Tobago Forest Reserve
Tobago Forest Reserve
4.5
About
Established in 1763 to combat European deforestation of the island, this was the Western Hemisphere's first forest reserve.
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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Restaurants
2 within 5 kms
Attractions
11 within 10 kms
See what travellers are saying
- jdmowski17 contributionsGilpin trail with Fitzroy QuaminaOrganized a Gilpin trail hike with Fitzroy Quamina and a small group of 6, he's been guiding for 20 years and spotted and identified many birds and plants. We saw two hummingbird nests one with an egg and a hummingbird feeding her young. Would recommend bringing some good binoculars.Visited February 2024Travelled with familyWritten February 20, 2024
- Simon DCambridge, United Kingdom5 contributionsA perfect tourWe took what our guide Fitzroy Quamina (868-344-1895) called his 'short tour', which turned out to be a leisurely 2-hour walk down (and back up) the Gilpin Trace with all its beautiful sights and sounds. Fitzroy knows and loves the forest and everything in it, and is the perfect guide. We can't recommend him highly enough!Visited February 2024Travelled with familyWritten February 21, 2024
- Kay SNorth Houston, Texas26 contributionsBirding with Newton GeorgeWe spent a morning birding in the reserve with Newton George. He picked us up at Castara Retreats and gave us a lot of great information about the culture and history on the drive to the Reserve. We didn't lug our camera equipment on this vacation; but Newton had a scope and would help us get some photos through it. We stopped at a few spots along the road when he heard a bird call or saw some activity. We hiked a couple of trails where we saw many birds, including 4 types of hummingbirds, as well as some other critters. The Reserve is beautiful and Newton is a great guide with a wealth of knowledge and experience.Visited May 2024Travelled with familyWritten May 24, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
283 reviews
Excellent
211
Very good
57
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10
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3
Terrible
2
Kay S
North Houston, TX26 contributions
May 2024 • Family
We spent a morning birding in the reserve with Newton George. He picked us up at Castara Retreats and gave us a lot of great information about the culture and history on the drive to the Reserve. We didn't lug our camera equipment on this vacation; but Newton had a scope and would help us get some photos through it. We stopped at a few spots along the road when he heard a bird call or saw some activity. We hiked a couple of trails where we saw many birds, including 4 types of hummingbirds, as well as some other critters. The Reserve is beautiful and Newton is a great guide with a wealth of knowledge and experience.
Written May 24, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
N7293RRmark
Cranbrook, UK5 contributions
Mar 2023
Newton George is a joy - a real expert, a charming man, and gently ensures everyone gets the full experience.
You cannot miss either the rainforest or Little Tobago tours.
Fabulous!
You cannot miss either the rainforest or Little Tobago tours.
Fabulous!
Written March 8, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Barbara M
Springfield, MO3,236 contributions
Jan 2020
We arrived at the Gilpin Trace entrance, but alas, no guides were here, so we trecked in ourselves. So no wellies, but we cleaned up later. Even though we couldn't identify much on our own, it was still a great walk. The sounds of birds, and critters rustling, plus the eerie silence of the forest were wonderful. On our way back out, a huge hawk flew and landed just in front of us, spreading his wings to dry out. This is free without a guide, but we would have gladly paid for some knowledge! Still, a great stop.
Written March 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jdmowski
Toronto17 contributions
Feb 2024 • Family
Organized a Gilpin trail hike with Fitzroy Quamina and a small group of 6, he's been guiding for 20 years and spotted and identified many birds and plants. We saw two hummingbird nests one with an egg and a hummingbird feeding her young. Would recommend bringing some good binoculars.
Written February 20, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LizG1963
Maidstone, UK25 contributions
Dec 2014 • Family
Wonderful experience of walking, climbing and looking at so much beauty in Tobago's lovely rainforest with Harris McDonald - who was so knowledgeable - thank you!
Written January 1, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Travel_Pisachi
Raleigh, NC4 contributions
Aug 2017 • Family
Don’t waste your money on Tobago - the pristine island that once was. Tragic! We spent about a week in Tobago in early August 2017. What a disappointment:
Angel reef and Buccoo reef are dead. Largest brain coral in the world? Peeled off like an orange!
