|
Stretching from Matura in the east to Matelot in the north, the rugged coastline of Trinidad's Northeast Tip is a perfect escape from the bustle of the capital and the north-west corridor. At least a three-hour drive from Port of Spain to Matelot, the region seems suspended in a time warp; people and houses are few and far between and an air of hypnotic quiet pervades. The residents have the only community radio station on the island - Radio Toco 106.7 FM - which is great for giving you a taste of local life. Farming and fishing are the mainstays of the economy, and you'll lose count of the signs advertising shark oil, saltfish and sea moss for sale. To explore the Northeast Tip easily you'll need your own car. Though there is a rural bus service (TT$8) - with buses concentrated at peak periods - and the occasional maxi and taxi (TT$6-20), service is somewhat sporadic; all leave from Sangre Grande - fifteen kilometres southeast of Valencia and accessible by public transport from Port of Spain and Arima. The quickest way by car from Port of Spain is to take the Churchill Roosevelt Highway, turn left when it ends, and then right onto the quiet portion of the EMR to Valencia, from where the Valencia Road swings north to the Toco coast. After passing through the quiet town of Valencia and the one-street town of Matura , you reach the prime nesting sites of leatherback turtles . If you arrive during laying season (March-Aug), you'll need a permit to visit the beaches at night. Check with the offices of Nature Seekers Incorporated on the main road; they have trained guides. Past Matura, the Toco Road meets the east coast for the first time. The first safe place to swim is a beach just past the tiny village of Salybia . Opposite the entrance to the beach is the clearly signposted Rio Seco waterfall trail - a pleasant one-hour walk and the route to one of the area's more spectacular waterfalls (known locally as Salybia Waterfall), an eight-metre cascade surrounded by bathing pools. Approximately fifteen kilometres past Salybia is the village of Cumana, home to the last petrol station before Matelot (Mon-Sat 8.30am-6pm, Sun 8.30am-noon).
Your Tip for Northeast Tip
Help other backpackers! Write your own guides and backpacking tips to Northeast Tip - they will appear instantly on this page - Please only write a tip/guide to Northeast Tip - visit the main Northeast Tip forum to ask a question!
Please do not post links to your site here (they won't work) - please use the Northeast Tip webguide section below! Thanks.
| 
