Activities in Buccoo 

Event in Buccoo 

Every Sunday night Buccoo, the sleepy reef sheltered town, come alive with food and music. Sunday school is a night for everybody, locals and tourist. It is also a night of traditions and party. It starts early evening with food stands and local craft shops, all the stores open and several bars with strobe lights and load music getting the crowd going. About 9:00 PM it is time for the steel pan band to play. It is a local steel drum band named Buccooneers. They play continuously for about 90 minutes and with a wide variety of rhythms and song. With all steel drums they play both classic Caribbeans song and also hits. Local as tourists alike is dancing to the music. When the steel pan band finished the party starts. There is loud music from the gigantic speakers and the crowds start to move to the bars and the town streets were it s equally load music. The Party goes on until early morning and don’t stop until everyone has gone home. 

Goat and Crab race  

At Easter time, only on Friday and Monday are official holidays, but Easter Tuesday is not really a day of work in Tobago: everyone heads to Buccoo for the Family Day and goat race and crab race. There is special training for the goat “jockeys”, and a track has been constructed especially for this race; even Virgin’s Atlantics Richard Barason has taken part. The festival has been hosted in Buccoo for nearly 80 years, and in fact is so nice its done twice: first from Easter Sunday to the following Tuesday, and then again for the Heritage Festival mid-year.

April’s Tobago Jazz Experience has replaced the Plymounth Jazz Festival in 2009. While it is still has international headlines as part of the show, like its predecessor, the new focus is more on local, regional, and “world music” artists. A few shows are free, and there is a Caravan feature that takes some performances to different villages around Tobago. 

On the Atlantic side:

Petit Trou lagoon – wetlands with boardwalk through the mangrove, stone ruins of sugar mill on the golf course, all inside Tobago Plantations Beach and Golf Resort.

Scarborough – Capital town since 1769. Population; approx 25,000.

Fort King Georg – established 1777 abandoned 1854. Remains of powder magazine, officers’ mess, old hospital, cell block and water tank. Magnificent samaan trees and palms alongside the old colonial building now the hospital.

Museum – housed in old Barracks Guard House. Open Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm, curator Eddie Hernandez. Fascinating artefacts, documents, photos and more.

Botanic Gardens – on 17 acres accessed from the highway just east of the main traffic lights.

Old Court House – dating from 1852 in James Square, upper Scarborough, used by THA.

Fort Granby – (site only) on the beach shortly after Studley Park quarry. Once the capital town.

Rainbow Falls – Goldsborough side road leads to the Falls, but only go with a local guide.

Richmond Great House – 18^th century. Small entrance fee. Refreshments.

Kendal Great House - used by THA visible on the hillside just before Roxborough.

Argyle Waterfall – turn left as you cross the bridge west of the town. Visitors must use local guides for the 20-minute walk to the three-tiered fall. Entrance fee 50.00TTD. Swimming.

Cocoa Factory – ruins in nearby cocao plantation, just past the entrance to the falls.

Cocoa Farm – Waterfall Rd, Roxborough – open Monday to Friday with 75 minutes tours at 9am and 11am, min 12 persons. Booking via Tel: 379-1229 or 788-3971 or info@tobagococoa.com

Roxborough  - Capital of the north-east. Colonial architecture seen Court and Excise buildings on the waterfront. (Start of the forest road that crosses the Main Ridge hills with a Lookout mid-way)

Louis d’Or – old French Barracks on the left side of the main road, followed by the government plant nursery.

King’s Bay Great House – with cocoa sheds, waterfall and beach facility.

Speyside Lookout – across Tyrell’s Bay to Goat Island and Little Tobago.

Little Tobago – once known as Bird of Paradise Island thanks to Sir William Ingram’s efforts to settle those exotic birds on the island. They were lost during the 1963 storms.

Goat Island – State owned. Once visited by Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond, and ornithologist who wrote a book on T&T birds around 1984.

Speyside Waterwheel and Sugar Factory – ruins beside the bridge on the road to Blue Water Inn, opposite Manta Lodge.

Flagstaff Hill Lookout – used by USA during WW2. As far east as you can go!

The Forest Reserve – protected since 1765 to safe-guard future supplies of the wood and water, stretches from Speyside/Hermitage in the north-east to Castara/Hillsborough in the west.

The Caribbean coast begins at:

Carlotteville – with cocoa sheds and Fort Cambleton (site only) and Pirates Bay to the East.

Bloody Bay – starts off Gilpin Trail into the Forest Reserv, first track from Bloody Bay to Roxborough and four waterfalls along the way.

Paratuvier small waterfall – in rainy season

Castara small waterfall – in rainy season

Mt Dillon Lookout – just after famous Norman Parkinson’s old house.

Golden Lane The Witch’s Grave – Gang Gang Sara flew from Africa ate salt and put on weight so fell from giant silk cotton trying to fly back home. Silk Cotton (Kapok Tree) in question may have been the one on left on the way down Culloden Road – Who Knows!

Les Coteaux: Highland Waterfall – (off the beaten track so guide is recommended) after coming down the big hill into Les Coteaux, turn left, pass old church on the left and follow the paved road turning left after bridge. Park near the bridge and follow track on foot.

Franklyn/Arnos Vale Waterfall – site of a sugar factory since Courlanders in 1670. Present ruins from the British mill that closed in 1865.

Arnos Vale – for bird feeding at teatime and excellent snorkelling.

Plymouth Fort James – with building and 4 canons built by Courlanders and “mystery tombstone” of Betty Stivens, 1783.

Courland Sugar mill and factory ruins – in residential development. Privately owned.

Black Rock old church – with wood shingle façade on mail road.

Fort Bennett – site with only 2 canons.

Grafron Bird Sanctuary – from 1963 after Hurricane Flora, when owner started feeding birds that had lost their habitats.

Rocky Point, Mt Irvine – remains of fort and canons on the ground. Isolated spot.

Buccoo Marine Park – including Buccoo Marsh for bird watching, Buccoo Reef and Nylon Pool, protected Marine Park since 1973.

Bon Accord lagoon – wetlands and No man’s Land (boat access only) favourite for beach BBQs.

Pigeon Point – state-owned Park with white sand and turquoise sea. Excellent for wind sports. Restaurant, bar, shops, scuba and shower facilities.

Store Bay – popular beach with facilities and local speciality of crab and dumpling. Lunch only. 

Fort Millford – canons and remnants of fortifications, just after Crown Point Hotel.

Look out for the giant Silk Cotton trees with their buttress roots and thorny bark – one on Windward Road after Roxborough, pne literally on the Northside Road and one at the start of Culloden Road which goes down to Footprints. These trees are inhabited by jumbies or spirits and must never be damaged.   

Buccoo Reef Tour 

Nylon Pool Party night

Snorkeling in shallow or deep water 

Scuba diving 

Bout tours 

Fishing Tours 

Bird watching 

Golfing 

Turtle watching 

Horseback riding 

Crab racing 

Goat racing 

Parties 

Sunset cruise 

Marlin fishing 

Hiking 

Dolphin watching 

Game fishing 

Water sports –Jet Ski, Kayaking, banana bout