Five Reasons to Visit Trinidad and Tobago Now

PHOTO: Visitors can opt for a swim in the Gasparee Caves' crystal pool.

North Americans mostly know the dual-island nation of Trinidad and Tobago for its annual Carnival celebration, which each year attracts revelers from across the Caribbean (and the world) to celebrate in Mardi Gras-style. But Trinidad and its sister island of Tobago is among the Caribbean's most diverse destinations, offering natural wonders that range from waterfalls and lush mountains to coral-laden reefs and white-sand beaches.

Located just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago is also home to a cosmopolitan society inhabited by diverse people and cultures. Visitors will find distinctive cuisine, pulsating music festivals, and island-shaking celebrations culminating in the raucous pre-Lenten celebration known as Carnival.

Here are five reasons to visit Trinidad and Tobago now:

Soft adventure: Trinidad and Tobago both feature mountain ranges. Trinidad's Northern Range is an extension of Venezuela's Andes Mountains and includes two peaks of more than 3,000 feet. Tobago's Main Ridge extends 18 miles with peaks reaching nearly 2,100 feet. The mountains extend down through deep fertile valleys into inland rivers and streams, and Tobago's southwestern tip features a coral platform, all of which create a variety of adventure-oriented opportunities for active travelers.

Trinidad also offers many opportunities for cave exploration. The island of Gaspar Grande, located off Trinidad's western peninsula, features the Gasparee Caves, a network of underground caverns featuring geological formations that include stalactites, flow stones and fringed curtains. The caves also feature sinkholes and a shimmering crystal pool that reflects a spectrum of colors created by light filtering through the cave.

Travel app: Traveling within Tobago became immeasurably easier late last year with the introduction of a Tobago Travel Guide app for smart phones, available through the Apple App Store or Google Play. Designed by the Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association, the free app allows users to discover and navigate their way to Tobago beaches, attractions, restaurants, hotel, events and activities.

The app also features an image gallery, a "Deals of the Week" section, social media and e-mail links and daily weather forecasts. Maps are also available, and work without an Internet. Tobago also offers several free Wi-Fi zones, including Store Bay, Pigeon Point, Gulf City Mall at Lowlands, Scarborough Esplanade, and the cruise ship and ferry terminal.

Easy access: Trinidad and Tobago is among a handful of Caribbean destinations that offer multiple links via major carriers. In February Jet Blue Airways launched daily non-stop service from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to Piarco International Airport in Trinidad's capital of Port of Spain aboard Airbus 320 planes accommodating 150 passengers. The carrier will begin flights from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to Port of Spain on May 1.

American Airlines also offers daily flights to Trinidad from Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Caribbean Airlines offers a weekly, non-stop flight direct from JFK to Tobago's A.N.R. Robinson International Airport, and has also offers high-frequency transfer flights between Trinidad and Tobago, meaning visitors to Tobago do not have to overnight in Trinidad.

Jazz Festival: The fifth annual Tobago Jazz Experience runs from April 19 to 27 and takes attendees on a musical journey to a variety of sites across the island including Speyside, Signal Hill, Scarborough, Castara and Pigeon Point Heritage Park, with events at each highlighting the country's music, culture, history and gastronomy. Artists representing soca, mainstream jazz, New Orleans jazz, reggae and R&B. Headlining the performances will be nine-time Grammy award winner John Legend and Grammy-award winning R&B singer Brandy.

Carnival: Trinidad's Carnival is the Caribbean's largest such celebration and each year attracts visitors from all over the world to enjoy competitions, concerts and parties on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.

Events start even earlier. Panorama, the annual competition featuring the national instrument, the steel pan, begins on the preceding Saturday. Sunday features Dimanche Gras, a fierce competition to determine the king and queen of masquerade bands. Dimanche Gras costumes can weigh between 50-200 pounds and feature multiple bright colors plus lights, lasers, fog, and fireworks.

Held on Monday, J'Ouvert is the official start of Carnival, when revelers take to dance to soca and calypso music, while covering themselves in grease, oil, paint, chocolate and mud, parading across Trinidad's towns and villages until sun rise.

The grand finale launches at 8 a.m. on Carnival Tuesday, as masqueraders in full costume dance for judges and bands engage in competition, with the grand champion crowned masquerade band of the year.

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