Best Tobago Travel Guide

Argyle Falls is Tobago’s most popular waterfall. It is the largest waterfall on Tobago, and the second largest in the entire country. Alongside the Nylon Pool, this is one of Tobago’s main attractions. The entrance is at Argyle Waterhole Bar, where you pay a small fee to use the trail. You can go further down the road and walk up the river for free, but there is no trail and it’s much more rugged. Since the fee is so low, the trail is recommended. From the bar it’s a 15 minute walk through the forest to reach the base of the falls. We found the path to be well marked and clear, making it easy to find the way.

Argyle Falls has three tiers and is an impressive 175 feet tall. To get to each tier you have to scramble up a trail through the bushes and up rocks. It was pretty difficult since the trail is very steep and we didn’t bring the right shoes. However, it is possible to visit all three tiers if you like hiking or have some form of fitness and stability. During rainy season, these trails are a lot more challenging and the falls are more dangerous, so use caution.

Shurland James Hummingbird Nature Park is located high up in the mountains near Parlatuvier Waterfall. This nature reserve is run by none other than Mrs. Shurland James. As soon as we entered, we saw hummingbirds zooming to the empty canisters looking for food. Mrs. James told us about the park and the surrounding wildlife. Of course there are plenty of hummingbirds, but also sometimes agouti are in the forested area. She filled up a feeder and gave us small containers with sugar water to attract the hummingbirds.

After a few minutes, we heard a quick buzz and they were feeding from our hands. I’ve never seen hummingbirds so close before with their shiny and bright colors. We were able to see different kinds and colors of hummingbirds that interacted with us many times. There are about 6 species that call Tobago home, with some hummingbirds even migrating all the way from Venezuela. They charge an hourly rate but one hour is more than enough to see lots of hummingbirds. We really loved the location high in the mountains, with a beautiful view over the Caribbean Sea.

Fort King George in Scarborough was constructed by the British in 1760. It was built to help protect Tobago from attacks and to give the British a strong position overlooking Scarborough. In 1820 the fort was taken by the French, but the British later regained control again. A hurricane in 1847 destroyed most of the buildings, but since then, the fort has been restored by the government. After changing hands a few more times, the fort has reached it’s final form as an outdoor history museum and public park overlooking the city.

Englishman’s Bay is a quiet beach located on the north side of the island. The beach is very secluded and untouched, with a restaurant and single souvenir store. The water is so clean and beautiful, sparkling bright blue in the sun. We met a couple going spear fishing; apparently these waters are flush with tropical fish making it a great place for scuba diving.

Fort James is a smaller British fort built in the 1760s located in Plymouth. It is the oldest fort in Tobago and was destroyed by the French. What remains today is a stone building and four cannons facing out toward the ocean. Like Fort King George, it is a place where people can walk around, learn a bit of history, and enjoy the views of the sea. Even though not much of the original fort remains, it is still an interesting place to visit and imagine what it was like in the past. We’ve heard nearby is also a great place to snorkel and swim so you’ll likely be in the area at some point.

In Tobago, one of the traditional ways to bake is in a dirt oven. A few people still keep that tradition alive. There are several dirt oven bakeries on the island but we chose Backyard Dirt Oven. Their bake day is only on Thursday and you have to make an order in advance through WhatsApp. They have so many options from pastries, breads, and desserts. Usually they are open around 5-5:30pm, and people start lining up next to the fence. It’s a very strange arrangement, you tell them what you ordered and they simply pass it over the garden gate. You can barely see their faces, so it feels a bit illicit, but it gets the job done!

Sue’s Hot Tasty Doubles is a hut in the countryside of Tobago serving aloo pies, pholourie, and of course doubles. We’ve heard it is one of the better doubles places on the island so we definitely had to check it out. We ordered our doubles with slight pepper and ate it right on the spot as you should. The bara was nice and soft with the chana piping hot. It was one of the better doubles I’ve had in T&T. The staff was super friendly there and luckily there are a few tables to sit and enjoy your doubles inside. Michael found the pepper to be too mild, so he ordered another with medium and it was perfect.

One thing that we try to find every place we go to is specialty coffee. Trinidad and Tobago aren’t known for coffee, but we found one place that had pour overs so we had to give it a try. We visited One Cup located in Buccoo Town Center Food Court 10 minutes away from the airport. Of all the coffee shops we tried in T&T, this was certainly one of the better ones. While it’s definitely not real specialty coffee, the roast was alright and the brew was pretty good as well. One of the famous drinks in the Caribbean is cacoa tea. I got iced cacoa tea which was super good. It was very sweet but slightly bitter, exactly how you want it.

The curry sauce was thick and coated the crab really well. In Tobago, the dumplings are made flat, unlike the round ones in Trinidad, which makes them perfect for holding all that delicious sauce. They had a soft, chewy texture that paired perfectly with the curry. Honestly, the best curry crab and dumplings in Tobago are made by locals in their homes, which we were lucky enough to experience. However, Miss Trims Foods is a great alternative if you want something that comes very close.