Top image: Mount Irvine Bay. Photo: Mark Hardy
If you’re interested in discovering some of the most idyllic beaches and coral reefs on the island, while enjoying a sumptuous seafood lunch, then this Day Tour is made for you.
You can start with an early morning trip to the Mangrove Boardwalk at Tobago Plantations, near to the Magdalena Hotel and Golf Course. It’s a ten-minute drive from the airport. Discover the latticed beauty of one of the eight fairly small wetlands on the island. The mangrove swamp which borders the lagoon is a rich and bio-diverse habitat, where you can see brightly coloured crabs and several birds including egrets exploring the mud flats below. It’s an interesting walk along a wooden-planked trail that you’ll enjoy in the cool of the morning or at dusk.
Then after you’ve packed some water, fresh fruit and don’t forget the snorkelling gear, drive along the coast to the idyllic Mount Irvine beach. Teeming with marine life, a refreshing swim in the emerald green waters of the bay and you may find fish, turtles and crabs on the western side of the promontory.
Then it’s the picturesque Northside Road that will take you to one of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean, Englishman’s Bay. After a refreshing swim in the crystal, clear water, enjoy some delicious fresh fish and chips or local provisions for lunch, topped off with coconut ice cream for dessert, at the seaside restaurant. Pick up some trinkets and then continue your journey north to Speyside just in time for the 2pm or 4pm boat-ride to Little Tobago to see the red-billed tropicbird, Audubon’s shearwater, brown booby and bridled terns. After a snorkel in the reef nearby where you can view the monumental brain coral, you’ll return for a lovely sundowner before heading home.
For the adventurous and energetic, we recommend a bioluminescence tour in the Bon accord Lagoon in the evening. It’s a magical display of phytoplankton you can enjoy from your kayak; the voyage takes you into a world where the luminous green light makes the stingrays or water cucumbers emerge in a phosphorescent glow. A perfect end to an unforgettable day.
