Trinidad and Tobago Things to Do

October 30, 2026

As of October 2026, the US State Department advises reconsidering travel to Trinidad and Tobago because of crime. The UK FCDO says violent crime is high and asks for particular caution in downtown Port of Spain, Carenage, Sea Lots, Belmont, Laventille, Morvant, Beetham, Barataria, Cocorite and the interior of Queen’s Park Savannah. Visit the city centre by day, use registered taxis, do not walk alone at night, and check FCDO advice and travel.state.gov before you book.

Activities in Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago is one country made of two islands, so work out which island each activity sits on before you plan. Trinidad has the turtle beaches, the Northern Range waterfalls and Port of Spain. Tobago has the reef, the dive sites and the calm beaches. Prices here are in Trinidad and Tobago dollars (TT$), about TT$6.8 to US$1, and everyday costs such as maxi-taxis and small entry fees are paid in TT$ cash.

Leatherback turtle watching in Trinidad

The nesting season runs from 1 March to 31 August, with the peak roughly from May to July. Watching is guided only. At Matura, Nature Seekers meets visitors at 10 1/4 mile Toco Main Road at 18:45 for a 19:00 start that lasts about 2.5 hours. The fee is TT$100 for an adult resident or US$20 for a visitor, TT$50 or US$10 for a child under 12, plus a Forestry access permit of TT$5 for an adult and TT$2 for a child. The Grande Riviere Visitor Centre on the Paria Main Road is open from 19:00 to midnight and lists $100 for a non-national adult and $50 for a child, so confirm the currency when you book.

On the beach there are no flambeaus, fires, headlights or bright lights, no flash photography and no touching or sitting on turtles. Harming a turtle carries a TT$100,000 fine and two years in prison. Numbers vary night to night, so treat a sighting as likely in season but never guaranteed. Tobago has nesting too, at Turtle Beach near Great Courland Bay, with guided watching through SOS Tobago or hotel tours.

Buccoo Reef and the Nylon Pool in Tobago

Reef tours are allowed only from 10:00 to 17:30. Tickets are sold at the authorised reef-operator booths, and boats must be registered, insured and use the marked channel. The reef has been a protected marine park since 1973, and the Nylon Pool is said to have been named after a visit by Princess Margaret in 1962. Glass-bottom boat listings run from about US$35 to US$75 per person, so compare before you pay.

Alcohol, parties and fishing are prohibited in the park, and jet skis are banned from the Nylon Pool, so there are no night or party trips to book. Some bleaching has been reported on the reef, so go for the boat ride and the wading rather than for pristine coral.

Diving at Speyside in Tobago

Speyside is Tobago’s dive base. Kelleston Drain is known for very large brain coral, Japanese Gardens is another named site, and Angel Reef is shallow on the western side of Goat Island. Mantas turn up sometimes, not on a schedule. Conditions are usually best from about January to May. Extra Divers and Tobago Dive Experience both operate here, and prices change, so ask each for a current quote.

Pigeon Point and Store Bay in Tobago

Both beaches are sheltered by the reef, so the water is shallow and calm and there is no surf. Pigeon Point Heritage Park charges TT$20 for an adult (about US$3). Kitesurfing and paddleboarding are on offer, and jet skis are not allowed in the park.

Northern Range hikes in Trinidad

Maracas Falls is the island’s tallest, at 83 to 91 m depending on the source. Paria Falls, Avocat Falls and Rio Seco are also popular hikes. Go with a guide or a hiking club, because the rivers rise fast after rain upstream, and skip the trails during wet-season downpours. Trinidad has several venomous snakes, including the mapepire balsain, so watch where you put your hands and feet. Tobago has none.

Beach safety on the north coast

Maracas, Tyrico, Las Cuevas and Blanchisseuse are open-coast beaches with surf and rip currents, and drownings have been reported. Lifeguard cover is thin and uneven. Swim only where lifeguards are posted, obey the flags and never swim alone.

Official sources: Nature Seekers , Buccoo Reef rules from the Tobago House of Assembly and Pigeon Point on the Tobago tourism site .

Book a guide: Trinidad and Tobago tours on GetYourGuide .