Independent travels | Active & adventure | Trekking and walking on Trinidad

Trekking and walking on Trinidad

Though Trinidad is not widely recognised as a destination for walking or cycling there are some good opportunities for day walks, short treks and bike rides to add to your trip. We’ve chosen a selection from the best on the island.

Keen walkers will want to be out in the hills for most of their stay. For others, walking for a day or a half day adds enormously to your trip to the islands and it’s something we would thoroughly recommend. The ‘wet’ walks along very shallow rivers are a particular feature of trekking on the island.

All prices are per person, based on 2-3 participants.  Prices include pick-up/drop-off at your hotel, lunch, trail snacks and the services of 2 trek leaders.

El Tucuche

A strenuous and exhilarating trek to the top of Trinidad’s second highest mountain (3,100ft). The trail winds first through abandoned cacao plantations, then into the rainforest, climbing steadily through mist and montane forest up the challenging west face. If the clouds permit, there are excellent panoramic views from the summit.  7 hours walking.

Maracas Beach, Blanchisseuse 
and Marianne River walk

Drive from Port of Spain to Maracas Bay for a swim, stop at Richard’s Bake ‘n’ Shark, then drive along the coast road to the start of the walk at the fishing village of Blanchisseuse. ‘Wet’ walk along the bed of the shallow Marianne River up to cascades and deep pools below richly vegetated cliffs. 2 hrs walking.

Asa Wright Nature Centre 
and Petite Marianne Waterfall

Drive up through the forested Northern Range to visit the Asa Wright Nature Centre. Then take an easy walk down the Marianne River to a waterfall in the midst of the forest. Picnic lunch at the edge of its deep pool: perfect for bathing. Return to the city by the scenic north coast road, with great views.  1 1/2 hrs walking.  Return drive to your hotel.

Rio Seco River Walk

Drive from your hotel to Rio Seco for a long easy trail through epiphyte-rich rainforest, at times along the river bed, to reach the Rio Seco waterfall, where you stop for a restful lunch by a deep pool.  4hrs walking.  Return drive to your hotel.

Loanga Loop

An interesting drive through the Maracas St Joseph Valley to the small village of Loango to hike the old Spanish donkey trail to Las Cuevas bay. The route is through spectacular montane forest to the saddle below the high cliffs of El Tucuche. Return to Loango along a path through old cocoa and coffee plantations. 6hrs walking.  Return drive to your hotel.

Trek to Maracas Beach

A morning trekking along a trail first cut during the Spanish colonial period leading from the Maracas valley along and over the main knife ridge of the Northern Range, with breathtaking views of the north coast. After a celebratory lunch at Maracas Bay you can reward yourself with an afternoon’s relaxation at the beach before a ride back to Port of Spain. (The super-fit may prefer a quick swim then complete the loop by hiking back over the mountain).  4hrs walk to beach only, 8hrs if walking the loop.

The North Coast Trek

6 days, 5 nights - strenuous

The best trek on the island, the 24 mile trail from Brasso Seco to Matelot, is the focus of this highly recommended trip. The trek itself can be covered in a comfortable 3 days. There’s time to enjoy pristine beaches, bathe at the waterfalls, and savour impressive coastal views, or to take side trails inland. The route follows several old Spanish ‘bench trails’ and there is a strong sense of the island’s forgotten past. Your guides may recount stories from local folklore, or pass on their knowledge of local ecologies and plants’ healing properties.

Porters, in the form of local village lads, can usually be arranged if requested in advance.

Day 1 LD 

Depart from Port of Spain to be driven up into the Northern Range to visit the Asa Wright Nature Centre. Take an easy walk down the Marianne River to where it meets the Petite Marianne with a lovely deep pool: ideal for a refreshing swim. Just a little further on there is another pool fed by a sparkling waterfall. Stay in the village of Brasso Seco – a rewarding introduction to rural village life.

Day 2 BLD 

Set off on a good clear trail into the forest that winds northwards, eventually reaching the Jordan River which you follow until it joins the Paria River. Just before emerging on stunning Paria Bay you reach Paria Falls - magical in the dappled sunlight of a forest clearing . It is then a short walk to reach the sea at Paria Bay – a pristine wilderness beach backed by palms. Camp here overnight. At night between March and August leatherback turtles come to this beach to lay their eggs.

Day 3 BLD 

The trail rambles over a succession of small ridges and down to the sea again at Grand Tacarib. Camp here overnight.

Day 4 BLD 

We walk good forest trails to Matelot village, from where we will be transferred to nearby Grand Riviere. Stay two nights at the Mount Plaisir beachfront lodge (page 5) near the edge of the rainforest.

Day 5 BD 

A well deserved day to relax in the sleepy fishing village of Grand Riviere. In season leatherback turtles come here in great numbers to lay their eggs. Optional ‘wet’ walk along the Shark River.

Day 6 B