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Showing posts with the label Family Country Tour

Macqueripe Beach

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Macqueripe makes up for its limited sand real estate with its generally calm, deep waters in which swimming is delightful. It is this deep water bay that made Macqueripe ideal as a US submarine station during World War II, when the Americans occupied Trinidad’s North West peninsula. Before then, the bay was the picturesque backdrop to the Macqueripe Beach Club, comprising a hotel and several cottages owned by Sir George Fredrick Huggins in 1924. During the American occupation from 1941 – 1972 the Club was run as an entertainment center for the families of the American officers. At the beach area there are also benches. There are public toilets and changing rooms. There are hiking trails in the mountains that border the bay. The latest attraction is zip lining.          

Fort Picton Laventille

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The Martello Tower was forty feet high, commanding not only the route along the Laventille Hills, but also the vital road, the town of Port of Spain, the flanks and rear of Fort San Andres and it could also command the inner harbour in support of the Mole Fort.  On the upper level of what was effectively the roof, Picton mounted an 18 pounder and a 6 pounder cannon en barbette.  The floor below the guns was the living quarters for the garrison as in conventional Martello Towers, while the lower ground floor was the storerooms, magazine and water supply.           

Fort Abercromby

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  .      North of Las Cuevas Bay, overlooking a scenic bay are the remnants of Fort Abercromby. Built by the British in 1804 as part of the fortification of Trinidad that included Fort George and North Post. The British were concerned however about attacks from the French and knew all too well that Las Cuevas Bay made a good place for landing ships as they had landed there in 1750 when Trinidad was still in Spanish hands. The British also intended that Fort Abercromby would be a place of last defense in case they lost Port of Spain, retreating with their forces through St Joseph and over the mountains to Las Cuevas.                 What remains now is just two lone canons marking the headland but Fort Abercromby is  still a place of interest because of its historical significance and fantastic ocean views. A stairway leads to a lookout which gives a more picturesque view of the ocean and surroundings. Th...

San Fernando Hill

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San Fernando Hill is located in the center of the city of San Fernando, which lies on the southwest coast of Trinidad about thirty (30) miles from Port of Spain. San Fernando occupies the heartland of the island’s energy based industries.                    The Hill which is regarded as the City’s most valuable natural asset and number one tourist attraction, occupies approximately 26 hectares (65 acres) of land space and rises 195 meters (639.75 feet) above sea level.      

Caroni Swamp and Bird Sanctuary

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    The 12,000-acre Caroni Swamp and Bird Sanctuary is the natural nesting home of the Scarlet Ibis bird, one of the national birds of Trinidad and Tobago. The other is the Cocrico, the only game bird native to Tobago and is not found in Trinidad.                   The major attraction at this mangrove is the opportunity to observe, close to sunset, the ritualistic roosting habits of thousands of these bright red birds. Many of the guides claim the birds travel daily to the Venezuelan mainland to feed, then return to the Swamp at dusk, a distance of about 11 miles.