St Lucia North
Holidays to Tobago radiate Caribbean realness, whether you're devouring seafood on the beach or trekking through the rainforest.
In the Caribbean Sea, Tobago's full of palm-fringed beaches, intricate coral reefs, traditional fishing villages and thick, thriving rainforest. In a place where the air is scented with sweet mango when the trees are heavy with fruit, a laidback, life-is-good vibe floats above the island.
Soaking up the local lifestyle's a breeze when you're in Tobago. Street vendors, beach restaurants, home-style cafés and roti huts serve up traditional and imaginative foods for locals and visitors alike – all that's left to do, is dig in.
For a taste of nature at its best, head to the Main Ridge Forest Reserve rainforest in the north of the island. The oldest protected rainforest in the Caribbean, it has gasp-inducing mountain and valley views, plus first-class birdwatching. Hike to the Main Ridge lookout hut for a vista that reaches over Bloody Bay towards Sisters Rocks.
The sunny temperatures of Tobago are spot-on for sunbathing, and the island's home to lots of tropical beaches with blue, crystalline waters. Thronged with palm trees on the golden sands, most of them have got a real desert-island look.
With its rustic thatched jetty and calm waters, Pigeon Point tops the list as Tobago's go-to beach. Take a boat out to plunge into the Nylon Pool, where a white sandbar has created a natural swimming pool right in the middle of the sea.
In the north of the island, Pirate's Bay's so hush-hush you have to work to find it. Keeping an eye out for wild, colourful jacamar birds and follow the steep dirt track from Charlotteville town that leads to the compact, fine-sand beach.
In the south-west of the island, the huts by Store Bay Beach sell paintings and crafts like shell and bead jewellery. Eastward, a busy market sets up in Tobago's capital of Scarborough on Fridays and Saturdays. Bag all manner of super-fresh local produce, from juicy tropical fruit to shiny-eyed fish,then nose about the neighbouring stands for leather sandals.
In Crown Point and Scarborough, you'll find shops selling wearable art such as hand-printed sarongs. Edible art's a good option, too – Trinidad and Tobago produce some of the world's highest grade cocoa beans, so get your hands on some locally made chocolate bars and bonbons.
Paintings and fine woodcarvings by local artists and craftspeople here make unique souvenirs. In Lowlands, the small but significant Tobago Art Gallery has a changing collection of paintings depicting local scenes.
Laidback and low-key, a typical Tobagonian night out's all about sipping tropical cocktails to rhythmic steel pan music. From your pick of the island's breezy rum shops and beach bars, watch the sunset with a rum punch in hand.
If you're looking to dance the night away, Crown Point's where it's all happening. The cluster of nightclubs, bars and casinos – and the odd karaoke night – get the party crowd heading to this energetic neighbourhood near the airport. The most popular venues stay open until the wee hours.
Punch up your breakfast with this characteristically Trinbagonian dish. Flaked salt cod, tomatoes, hot and sweet peppers and lime juice are tossed together for a refreshing salad that works equally well heaped on local coconut bread.
A street-food staple, this Indian snack's composed of chickpea curry sandwiched between two rounds of fried, turmeric-infused flatbread. It's served with tamarind sauce and a dollop of spicy-sour mango chutney – ask for a double dollop if you're a fan.
Tender chicken's caramelised in burnt raw sugar in the ultimate Creole comfort food. In this one-pot meal – often brought out at large social gatherings on the islands – chicken, pumpkin, pigeon peas and rice are cooked together in coconut milk, then ladled out to a hungry crowd.
From 'mahi-mahi' – white-fleshed dolphinfish – and 'tilapia' – mild-flavoured freshwater fish – to buckets of shrimp, Tobago's seafood scene brings peckish punters to the table. Coconutty curry crab and dumplings is practically the national dish, but local lobster simply grilled in garlic butter goes down a treat, too.
The island's fruit trees provide a bounty of sweet and tart snacks just as nature designed. Squeeze a half-lime over green-skinned pawpaw, or slice into a spiny soursop to scoop out its custardy pulp.
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