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Less than an hour's drive from Port of Spain is Trinidad's most heavily promoted environmental attraction, the Caroni Swamp and Bird Sanctuary . This is the only roosting place on the island of the scarlet ibis , the national bird sporting an amazingly bright red plumage. The swamp is home to 157 species of birds and caimans, snakes and silky anteaters; all can be observed in the water and the surrounding mangroves. It's a quiet, mysteriously beautiful place, and well worth a visit. Tours, taken at dusk on small wooden boats, are available (TT$60/US$10), leaving daily 4-4.30pm and lasting two and a half hours; advance booking is advisable. Contact Nanan (tel 868/645-1305) or James (tel 868/662-7356) to book. It is not possible to get close to the birds' roosting spot without disturbing them, so bring binoculars or a powerful zoom lens, or you'll see little more than red specks against the dark green foliage. Leave Port of Spain at 3pm if you're driving, and if catching public transport take maxis or route taxis bound for Chaguanas; ask them to drop you at the Caroni Swamp exit, from where it's a five-minute walk. Lashings of insect repellent are a must during the rainy season, when mosquitoes go on the offensive.
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