On a familiar road curve between the fishing villages of the northern coast of TobagoI have the unique experience of feeling hummingbird feet on my hands. I am at Shurland James Hummingbird Nature Parka bird sanctuary with a beer garden located near the entrance to the Main Ridge Forest Reserve, the oldest protected rainforest in the world. My family is from Trinidad and Tobagoand I have visited my grandfather often since he returned from retirement, but this was the first time I explored the rainforest.
Tobago, the smaller of the two islands (it's only seven and a half miles at its widest) has an abundance of dreamy, accessible shorelines. The water is tempting, but Tobago has worked to expand its identity to include ecotourism and extra-oceanic activities. During my last visit, curious, I contacted David Rajpaulsingh, experienced guide and co-owner of Island Girls Tours. He suggested a gentle hike in the rainforest.
We stopped at the Hummingbird Park and Cafe, where bird feeders have helped repopulate the rare, endemic, iridescent green-tailed hummingbird. After a table-side rainforest lunch of fried local fish, rice, plantains and callaloo, we traveled to Main Ridge, which was set aside in 1776 for conservation purposes. As I marveled at the diversity of flora enveloping the road, Rajpaulsingh explained that, because it has remained so intact, the rainforest is a window into the island's original biodiversity.
Then came the main event: a two hour hike on the preserve’s Gilpin Trace Trail. Above a stream, a blue-backed manakin bird, one of around 260 species found in Tobago, contrasted with the greenery. The route, lined with waterfalls, ended at the picturesque Bloody Bay beach, where I took a refreshing swim. It was just us and the fishermen collecting the day's catch. As I absorbed this new experience on an island I thought I knew so well, I understood even more why my grandfather had come home.
This article appeared in the December 2024 issue ofCondé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the magazineA here.
