Home to over 100 species of birds, as well as caiman, crabs, swamp boas and anteaters, the mangrove swamp was re-named the Winston Nanan Caroni Bird Sanctuary.
National Geographic explorers and Lindblad Expeditions got to experience the unforgettable spectacle of the Scarlet Ibis in flight at the 12,000-acre mangrove forest and marsh on the west coast of Trinidad. A definite bucket-list contender, the Caroni Swamp is a protected wetland, with several channels, lagoons and mudflats, that runs alongside the Caroni River and into The Gulf of Paria.
Home to over 100 species of birds, as well as caiman, crabs, swamp boas and anteaters, the mangrove swamp was recently re-named the Winston Nanan Caroni Bird Sanctuary. The crafty whistling of tour guide and 3rd-generation-owner of Nanan’s Bird Sanctuary Tours, Allister Nanan, ensured that the group of 48-explorers got a special treat of seeing a variety of birds including the red, white and black masked cardinal, pygmy kingfisher, swallows, hawks and screech owls during the three-hour tour. But, the finale came at dusk, with the dramatic arrival of hundreds of Scarlet Ibis, returning home to roost.
“The whole point of coming to Trinidad is actually to show our guests this incredible environment, this pristine ecosystem that you have,” speaking about the visit to The Guardian newspaper, expedition leader Lucho Verdesoto said. “This is a spectacle that you don’t get to see many places in the world. It is pretty much unique. This is what we want to see. We want to see things that are being protected, and people care about these places.”
Winston Nanan’s Caroni Bird Sanctuary Tours
Daily boat tours at 4 PM /
Duration 2.5 hours approx.
Cost $75 per person.
Children 12 and under $50.
Reservations: WhatsApp or call 681-1671, 681-8274, 776-2046, 372-2176.
Landline 645-1305
www.facebook.com/WinstonNananEcoTours/
nananbirdsanctuarytours@yahoo.com
www.nananecotours.com
