Yes, Trinidad and Tobago is quite manageable independently, though it has almost no hostel scene and few fellow backpackers, so you plan more yourself than in Central America.
Most budget beds are guesthouses and rooms in private homes at roughly US$40 to 80 a night, with Woodbrook in
Port of Spain and
Castara on Tobago the easiest areas. Shared maxi taxis and route taxis cost TT$5 to 15 (under US$2.50) per ride, and English is spoken everywhere. The domestic flight to Tobago takes about 25 minutes. Use registered taxis after dark in the capital, and budget for a hired driver on days spent in remote spots like the Arima Valley.
Five to seven days lets you see the best of Trinidad and Tobago without rushing, split roughly between the two islands.
With
2 days, stay in southwest Tobago for Pigeon Point, Store Bay and Buccoo Reef. With
3 days, base in
Port of Spain and add Maracas Bay, Asa Wright and the Caroni ibis at dusk. Five days covers both islands: three nights in Trinidad, then two in Tobago at Castara for the Main Ridge rainforest. Add two nights at
Grande Riviere between March and August for leatherback turtle nesting, a 3 to 3.5 hour drive from the capital. Carnival week needs at least five days by itself.
You can get around Trinidad and Tobago without a car for most highlights, but a few nature sites need a hired taxi or tour.
Maxi taxis and route taxis link
Port of Spain with Chaguaramas, Arima and San Fernando for TT$5 to 15 (US$1 to 2.20), and the water taxi to San Fernando takes about 45 minutes to an hour for around TT$15. The flight to Tobago takes 25 minutes, the ferry 2.5 to 3 hours. Tobago has public buses from Scarborough, but Asa Wright, Grande Riviere and the Main Ridge are far easier with a driver at roughly US$100 to 150 a day, or a rental car from about US$40 to 60.
The must-visits in Trinidad and Tobago are Port of Spain, Maracas Bay, the Caroni Bird Sanctuary and Tobago’s Pigeon Point and Buccoo Reef.
In Trinidad, spend a day around the
Queen’s Park Savannah, then cross the Northern Range (40 minutes) to
Maracas Bay for bake and shark at TT$50 to 70. Take the 4 p.m.
Caroni boat (TT$100 to 150) for the scarlet ibis roost and visit
Asa Wright for birdlife. In Tobago,
Pigeon Point costs TT$20 to enter, a reef and
Nylon Pool boat runs TT$150 to 200, and the
Main Ridge Forest Reserve is a protected forest dating from 1776.
If you are short on time in Trinidad and Tobago, skip the inland commercial towns and the long east and south coasts, and concentrate on Port of Spain, the north coast and southwest Tobago.
Chaguanas and
Sangre Grande are busy market towns with little for a first-time visitor.
Mayaro and
Manzanilla are long Atlantic beaches 1.5 to 2.5 hours from the capital with rougher water than Maracas. The far southwest around
Cedros and
Icacos takes about 3 hours each way. The
Emperor Valley Zoo is small and dated, and
Pitch Lake is fascinating but costs most of a day for a visit of about an hour.
Yes, our itinerary-planner does exactly that. Set your trip length in days, give your interests and travel style, optionally give start- and end location and/or some mandatory stops you would like to include and the itinerary planner creates your personalized routes for Trinidad and Tobago in seconds. Try it out!
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