​Considered by many as the true Caribbean

Tobago has everything you’d expect from a Caribbean island, with palm trees and white sand aplenty, yet it’s relatively unchanged by the tourist industry. 

Combined, this twin-island republic offers, first-class diving, luxuriant rainforests prime for hiking, waterfall swimming and cycling, unparalleled bird-watching, and electric nightlife, with the fabulous Carnival easily the biggest and best of the region’s annual blowouts.

While Trinidad booms with industry and parties allnight, tiny Tobago (just 42km across) slouches in a deck chair with a beer in hand watching its crystalline waters shimmer in the sun. Though Tobago is proud of its rainforests, fantastic dive sites, stunning aquamarine bays and nature reserves, it’s OK with not being mentioned in a Beach Boys song. It accepts its tourists without vigor, but rather with languor, and allows them to choose between plush oceanside hotels or tiny guesthouses in villages where you walk straight to the open-air bar with sandy bare feet, and laugh with the locals drinking rum. 

Explore

Everything that you’ve ever dreamed about the Caribbean can be found in idyllic Tobago – a warm welcome from friendly locals going the extra mile to make you feel truly at home, secluded white sand beaches lazily lapped by sky blue oceans, the distant sound of music drifting on a warm tropical breeze, breathtaking natural beauty and striking wildlife. 

Wherever you choose to stay and whatever you choose to do while you're there, you’ll see that Tobago offers something for just about everyone. If you’re a diver, an ornithologist, a nature lover, a sun worshipper, a lover of fresh food, a laid-back lifestyle, a people-watcher, a beach babe, surf dude, sailor, romantic couple, oldie, young person or on a tight budget, then you’ll love Tobago.

Diving
The small fishing village of Speyside fronts Tyrrel’s Bay, and attracts divers and birders. It’s the jumping-off point for excursions to uninhabited Little Tobago island, a bird sanctuary 2km offshore. Protected waters, high visibility, abundant coral and diverse marine life make for choice diving. Non divers can take glass-bottom boat/snorkel tours. Speyside funnels visitors into high-end, diver-oriented hotels much more than its neighbour Charlotteville, where mixing with the locals is more of a possibility. Above town, the off-road lookout has panoramic views out over the islands and reef-studded waters.
Seculded Paradise
Walk to the north end of Charlotteville and take the dirt track winding up and around the cliff, and a 10-minute walk brings you to the top of the concrete steps that descend to Pirate’s Bay, which offers excellent snorkelling and fantastic beach liming, with locals and visitors making a day of it with coolers and games of beach football. There are no facilities, so bring your own drinks and food. If you don't fancy walking, ask one of the Man of War Bay fishermen to transport you there and back.

Historical sites
Atop a hill at the end of Fort St, this sizable fort was built by the British between 1777 and 1779, and is worth a visit to see its restored colonial-era buildings and magnificent views. Benches under enormous saaman trees allow you to gaze out over Scarborough bay, while cannons line the fort’s stone walls, pointing out to sea over palm-covered flatlands below.
Get Active
Take a long hike along the excellent trails of Tobago’s Main Ridge Forest Reserve. Some of the country’s best hiking can be had here. The Argyle Falls, a three-tiered cascade and one of the island’s most iconic landmarks, is here, as is Flagstaff Hill, a dramatic viewpoint on the northern tip of the island. Tobago’s lush, hilly interior has some fabulous biking trails, such as those in the Adventure Nature Reserve and around the Main Ridge Forest Reserve. Mainly, though, it’s the beauty of the lonely trails that will draw you out here.