Known for its warm climate, jungle terrain and vibrant annual carnival, the dual island nation of Trinidad and Tobago is considered a safe destination during the North Atlantic hurricane season.
Our stay was initially meant to be 3 months but it turned into 21 (long story!) and during that time we got to know the place pretty well. Based on our experiences, here's some of the tips, tricks and things to know when it comes to hauling out in Trinidad, from entry and importing goods to what's around and extending your visa.
CONTENTS:
Arriving in Trinidad
Since we were hauling out we proceeded directly to Chaguaramas, Trinidad's yachting and boating hub. Upon arriving in Chaguaramas you'll need to check into Trinidad as soon as possible, a process that takes a few steps.
Step 1: Get a Government Port Health Clearance
Before disembarking the vessel you still need to get a Government Port Health Clearance. You can organise this through your marina, haul out facility or an unofficial agent like Jesse James. The document can only be issued once you've arrived in Trinidad and takes a few hours for the authorities to process and issue it. Our advice is to speak to the person you'd have help you in advance to see what information they'll need to submit it.
Step 2: Pet clearance
If you're coming to Trinidad with your cat or dog then you'll need to go through the pet importation process before you can visit Immigration. Check out our guide to bringing a pet to Trinidad for more information on that.
Step 3. Get cash
For now Trinidad Immigration only accept TTD cash to pay for visas. The closest ATM is at the Peake Chandlery so the fastest and easiest way to get there is to take your tender to Peake's dinghy dock and walk in. The chandlery is open normal business hours during the week and half-day Saturday, closed on Sunday.
You can try to check what fees you'll need to pay by contacting the Immigration Division in advance; as Australians we were required to pay 400 TTD per person. Also there are additional fees if checking in during "overtime hours".
Step 4. Visit Immigration
Immigration and Customs are next to each other at Crews Inn so the easiest thing to do is take your tender over and tie onto the dock closest to the office. Immigration is upstairs in the yellow building and are open 6am-12pm then 1pm-6pm. Here's a few things for you to keep in mind.
Trinidad authorities do not take photocopies so you'll need to bring your own. At the very least, take originals and copies of your yacht papers, passports, exit paperwork from the last port of call and pet paperwork.
For now, private yachts undergo the same immigration process as a commercial ship so you'll need to fill out forms that don't really seem relevant and multiple copies of the same form - be sure to take a pen!
All crew members must visit Immigration as there's a passenger arrival form that needs to be signed.
Dress neatly; shorts and t-shirts seem to be okay as long as they're clean and appropriate length.
Step 5. Go to Customs
The last step is visiting Customs, which is next to Immigration in a blue building. Take copies of everything that you took to Immigration and you'll have to fill out a few more forms, but you don't need all crew members to attend.
The main form to complete is the Customs and Excise Division Marine Pleasure Craft (PLC) Declaration Form. Keep it safe as you'll need to present it when you leave.
Hauling out in Trinidad
There are three places for sailboats to haul out in Chaguaramas.
In general Coral Cove is seen as the cheaper option while Peake and Power Boats have more facilities and services, such as the free courtesy bus Peake runs to take people shopping. A great resource for getting opinions on the yards from people who have stayed there is the Trinidad Cruisers group on Facebook.
The type of boat you have will impact whether or not a yard can haul you.
Coral Cove | Power Boats | Peake |
Small travel lift | Small travel lift and a catamaran trailer | Large travel lift |
During our first stay in Trinidad we chose Power Boats, who hauled us using this trailer.
Trinidad marinas and mooring balls
If you want to stay in a marina the main option in Chaguaramas is Crews Inn. Coral Cove, Power Boats and Peake also have some dockage; the Peake dock is more rolly than the others.
On the other side of the point is the TTSA which has mooring balls available for long and short term rental. There are also some mooring balls for hire in Chaguaramas in front of Peake and Power Boats. Keep in mind the Chaguaramas bay can get rolly, and the water isn't very clean - it's not advisable to use a water maker or swim there. People on anchor tend to sped time in other locations like Scotland Bay, Turtle Bay and Chacachacare Island.