Marine life is limited
Rainforest is overrun by bamboo and domesticated cows. Our “guide” was the only one to “see” the snake, the mama alligator with two babies…
Bird species are a lot fewer than listed
Argyle Falls was a joke – remember to set aside a whole 30 minutes for it
Also:
Air is quite polluted from vehicle emissions
Tobago does not recycle anything (Residents of Trinidad&Tobago use plastic like water)
Many residents are found idly hanging around by the roadside any time of day
Don’t believe a certain website that proclaims the island to be a paradise - it’s a fantasy version of reality. No wonder we ran into just a handful of foreign tourists during our entire week there!
Angel reef and Buccoo reef are dead. Largest brain coral in the world? Peeled off like an orange!
Marine life is limited
Rainforest is overrun by bamboo and domesticated cows. Our “guide” was the only one to “see” the snake, the mama alligator with two babies…
Bird species are a lot fewer than listed
Argyle Falls was a joke – remember to set aside a whole 30 minutes for it
Also:
Air is quite polluted from vehicle emissions
Tobago does not recycle anything (Residents of Trinidad&Tobago use plastic like water)
Many residents are found idly hanging around by the roadside any time of day
Don’t believe a certain website that proclaims the island to be a paradise - it’s a fantasy version of reality. No wonder we ran into just a handful of foreign tourists during our entire week there!
Written August 15, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
clickawick
Southampton, UK112 contributions
Aug 2014 • Family
A visit to here will convince you that have done tropical jungle and that it's worth saving. It is a good investment to take a guide. we ventured in once on our own and enjoyed the experience but we learnt so much more and saw so much more with a guide. We finished up at his place sitting on his verandah, drinking beer and watching the parrots coming in to roost. I have been in lots of jungle forest parks and this is among the best. Long may it continue to be protected.
Written January 4, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
greenjenniferwalker
Montreal56 contributions
Nov 2014 • Friends
Would highly recommend him over any other guides if you are into birding. He is a pro! He spots birds in the trees while he is driving and stops. He makes sure everyone has taking photos and has seen the bird. Very patient.
Written November 27, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Megamiff
Malaga, Spain71 contributions
Oct 2013 • Couples
Maybe this is dependent on your guide but ours was brilliant. A six foot eight Rastafarian, called Edwin, who looked real scary but turned out to be a smashing guy who when he found out my wife was having trouble with the rough ground treated her like his own grandmother. He really knew his subject and taught us a lot. Do not bother with the rubber boots offered for hire as they are wetter and more slippery inside than the forest floor itself.
Written September 4, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ilikestayingaway
Kent25 contributions
Jun 2014 • Couples
Booked a bird watching trip in the forest with well known guide Newton George.
He was great! Had binoculars for us - we are amateurs! And made sounds to call the birds. His knowledge is extensive and he also is quite famous in his field.
If you are thinking about going here give him a call or email to arrange a tour with him!
http://www.newtongeorge.com/tours.htm
He was great! Had binoculars for us - we are amateurs! And made sounds to call the birds. His knowledge is extensive and he also is quite famous in his field.
If you are thinking about going here give him a call or email to arrange a tour with him!
http://www.newtongeorge.com/tours.htm
Written June 30, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Has anyone hiked the trail without a guide? Is there maps of the trail? What is the average cost of a short tour (2 hrs) per person?
Written January 7, 2019
Sorry for being that late. I didn't recognise that there are Questions.
Going without a guide is no Problem at all. We were overtaking a guide who was there guidung a familily. Of Course with guide you might see or understand something more. Otherwise: we were there without guide, saw a snake, a really tiny frog (the smallest one I ever did see. It was luck, because it sat on a well iluminated leaf, while the surrounding was quiet dark).
What could happen? Nothing at all. There is just one path. As long as you follow that path, you can't get lost.
There are some narrow passages, not well maintained and you might feel that you'll Need a machete (you don not Need one), very nice, very interesting, but far away from being dangerous or so.
I really liked that hike. It's great, it's safe and you will not need a guide. If you feel better with a guide, you can do so, of course.
Written March 29, 2019
We will be visiting Tobago via U.S on dates of June 26th-29th and is interested in a guided tour of the rain forest. A party total of a party of 5
Written May 23, 2018
Not sure as we did it as a cruise excursion
Written February 22, 2018
Where exactly is the Tobago forest reserve? Are there maps available of walking trails?
Written September 4, 2015
Hope O
Trinidad and Tobago
Hi, What mean of transport i have to take for go there?, Where can i take it?
Written January 7, 2015
How far is the hotel from the airport?
Written December 31, 2014
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