Without a doubt the highlight of our time in Trinidad has been exploring the stunning jungle trails, finding crystal clear rivers and flowing waterfalls. It is such a peaceful place. The only sounds are the leaves rustling and flowing water, and we saw a range of creatures including red howler monkeys, large butterflies, birds, land crabs, and lizards.
Reflecting on the various places we visited, these are five of our favourites which we think are well worth going to if you're ever on holiday or hauled out in Trinidad.
1. COVIGNE RIVER GORGE
The closest jungle river adventure to the Chaguaramas shipyards is the Covigne River Gorge trail. It follows a river which runs through steep natural canyons and features a series of waterfalls you can climb up.
To get to the river, drive towards the Arboretum and park along the edge of the road outside, keeping in mind that the gate at the entrance to the dirt road gets locked at times. From there follow the most obvious trail towards the river. Once you get to the river follow it upstream, swapping between walking through the river and along a hiking path. After about 20-30 minutes you'll get to the gorge. Climb up through the gorge taking in the natural formations, before continuing to follow the jungle path to the left.
At the end of that path is a waterfall you need time to climb up - don't worry, there's a rope there to help. A short way past this there's a natural swimming hole and the final section of the gorge.
Check out our complete walkthrough of the trail from start to end!
While visiting the Covigne Gorge area you might also see the remnants of some WW2 era American ammunition storage, locals enjoying the mountain bike paths and red howler monkeys.
2. BLUE BASIN
Located at the far end of Diego Martin, Blue Basin Waterfall is somewhere with a sketchy reputation among some locals, and we were warned to be careful by marina staff. That being said, we personally never had an issue during our visits which we put down to our Australian accents, friendly smile and the world's greatest icebreaker; Rose.
From the parking area walk up the hill and onto the path which runs high above the river. Follow this until you get to the main area of Blue Basin, which has a large waterfall and swimming hole. It’s deep enough to have a good swim and there’s a ledge on one side that you can jump off.
To the right of the falls there’s a relatively vertical trail which you can follow up above the basin and around behind the falls. Here you’ll find a series of smaller waterfalls, smooth gorges and swimming holes which are great fun. During our visits we’ve only ever shared it with some local kids who were keen to show us their dives and play with the dog.
3. THREE POOLS AND AVOCAT FALLS
Without a doubt the Three Pools and Avocat Falls trail is one of our favourites in Trinidad. It's where I chose to spend my birthday this year which you can see for yourself in the second half of the video.
To get there park just off the main road and follow the trail to Three Pools, a series of three large swimming holes with some small yet powerful falls and plenty of cliff jumping spots.
When you’re done at Three Pools, keep going up the river until you eventually come to a fork; go left and within a few hundred metres you’ll be at Avocat Falls. In our option there are two things to love about Avocat Falls. The first is the large rock directly under the falls; you can stand on it and feel the full force of the waterfall on your head and shoulders. The second is the basin pool at the top of the falls. There's a trail to the right that leads up to it and if you’re very careful you can get quite close to the edge.
4. PARIA FALLS
In the same area as Three Pools & Avocat Falls is Paria Falls. To get there drive as far down the main road as you can before parking and continuing by foot. To get to the falls you follow a hiking trail along the coastline so there’s plenty of places to take a dip in the Caribbean Sea along the way. Eventually the trail turns south into the jungle, arriving at Paria Falls.
When we went it was a weekday so the falls were deserted. There’s a couple spots to cliff jump from and the water is a vivid blue. This is one of the longest hikes out of all of them so make sure you take that into consideration when packing for the day. Also be aware that some of the beaches have sand flies - poor Tynan found out the hard way!
5. THE HEIGHTS WATERFALL
The Heights Waterfall is not something that’s published or shared around, we found it by looking on Google Maps and having a chat with a friendly local who showed us the path. It’s hard to describe the way so just take a look at the map at the bottom of the page to see more.
Getting to this waterfall is probably the most strenuous hike out of the five I've mentioned as it’s almost vertical in some places and a little slippery (go when it's dry!), but at the end there’s another small waterfall and a clean, clear jungle pool that’s perfect for a refreshing swim.
THING TO KEEP IN MIND
When planning a day out in Trinidad always check the weather for your own safety. Storms and rain brings the potential for flash floods and swollen rivers, especially during the rainy season. We generally aim to go a day or two after a downpour, when the river is clean but rocks are dry.
Take plenty of water, these hikes are physically strenuous and you will get thirsty.
The best type of footwear is hike dependent; you can usually get away with flip flops but for Three Pools take something you can walk in the water with.
MAP IT OUT
Here's a map marking out where you can find the entrances and carparks to a whole lot of Trinidad's waterfalls, including some we didn't mention here!
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