Trinidad’s Nature & Wildlife Experience

You are off to study Animal Science in Trinidad has begun as you travel to the Port of Spain. As your plane descends, keep an eye out for the island’s white sands and expansive rainforests. This is your new home for the next week! A local guide will wait to meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel. 

You have the rest of the afternoon to rest, unpack, and explore. Take a dip in the infinity pool, stroll along the beach, or grab some coffee in the lobby café. In the evening, you will regroup with your guide to enjoy a buffet dinner. This is an excellent opportunity to get to know your guide who will be with you throughout your trip.

Rise and shine for your first full day in Trinidad! Start the week right with a drive to the Maracas Lookout for spectacular ocean views. Grab some delicious local snacks from a vender before continuing into the country’s lush rainforest-covered mountains. Finally, you will arrive at a tiny rainforest village and talk through a small river before embarking on a hike along a flat river bed. As you walk, admire the spectacular and exotic beauty that surrounds you. Finally, you will arrive at 65-foot waterfall and lower bathing pool. Jump in for a revitalizing swim. Return to base for a drive to the oh-so-pretty Maracas Bay to enjoy a “Bake & Fish” lunch with ocean views. Following this, return to the city.

Wake up excited and motivated for an education day. Your first stop is at the Indian Carribean Museum, which dedicates itself to the preservation of the material history of millions of Carribean Indians. Learn about the early settlers to this island and their dark colonial past while viewing artifacts and archival documents. You’ll be sure to appreciate the indigenous people’s influence on Trinidad’s present day. Following this, enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before returning to the city. In the evening, head out to the Maura Beach, a place that the endangered leatherback and hawksbill turtles call home and nest. With the help of your guides, you will spot these incredible animals that can be up to five-feet long and learn about their biology and behavior. You may even get the opportunity to tag and record some of the leatherback turtles!

Another day as a worldwide navigator, another adventure! Take a scenic drive to “doubles capital” to taste a wide selection of Indian foods, such as sheena, aloo pie, cachourie, baiganee, and pholourie. Once your stomach is full and happy, make your way to an exhilarating Mud Volcano. Hike through a teak forest and sugar cane plantation to discover a large circular pool filled with clay. Active vents cause the mud to bubble at the surface. Ooze yourself into the thick substance that is thought to be cleansing and rejuvenating. After an hour of mud spa relaxation, hike to a nearby beach to wash off the sticky mud.

Calling all animal lovers, today was planned just for you. Start with a drive to the El Socorro Center for Wildlife Conservation. Tour this facility, which rescues and rehabilitates the harmed and wounded wildlife in Trinidad. They also breed and release endangered species, such as birds, snakes, turtles, and iguanas. Encounter many spectacular and exotic animals as staff share how they prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases, disorders, and injuries in these species. If you are lucky, they may even give you the chance to help in some of their treatment processes. Following lunch, head out to the Caroni Bird Sanctuary to enter that habitat of some of the world’s friendliest snakes, birds, and sea animals. As you embark on a tour of the sanctuary learn about the wildlife you encounter, including how the Scarlet Ibis turns the trees she lands on into Christmas delights.

It’s your last day in Trinidad, and we planned it to be extra memorable. Make your way to the Chaguaramas Boardwalk to hear about the history of the area and the role it played in WWII. Next, arrive at the ZIP-ITT Adventure Tours basecamp to gear up for an exciting adventure. After a brief safety demonstration, ascend to the treetops to sour down nine adrenaline-pumping zip-lines. Be sure to soak up the forest and beach views as you fly. Take a break from adventure and exchange it for relaxation as you drop by a nearby beach for a refreshing swim and suntan session. Following this, visit an abandoned cemetery from the 1800s. Following this, enjoy a scenic drive back to your hotel.

Time has flown by, and we have reached your final day in Trinidad. Enjoy an early breakfast with your group and guides to reflect on your favorite moments of the trip, as well as what knowledge you will bring home with you. Following this, you’ll be transported to the local airport to head back to your country.