Tobago
Tobago's Main Ridge Forest Reserve is the oldest protected rainforest in the western hemisphere — bird-filled, waterfall-laced and twenty minutes from the beach.
- Best forBeach lovers · Wildlife & nature · Divers & snorkellers
- In April26°C · 10 rainy days · sea 28°C
- Ideal stayA week
- Approx. flying time~8h 10m from Los Angeles
- CurrencyTTDTrinidad and Tobago dollar
- LanguageEnglish
- Local time06:115h behind the UK
- PlugsType A / BBring an adapter
- Drive on theLeftSame as the UK
- Dialling code+1
Why go
Small, green and steep, with a forested spine running most of its length and a coastline that changes character as you go: calm, shallow and developed in the south-west, wilder and emptier along the north coast. Fishing villages rather than resorts set the tone, the roads are narrow and winding, and the beaches are frequently yours alone on a weekday.
A week suits it, split between the Crown Point end for easy swimming and somewhere like Castara or Speyside for the quieter half. A hire car is close to essential for the north coast road. January to May is the driest stretch, turtles nest between March and August, and Trinidad's carnival draws people across in February. Anyone expecting polished resorts and late nightlife should think again.
- Ideal stay
- A week
- The vibe
- Green, unhurried, low-key Caribbean
From our guides
Giant leatherback turtles nest on Turtle Beach between March and August, and the reefs at Speyside teem with life. It's the Caribbean without the polish, which is precisely its charm. Curried crab and dumplings is the essential lunch.
Featured in Ten lush rainforest-and-reef escapes for nature lovers
Things to do
-
Main Ridge Forest Reserve
Protected since 1776, which makes it the oldest legally protected forest reserve in the western hemisphere. Guided walks turn up motmots, hummingbirds and waterfalls.
-
Englishman's Bay
A curve of sand backed by forest on the north coast, with one or two simple places to eat and often almost nobody else. The road down is steep.
-
Speyside and Little Tobago
Glass-bottom boats and dive operators work the reefs here, and the seabird island offshore holds nesting red-billed tropicbirds.
-
Nylon Pool and Buccoo Reef
A shallow sandbar out in the sea where boats stop and let people stand waist-deep, usually combined with a reef trip from Pigeon Point.
-
Leatherback nesting
Between March and August the largest turtle in the world hauls out at Turtle Beach and Grafton. Watch with a licensed guide and no lights at all.
-
Curried crab and dumpling
The dish the island is known for, eaten with your hands and best on a Sunday. The food huts at Store Bay are the traditional place to try it.
Getting there
-
Fly to
Scarborough (TAB)
Nearest airport to Tobago, about 20km away as the crow flies.
-
Then
To Crown Point
Tobago's airport (TAB) at Crown Point is a five-minute taxi from the main hotel strip and about 20 minutes to Scarborough. There is also a fast ferry from Port of Spain in Trinidad, taking around three hours.
-
On the ground
Getting around
The island is small but long, and the Main Ridge rainforest, Speyside and Charlotteville are an hour to an hour and a half's drive up the leeward or windward road. Beaches and reef trips are booked locally, glass-bottom boats included.
Public transport: Public buses and route taxis run the main roads but infrequently, so a hire car makes the north end of the island realistic.
Flights
Los Angeles Tobago
Fly from anywhere — search 4,000+ airports worldwide.
Roughly 8h 10m in the air from Los Angeles (LAX), estimated from the distance — check for a direct route. Pick a month to see every available flight with live prices.
Check dates and prices
Pick your departure date, then your return.
Search flightsNot sure when? Compare fares across a whole month.
Flight times are estimates; prices open on Google Flights.
When to go
Daytime highs run from about 25°C in January to 27°C in September. Driest in March and April; wettest in August, with rain on about 26 days. The sea is warmest in September at around 31°C, coolest at 27°C.
The year at a glance — pick a month for detail
April26° · rain 10 days · sea 28°Warm with rain most weeks.
Monthly figures averaged from daily records for 2020–2024 at this location (ERA5 reanalysis). Live conditions from MET Norway, CC BY 4.0.
Where to stay
Guesthouses, self-catering apartments and small locally owned hotels, with only a handful of larger resorts. No big chains, and eating out is local rather than polished.
-
Best base overall
Crown Point
Beside the airport at the flat south-west tip, with Store Bay, Pigeon Point and the widest choice of guesthouses and restaurants. Aircraft noise is the trade-off, though flights are few.
Find stays in Crown Point -
Best with children
Store Bay and Bon Accord
Calm swimming, the glass-bottom boats to Buccoo Reef and plenty of self-catering apartments. It is the busiest corner of an otherwise sleepy island.
Find stays in Store Bay and Bon Accord -
Quietest
Speyside and Charlotteville
The far north-east, for the best diving and snorkelling and the rainforest reserve on the drive in. It is a slow, winding hour and a half, with few places to eat.
Find stays in Speyside and Charlotteville -
Best value
Castara
A fishing village on the Caribbean coast, with simple guesthouses on the hillside and fish landed on the beach. Steep steps everywhere and you will want a hire car.
Find stays in Castara
Worth knowing before you book: Carnival and the Christmas to Easter dry season book well ahead, and the Tobago Jazz Experience fills the south-west. Hire cars are limited, so reserve one with the room.
Search everything else in Crown Point by budget. These are indicative budget bands in GBP per night for two people, not live quotes or guarantees of hotel type. Check your dates, guests, taxes and final price on Booking.com.
Good to know
- Getting there
- Flights land at Crown Point, some direct from the UK, and a fast ferry crosses from Trinidad in around three hours when the sea allows.
- Driving
- Driving is on the left, roads are narrow and the north coast has hairpins and potholes. A small 4x4 is sensible, and journeys take longer than the map suggests.
- Timing
- January to May is driest. The wet season brings afternoon rain rather than washouts, and hurricane risk is low compared with the northern Caribbean.
- Cash or card
- Cards work at hotels and larger restaurants, but beach huts, taxis and small bars are cash only. Trinidad and Tobago dollars are the currency.
- Sunday School
- The weekly Sunday night street party at Buccoo, with steel pan early and soca later, is a local institution rather than a tourist show. Go, and go late.
Similar places
Nearby destinations
Related articles
Quick answers
When is the best time to visit Tobago?
Daytime highs run from about 25°C in January to 27°C in September. Driest in March and April; wettest in August, with rain on about 26 days. The sea is warmest in September at around 31°C, coolest at 27°C.
How long should I spend in Tobago?
Our suggestion: a week.
How do I get to Tobago?
Tobago's airport (TAB) at Crown Point is a five-minute taxi from the main hotel strip and about 20 minutes to Scarborough. There is also a fast ferry from Port of Spain in Trinidad, taking around three hours.
Do I need a car in Tobago?
Yes, a car makes a real difference here. Public buses and route taxis run the main roads but infrequently, so a hire car makes the north end of the island realistic.
What currency and language are used in Tobago?
Currency: Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TTD). Language: English. Plugs: type A and B.
Who is Tobago best for?
Best for beach lovers, wildlife & nature and divers & snorkellers. In a phrase: green, unhurried, low-key Caribbean.