The hook
The island that invented the steel drum and threw one of the world's greatest street parties, home to an epic Carnival, a lake of natural tar you can walk on, and a swamp that turns scarlet each evening as flocks of ibis fly in to roost.
01Why it's worth it
Trinidad is one of the Caribbean's most culturally rich and least resort-y islands, a bustling, diverse, energetic place, and its defining event is Carnival, the "greatest show on Earth" to its devotees: a spectacular, days-long explosion of costumed masquerade bands, calypso and soca music, and all-night street dancing that culminates before Lent, and the crucible in which the steelpan, the only acoustic musical instrument invented in the 20th century, along with calypso and soca themselves, were born. Beyond Carnival, Trinidad has genuine oddities and wonders. The Pitch Lake is the largest natural deposit of asphalt in the world, a vast, slowly-churning lake of black tar that you can (carefully) walk out onto, bizarre and slightly unnerving. And the Caroni Swamp offers one of the Caribbean's great wildlife spectacles: a boat trip through the mangroves at dusk to watch thousands of scarlet ibis, the national bird, flying in to roost, turning the green trees vivid red. Add lush rainforest, birdwatching, and a famously multicultural food and music scene, and Trinidad rewards travellers seeking culture and nature over beaches.
02How to experience it
Time a visit to Carnival for the ultimate experience (book far ahead), or come any time for the culture, food, and music. Walk out onto the strange Pitch Lake, and take a dusk boat trip through the Caroni Swamp to see the scarlet ibis roost. Pair energetic Trinidad with laid-back Tobago for beaches and reef.