Destination Guide

With its green mountainous landscape, golden sand beaches and laid-back lifestyle, Tobago is an exceptionally relaxing holiday destination.  Although linked geographically to its more lively and cosmopolitan neighbour, Trinidad, its appearance and its historical background as a plantation island, are more comparable to the Windward Islands. 

The island relies almost exclusively upon tourism and the industry has developed considerably over recent years.  It is mainly confined to the western end of the island where you will find beautiful sandy beaches fringed by palm trees, typical of the Caribbean islands.  Watersports activities tend to be centred around the hotel beaches on the north shore, although it is still possible to find undeveloped beaches here which can be visited by boat.  Popular activities include sailing, deep sea fishing, scuba diving, snorkelling and surfing.  For golfers, there is the 18 hole course at the Mt. Irvine Hotel, and another at the Tobago Plantations Lowlands Golf and Country Club.  Tobago offers excellent walking and guides can be arranged for hikes.  The birdlife is also exceptional with many varieties of tropical birds.  These can be seen in the Tobago Forest Reserve in the centre of the island, which also has a number of marked trails, and at the Alefounder Bird Sanctuary.

Only 26 miles long and 7 miles wide, it is an easy island to explore.  Scarborough, Tobago’s main town is situated on the south coast, not far from the western tip of the island.  Although it has increased in size and business over the last few years, and the island generally is catering more and more to the tourist industry, the tranquil and traditional atmosphere still prevails, with fishermen and farmers going about their daily lives.  The charm of Tobago very much lies in this calm and unhurried atmosphere, definitely a place to unwind and enjoy the Caribbean as it used to be.

There are direct flights to Tobago from London Gatwick with British Airways (via Antigua), Virgin Atlantic and Excel.  BWIA fly to Trinidad from London Heathrow and Manchester, from where there are connections with BWIA or Tobago Express for the 15 minute flight to Tobago. There are also direct flights to Tobago from several mainland European cities, including Frankfurt and Amsterdam.  BWIA offer daily flights from Miami to Tobago, as well as weekly flights from New York, Washington and Toronto.