Living in Chaguaramas
Chaguaramas is a shipbuilding, yachting and boating hub with most of the shops and services in the area being focused specifically on the marine industry. Due to large swaths of the peninsular being protected it can feel quite isolated from Port of Spain, with the closest residential area being Carenage.
Recreation
Aside from going for a walk there aren't any specific leisure facilities around the boat yards, but there are cruiser organised trips, a weekly BBQ on Thursdays at the Roti Hut (Power Boats) and many afternoons people meet for a sundowners on the Power Boats dock. Since opening in late 2024 Patches Bar and Grill at Peake has also become quite popular with cruisers and during our time cruisers started a "Walking Club" which ended up developing into free yoga sessions, bike rides, morning walks and pizza lunches.
If you have a bicycle, car or don't mind a longer walk, here's 14 things to do in Chaguaramas. The Military Museum is due to close this year so try to get in before it does!
Security
In our experience the shipyards in Chaguaramas were safe and security was good. Out in the bay there were cases of dinghy theft so make sure you lock up, as you would in most countries. For the latest you can check the Caribbean Security and Safety Network interactive map.
In other areas be sensible. Situational awareness, vigilance, avoiding problem suburbs and using common sense are advisable.
Finding marine supplies in Trinidad
Almost all of the marine suppliers in the Port of Spain area are in Chaguaramas, with the most significant exception being LP Marine. The main chandlery's are the Boaters Shop at Power Boats, Peake Chandlery and Budget Marine. If you need a specialty part or item you may need to order it in from the US, but more on that later.
Across the shipyards and along Western Main Road there are a range of trades and smaller stores including riggers, canvas workers, wood workers, machine shops, painters, electricians etc. It is best to speak to other cruisers and look at examples of people's work to get a sense of which businesses are better as there are very few online reviews. When you do hire trades, be specific in what you want, the products being used, costs and timeline, keeping records to help avoid in disagreements down the line.
Another useful shop in the area is Dumore as they stock a range of metric and imperial fixings in stainless steel.
Grocery shopping and provisioning
Food shopping in Chaguaramas is largely limited to the Dockside Mart at Power Boats, or Daniels Grocery which is on the opposite side of Western Main Road from Peake. Peake and Coral Cove also have a small stores but stock is more snack based.
To go food shopping outside Chaguaramas these are the easiest options:
Get a Price Smart membership (Similar to Costco) and have groceries delivered to the boat
Use a maxi taxi, TTRideshare or hire car to go to Massy Stores or West Bees
Go on one of the weekly shopping trips organised by external providers
If you're at Peake, use the courtesy shuttle bus to join a shopping trip
Join the cruisers bus to the Central Market which was our top shopping destination for fresh produce
Aside from these options, there are a few other food stores to be aware of:
Naughty Grape is a good place to buy foreign alcohol; they're connected to the importer and will deliver to your boat
Blooms Imports in Diego Martin has gourmet meat and was the most affordable place to buy imported lamb
Peppercorns and Seafood Enterprises at The Falls shopping mall both sell gourmet and foreign foods.
Trinidad transportation
To get in and out of Chaguaramas you can use the big public bus (tickets MUST be pre-purchased), yellow group maxi taxis, TTRideshare app, hire a car or hire someone you've met to drive you.
Personally we stuck to the TTRideshare app, hiring cars and using drivers we'd met at the yard or through the Market bus trip. If you want to get a car then keep in mind they drive on the left in Trinidad and make sure the car has insurance.
Importing Yacht in Transit goods into Trinidad
If there's something specific you need for yourself or your boat it's likely you'll need to import it into Trinidad. If you get the process right it can be very easy and as a bonus, yacht in transit goods have no tax.
