WATER
Tobago is truly one of the best-kept secrets of the diving world. While other diving destinations struggle to stave off threats to their reefs such as fishing and pollution, Tobago’s underwater life is flourishing. To the east of the island, Speyside Reef holds the world’s largest Brain Coral – a thriving underwater ecosystem of fascinating creatures – while even further east, the Kellestain Drain dive site off Little Tobago presents a colony of these giant dome-shaped sea beings that has been growing undisturbed for centuries. Plunging into the depths of Tobago’s waters opens up a rainbow world belonging to turtles, stingrays, parrot fish, butterfly fish and many more. The island’s array of dedicated diving hotels take care of equipment hire and transport, leaving guests to simply turn up, then relax and enjoy the view. Aside from scuba diving, pretty
much any aquatic activity imaginable is on offer on Tobago, including paddle boarding, wake boarding, kitesurfing, jet skiing and fishing trips.
FOOD
“We have a Blue Food Festival every October, so-called because we have a blue root vegetable called dasheen that we use to make everything from – wine, pepper sauce, ketchup, dumplings, bread, cake – everything!” says Frederica Brooks-Adams, director of tourism for the Division of Tourism and Transportation at the Tobago House of Assembly. “And, I’m very proud to say that in 2016, CNN named it one of the best food festivals in the world for serious food fanatics.” Of course, there’s more than one colour to Tobago’s culinary palette. Embodying the island’s blend of cultures, its local cuisine fuses flavours from Africa, Europe, India and India, amongst others, meaning travellers’ tastebuds will have plenty to explore. Traditional Creole dishes include stewed pigeon peas, macaroni pie, oxtail and barbecue grilled pigtail. Seafood lovers can feast on the island’s famous curried crab and dumplings or tuck into freshly caught lobster and mahimahi, drizzled in fresh hot pepper sauces.
NATURE
Home to the oldest protected rainforest in the western hemisphere – dating back to 1765 – Tobago’s natural beauty has been carefully preserved. It’s the perfect playground for soft adventurers, as well as the more than 200 species of butterfly that float amid the gru-gru trees. Bird watchers flock to Tobago to spy more than 25 types of hummingbird, as well as the indigenous re-billed tropicbird. Even those spending a lazy afternoon on a hotel balcony will receive an abundance of colourful feathered visitors, and guests may find themselves leaving Tobago as converted twitchers. Waterfall tours of the northern part
of Tobago are a must. Beneath the island’s rainforest lies a layer of iron oxide, and those venturing into the forest will see that when the water flows over the rusty-looking rocks, it creates a beautiful, shimmering effect of silver running over gold.
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