip to Trinidad and Tobago took place in June. There were a few rainy days, and when the journey was about to end I was surprised with a tropical storm. Even despite this, Trinidad and Tobago was nice to visit during this time as there were not many tourists.
➡️ More about the weather you can read in the post: What is the weather like in Trinidad and Tobago?
The transport
In Trinidad and Tobago you can choose your transport method between public transport, taxis, Uber-like apps and car rental.
Public transport – there are buses running as a means of
The route and timetable can be checked on the official site of Public Transport in Trinidad and Tobago. I did not use them during my trip as I rented a car, which was a more beneficial option to me.
Car rental – this one is the most comfortable means of transportation when traveling Trinidad and Tobago. The cost of renting a car in Trinidad and Tobago for 14 days is around 600 euros (that was the offer I chose for 14 days with insurance when picking a Honda City car).
I rented my car from the Europcar company, because the price-to-offer ratio was the most advantageous.
If you arrive in Port of Spain during the night, do not count on picking up your car then.
I reached Port of Spain after 1AM at night. During this period there was no better flight connection on the Dominicana – Trinidad and Tobago route, which is why I had to pick a flight that would reach its destination at night.
Even though I paid extra for picking up the machine after hours of the office schedule, nobody was waiting for me with the car. As I have later found out from the rental worker – a purchase of such service does not guarantee anyone waiting for you.
Taking this example as food for thought, if you ever arrive in any country during the night, always try to have an alternate means of transportation in mind, which would allow you to reach a previously picked accommodation.
TT Ride Share – there is a TT Ride Share app available in Trinidad, which is very similar to the Uber one. You can book a ride and pay the driver directly with cash or using a card in the app itself. If you plan to use it right after the arrival to Port of Spain, make sure to install and configure it before departure to this country. Check Google Play Store.
The ferry – if you want to travel between Trinidad and Tobago you can book a ferry ticket, which runs between both islands. The ferry cruise takes 3 to 4 hours. The ticket price starts from 50 TT$ for a person (both ways). The tickets can be booked on the Internet, but there is a limited amount of those there, which is why they need to be reserved well in advance. If you don’t book the tickets on the Internet, you can buy them personally in the ticket office at Port of Spain or Scarborough terminal. The TT Ferry site.
You can also check the ferry timetable on the Internet. In case of bad weather (big waves or rain) the cruise can be canceled (it happened to me). Always check the aforementioned site to see the most up to date information.
➡️ More info about the transport you can find here: Transport and car rental in Trinidad and Tobago.
The cost of travel: flight tickets, apartments, currencies to bring with you
The ticket cost from Europe:
- from Warsaw: starting from 790 USD, a flight with 3 changes
- from Frankfurt: starting from 690 USD, a flight with 2 changes
- from Madrid: starting from 900 USD, a flight with 2 changes
The cost of flight from the USA: from Miami starting from 320 USD, a flight with 1 change
The cost of flight from Dominicana: starting from 440 USD, a flight with 1 change
The flight tickets were found in Google Flight, the price state for January 2023.
The apartment cost: exemplary prices from Airbnb.com
- Port Of Spain — starting from 40 USD a night, two people
- Near the Piarco airport — starting from 100 USD a night, two people
- Tobago — starting from 50 USD a night, two people
The price status for January 2023.
➡️ More about prices you can find in the post: Trinidad and Tobago: PRICES.
The Currency
The obligatory currency in Trinidad and Tobago is a Trinidad and Tobago dollar. The money is available in the following denominations: 5, 10, 25 and 50 cents in coins and 1, 5, 10, 20 and 100 dollar banknotes.
The Currency Exchange
You can exchange currency in the exchange points at the airport and in Western Union places. It might be possible to exchange it in a National Bank of Trinidad and Tobago as well. Unfortunately, you cannot exchange it in private banks without having an account there.
Cash or credit?
In most of the places in the city capital, chain restaurants and tourist spots you will be able to pay with a card. In more local places and markets you need to have some cash on you as they do not have terminals there.
SIM Card
There are two mobile operators in Trinidad and Tobago – Bmobile and Digcel. The cost of buying a SIM card in Bmobile is 40TT$, and a weekly recharge with Internet included is 90TT$.
You can buy a SIM card in Bmobile points, I bought my own in Trincity mall, which is located not so far from Port of Spain airport.
As it turns out, a purchase of a SIM card and a recharge is not so easy. I bought mine at an official salon of Bmobile operator, however I could not buy a much needed recharge there. To do it I had to visit a small newsstand, which offered them. They do not sell SIM cards there, only recharges. Fortunately, the Bmobile salon and this operator’s newsstand were located at one mall, which is why I did not lose that much time.
➡️ More information you can find in the post: Currency exchange and SIM card in Trinidad and Tobago.
A Visa
Most of the countries are not required to apply for a Trinidad and Tobago visa if they want to visit the country using a tourist visa. When entering Trinidad and Tobago you can receive a tourist visa valid for 90 days.
You can check if you need to apply for a Trinidad and Tobago visa on the website.
➡️ More information about a visa you can find here: A flight and visa to Trinidad and Tobago.
Coronavirus
The regulations related to coronavirus in Trinidad and Tobago were very strict (state for June 2022). Each person entering this country was obliged to show a proof of being vaccinated against Cov-19, a negative test for the virus presence, place of residence during the trip and fill out a bunch of self declarations on board of the plane.
Every document was thoroughly checked.
I always recommend checking the entrance requirements to each country beforehand when planning your journey.
What to wear there?
The clothing that you need to take to Trinidad and Tobago depends on what leisure activities you plan to do in this country. If you want to sightsee and chill out on the beach – make sure to take bathing suits, flip-flops, good quality light clothes, hats and sunglasses.
If you are up to some trekking trips – pack good trekking shoes, long pants, cotton t-shirts and a hat.
Toiletry bag and first aid kit
- Usual medicine that you take on a daily basis
- SPF cream (at least 30)
- Mugga (or other bug repellents with high DEET concentration)
- Fenistil or other antipruritic ointment
- Diarrhea medicine
- Aloe gel for any burns
Trinidad and Tobago Vaccinations
If your country is not threatened with yellow fever then no vaccinations are required, however there are some that are recommended. Those are viral hepatitis type A and B, yellow fever, rabies and typhoid.
Which souvenirs are worth bringing home?
- Sea moss — you can find it at local markets, a weekend one for example, which is present at Queen’s Savannah Park
- Angostura — available at each bigger supermarket
- Rum z Trynidadu — again, available at each bigger supermarket
- Dried hot peppers — to be bought at every supermarket and nearby stands.
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You will find more useful information about this country, planning your journey and interesting facts in the Trinidad and Tobago tab.
I love sharing my travels, experiences, thoughts and self-tested advices. A travel blog is also a bit of work that I do drinking coffee.
If you want to buy me a coffee, I’d be very pleased!
Newer entry
A flight and visa to Trinidad and Tobago