To go into this topic in more detail I've written a complete guide on how to import Yacht in Transit goods into Trinidad tax free which outlines the air and sea processes, but here's some basic information to get you started.
Addressing Yachts in Transit goods sent to Trinidad & Tobago
All Yacht in Transit packages need to be addressed to the boat:
Yacht in Transit 'BOAT NAME'
MARINA/YARD NAME
MARINA/YARD ADDRESS
If the package is addressed to a "Yacht in Transit" and you have the foreign registration papers to prove it then the goods are eligible to be imported tax free, provided the Customs officer on the day signs off on it. There's no need for an agent or convoluted paperwork process like most other countries have.
Which couriers to use in Trinidad
Choosing the right courier is important as it can make the difference between 5 minutes to collect your items, and 10 hours (yep, it was a LONG day).
This was my experience:
FedEx | Parcels were taken to Chaguaramas Customs for collection but sometimes I needed to call them directly to organise this. |
DHL | Could be slow clearing items through the airport and there was a small brokerage fee to pay, but packages were taken to Chaguaramas Customs for collection without hassle. |
UPS | Do not have a customs broker in Trinidad so all parcels were taken to Swissport at the airport to clear in. In general it was a 2hr round trip to the airport and 4-6 hours of waiting to go through the clearance process. |
EZone | This is a freight forwarder with depots in Miami, Canada and the UK. There was no fee to open an account, everything was done in their online portal and they made sure all parcels were delivered to to Chaguaramas Customs for collection. They're a good option if you want to use Amazon because Amazon Prime offsets some of the cost with free shipping to the US depot. |
Trinidad Post | The partner of many national mail services including USPS and Royal Mail, they are notoriously slow so it is best to avoid. |
Large Sea Shipments | We used PAS USA, Tropical Shipping and Compass Logistics & Marine, all with good results. |
Extending your Trinidadian visa
Trinidad allows you to apply for a visa extension of up to 3 months at a time. Shortly before your visa expires you need to email the Immigration office to ask for an extension. In your email you need to include this information:
Full name, local address and contact number
Reason for requesting an extension
Pictures of the biometric page and visa stamp in your passport
They should then email you back with an appointment at the extension office in Port of Spain which will be after your current visa expires. If you don't hear back, continue to resend the email as this serves as evidence that you were attempting to organise the extension.
On the day of your appointment aim to get to the office early as it's first come, first served. There's a dress code which overall requires you to be neatly dressed and well presented. When we went, shorts were okay as long as they were not "hot pants". Here's what you should take.
A printed copy of the appointment email
A letter from the shipyard supporting your request for an extension
Your passport and a photocopy of your passport
Money for the extension (100 TTD)
A pen
Restaurants and eating out
While I still maintain the best Trinidadian food is home cooked, there are some good restaurants and eateries around.
The local food delivery service is foodDROP - we ordered a lot from Casali's Pizza Cafe.
If you're heading out for a special occasion the food and service at Samurai Japanese is outstanding.
The Hyatt has a surprisingly good sushi bar.
For local craft beer and cider there's Tommy's Brewing Company, which is also served at Patches Bar and Grill at Peake.
The Wheelhouse just past Coral Cove is popular with cruisers.
At the Central Market there's a food court with great local snacks - be sure to try the Aloo pie!
Basil Bistro is a tiny place on Ariapita Avenue which serves great Italian inspired food with quality ingredients
Other tips for your haul out in Trinidad
Here's a few other things that might be helpful!
You can get gas bottles refilled at the NPS Filling Station or see the guardhouses at PowerBoats or Peake; there is a local called Ian who does a well priced weekly gas run for cruisers.
Diesel is subsidised by the government for locals so the petrol station prices are much lower than the yacht fuel docks.
If you're going to be in Trinidad at the start of the year then be aware it's Carnival time, with celebrations starting months in advance. Having experienced it for ourselves, we've created a break down of the different Carnival events you could choose to go to.
Cheers for the tips, always good to get the inside scoop