• Trinidad Carnival
  If you’ve experienced jouvert, short-trouser bands, duelling steel drums, Mas, mass-brass, calypso and soca anywhere but Trinidad, they’re not the real thing. Mardi Gras Carnival here is the original island wide Caribbean street party, the biggest on earth and nothing else comes close.
• Caroni Bird Sanctuary, Trinidad
  This 12,000 acre mangrove swamp is the second largest in Trinidad and home to over 100 bird species, 20 of which are endangered. Take a cruise with kids, it’s remarkable.
• Gasparee Caves, Gaspar Grande
  The network of limestone caverns which contains the immense Blue Grotto is on the island of Gaspar Grande, 12km west of Port of Spain. Tours are highly entertaining and the hidden lake at Gasparee’s heart is stunning.
• La Brea Pitch Lake, Trinidad
  Close to the village of La Brea in south west Trinidad, natural tar seeps through the earth’s surface to form an extraordinary pitch lake. This UNESCO World Heritage site is one of the country’s strangest phenomena and not to be confused with Los Angeles La Brea Tar Pits.
• Buccoo Reef Snorkelling, Tobago
  Even in reef-rich Trinidad & Tobago, very few are as colourful and dense with marine life as Buccoo, close to ethereal Pigeon Point beach. A glass-bottom boat cruise with snorkelling on the side is the easiest way to see wonders up close.

• Dolphin Boarding, Port of Spain
  Jet packs propelling kids up and over the Caribbean just off the coast of Trinidad, that’s the basic principle behind Dolphin Boarding. It’s incredible, not as easy as it looks and the team at Liquid Adrenalin are pretty much the local experts.
• Mountain Bike Tours, Tobago
  Just 27 miles long by seven miles wide, Tobago’s deceptively packed with breathtakingly exciting mountain bike trails. Graded from green to black and in the company of expert guides they’re a fantastic way to see this gorgeous little island up close.
• Five Islands Waterpark, Trinidad
  The largest waterpark in the southern Caribbean, Five Islands has everything from white-knuckle rides, chutes and slides to lazy rivers, toddler splash zones and funfairs.
• Pigeon Point Heritage Park, Tobago
  You can argue all you want about the merits of Tobago’s beaches but the world at large says Pigeon Point is paradise. It also happens to be set against 125 acre Pigeon Point Heritage Park, another must on this idyllic island
• Kayaking Nariva Swamp, Trinidad
  Kayaking through Nariva Swamp’s 6000ha of untamed wetland is as wild as it gets anywhere in the Caribbean. Expect to see quite a few rare birds (there are over 200 species in residence) and keep a look out for anaconda and manatee too.

Getting around with kids in Trinidad & Tobago

It’s a 20 minute flight from Trinidad to Tobago and shuttle services are regular and inexpensive. Alternatively there are fast catamaran ferries between Port of Spain and Scarborough, but crossings can be a bit choppy. The public transport on both islands is fairly infrequent and journeys tend to be long. Car hire is best if you want to explore independently. Most tours and activity operators build transport to and from resorts into their ticket prices.