“Can you guys give us a hand with the boat?” A fisherman asks my friend and me to join a group of men pushing a bright blue fibreglass boat into Castara Bay. We jump up and start at it — a simple thing, but a true slice of life that draws me right into the essence of everyday life on the island of Tobago, half of the dual-island nation of Trinidad and Tobago.
This picture-postcard destination offers a taste of what many other popular spots in the Caribbean were like in the 1960s — a time of out-of-the-way guest houses and traditional food, uncrowded coral reefs to explore and waterfalls to stumble across. Nothing fancy, but that’s the point. The island’s lush, unspoiled nature has made it a hit with eco-conscious travellers.
It may all seem so simple on the surface, but local efforts to protect this gorgeous place have been anything but. Island residents started taking steps to protect the land and marine life 250 years ago, long before the term “sustainability” was coined, and involve practices that remain in place today.
Tobago is home to the oldest protected parkland in the western hemisphere — the UNESCO-listed, 4,000-hectare Main Ridge Forest Reserve, designated a preserved rainforest in 1776. I wander through the old-growth trails, cool in the shade of the thick overhead canopy of tall tropical trees and native palms. Our tour guide, naturalist William Trim, is clearly in his element, pointing out blue-backed manakins and rufous-tailed jacamars. Tobago is a paradise for birders, with more than 260 species, including migratory birds that pass through each year on their way to and from North America. At nearby Shurland James Hummingbird Nature Park, we watch dozens of blue and green hummingbirds flit about red and yellow feeders, practically eating out of our hands.
In the fishing community of Castara, we find a small but sufficient ecotourism infrastructure and friendly folks. We check into Castara Retreats, a rusticchic eco-lodge of partially open-air apartments spread across the hillside, surrounded by a blaze of blooming bougainvillea, frangipani, hibiscus and bird of paradise. We’re settled in by Derek “Porridge” Lopez, who also runs a taxi service and sets guests up with local activities. He recommends a session at the property’s yoga pavilion at the top of the hill. From there, we can see kilometres of coastline and ocean, with a dozen or so fishing boats filling the bay, waiting for sunrise tomorrow. The beach is empty, save for a few diving birds and some kids playing soccer after school. We practically have the whole place to ourselves.
With so much to offer, it’s little wonder that Tobago is where Trinidadians go on holiday, particularly during the Harvest Festivals held in different parts of the island throughout the year, when street parties fill the weekends, much of the revelry revolving around food. Our many options of traditional fish dishes include fish broth and stewed kingfish and snapper. Condiments such as pepper sauce, green seasoning and mango chutney are always within easy reach, thanks to the country’s rich mix of African, East Indian, Chinese and European culinary cultures. I couldn’t wait for breakfast each morning to load up on moist coconut bake and saltfish and eggs, and soursop and passion-fruit juices.
One afternoon, we join Birtil “Alibaba” Taylor, who is making a big pot of meaty stew right on the beach — a regular occurrence open to anyone who wants to join in. He also fries up fresh fish topped with a buttery barbecue sauce that bubbles away on his outdoor stoves. This makeshift kitchen under the almond and coconut trees includes a traditional dirt oven that turns out the most remarkable bread. Villagers place their order in advance, then wander down to the beach to pick it up. Nothing could be more homespun or more delicious.
Another spot to sample local dishes — such as crab dumplings, curried chicken and goat roti — is at the food stalls on the beach of No Man’s Land. This little spit of sand reaching into the Bon Accord Lagoon draws tourists and locals alike for a bite and a beer. Many arrive on colourful wooden boats from the nearby town of Buccoo after touring the renowned Nylon Pool. This very clear natural swimming pool formed by a sandbar in the middle of Buccoo Reef was nicknamed by visiting British royal Princess Margaret in 1962, who said that the water was as sheer as her nylon stockings.
Happily, my Tobagonian adventure doesn’t stop at sundown. With its interdependent reef, lagoon and mangrove ecosystems, the beach yields a fun lesson in marine biology after dark. We pull into the lot at Pigeon Point Beach one evening and set off kayaking through one of the world’s few bioluminescent bays with Radical Sports Tobago. The conditions here are just right for the proliferation of bioluminescent algae. The movement of our paddles triggers a chemical reaction within the algae that makes it glow, creating glittering swaths of water wizardry. As we carry our kayaks back to the sports shed under the moonlight, I can’t help but think how wonderful it is to be part of Tobago’s magic.