Tobago
A World Apart, A World to Experience

To know Tobago is to know that size is not to be measured in miles. Visitors to the island (a mere 116 square miles) enjoy such a breadth and depth of experience that it is hard to imagine the furthest point is just a few hours drive away. Rugged coastline, ancient forts, pristine white beaches, miraculous coral reefs, more species of birds than can be found in the whole of Canada, the oldest rain forest preserve in the western hemisphere, waterfalls, river pools, brilliant sunshine, horizons where sea always meets sky and calm turquoise water are all within moments of each other.

And the people are just like the place, unspoiled, friendly, hospitable and everybody knows everybody else, or at least has friends in common. Things could hardly be otherwise on an island with abundant natural resources, natural beauty, good communications and a family oriented culture.

They Came, They Saw, They Conquered, And Were Conquered:

The Caribs, who had displaced their more friendly predecessors, the Arawaks, named the island ‘Tavaco’. Tavaco, the likely origin of the Spanish word ‘tabaco’ which gives us the English word ‘tobacco’, was their word for a long-stemmed pipe with two nose pieces with which they smoked the said cherished herb. In 1498, Columbus landed on Tobago and the Caribs would in turn be displaced by the European powers who fought for possession of the island and brought slaves from West Africa.

At one time or another, Tobago was in the hands of the Spanish, the Dutch, the French and the British. Even the newly independent United States of America attempted an invasion in 1778. In 1814, the island was finally ceded to the British who restored its name to ‘Tabago’ from the Dutch name ‘New Walcheren’. In 1888, Tobago was amalgamated politically with Trinidad. The Twin-island State achieved independence and democracy in 1962, and became a republic in 1976.

Place names, numerous stone and wood forts, diverse religions and a unique hybrid culture that fuses Europe with Africa, are the modern witnesses of the rich and colourful past of an island, which conquers hearts and imaginations.

Robinson Crusoe

Idyllic settings have always been fertile ground for the Romantic and the fanciful and so for years Tobago has been known as ‘Crusoe’s isle’. If there was a place which could at least match the requirements of Defoe’s desert island - untrodden white sands, virgin forests, seemingly endless sea and endless sunshine - it would be Tobago, often heralded as the last unspoiled frontier of the Caribbean dream.

For more information on Tobago check out TIDCO's VisitT&T website at www.visittnt.com

You can also CLICK HERE to find out the quickest way to get to Trinidad and Tobago