Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the spectacular Northern Range. The centre's
graceful terrace, hung with countless feeders,
is a regular stop for squirrel cuckoos, toucans
and parrots - and the vervain plant by reception
attracts a plethora of hummingbirds. Various
engaging bird trails have been cut into the
surrounding dense rainforest, which you can
follow accompanied by naturalist guides.
But it's not just birders who flock to see what
wildlife can be found here. As Trinidad is the
southernmost of the West Indies - at its nearest
point it is just 11km from Venezuela - its flora
and fauna is more typical of South America than
the Caribbean. Despite being just 80km long,
the island is home to more than two thousand
species of flowering plant and over six hundred
different butterflies. To really appreciate this
diversity it's worth spending a night or two
either in the main house or in one of the simple
but comfortable cottages hidden away in the
grounds. As you walk along the paths around
Asa Wright, your senses are bombarded by a
riot of smell and colour more overpowering than
even the most potent of tropical cocktails. Little
paper umbrellas are, admittedly, somewhat
harder to find.
298 Marvel at Birds in
trinidad
Bananaquits and chachalacas might sound like
trendy cocktails you'd order at a beach resort,
but in fact they're just two of the hundreds
of exotic birds native to Trinidad, the most
biodiverse of the Caribbean islands. The best
place to view the birdlife is from the Asa
Wright Nature Centre, a reserve dedicated to
wildlife conservation perched in the heights of
Bananaquits on coffee
branch, Tobago
Need to know
The centre is 28km from Port of
Spain. For directions, opening hours, admission
rates, details of accommodation and birding
packages visit
W
www.asawright.org;
T
+1 868 667
5162.
299 a diFFerent cariBBean
experience, doMinica
Dominica represents the alternative side to
the Caribbean. No pearl-white beaches here:
instead, mountain peaks dominate a landscape
that is alive with bubbling volcanic fumaroles
and towering waterfalls in dense rainforest.
Dominica is a place where the absence of direct
transatlantic flights has kept mass tourism
away (other than day-visitors on cruise ships)
and where the roads contain potholes that could
swallow a whole banana tree.
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