Flashbacks of school PE swept over me as we all stood in line awaiting our fate. Will I get picked? Will I be left until last?
Fortunately for me, it wasn’t the “top jocks” doing the choosing, but a herd of the most wonderfully behaved horses, who select their riders by picking up on your body language and auras...
After being deemed suitable by feisty mare Dulce Dama, we rode through the town and mangroves, before a calming and refreshing (you get very wet) ride though Buccoo Bay, a stunning stretch of coastline on Tobago’s western tip.
These gentle rescue giants were from Healing With Horses, and they not only thrill visitors, but are used for nature therapy for local children. Tobago is an animal and nature lover’s dream and one way to immerse yourself is in the heart of the rainforest.
Tour guide Mr Trim took us along the Gilpin Trace trail, part of Main Ridge Forest Reserve, where we spotted hawks, spiders and the most beautiful, shimmering, tiny, rare hummingbirds.
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Comparatively few people make it to the island (Getty Images)These brightly coloured creatures are amazing to watch as they flutter by – and you can’t get much closer to them than at Shurland Nature Park, a nearby lunch spot where the birds join in by sitting on your hand to sip from pots of sugary water.
Tobago is twitcher’s paradise.
At Little Tobago, a small island only accessible by boat, magnificent frigate birds dance in the sky with boobies and terns. And the viewpoint at the top was a favourite of Sir David Attenborough in his Trials Of
Life documentary.
At Cuffie River Nature Retreat, see parrots, manakins and the motmot, found only on Tobago and its big sister Trinidad. And Corbin Local Wildlife is a hidden gem, where rescued and threatened species are nurtured back to health ready for release back into the wild.
Perched on a hillside among the dense forest is a small group of eco lodges, Castara Retreats. I stayed in one of their 17 rustic hideaways, all with self-catering facilities and vast decks where you can see the Caribbean Sea. Rustic, charming, and quintessentially Tobagonian.
Gazing out at the rocky coastline from my hammock, I felt all my stresses melt away. Tobago time is slow, and Castara is the perfect place to unwind and recharge.
A daily yoga session is run in the open-air studio by Judha (watched over by Carol the cat), after which you can chill out even more with a body or head massage while listening to the waves lapping at the shore in the background.
You’re likely to meet your “neighbours” at some point. One evening I was shown the way to dinner by a small snake, while lizards and agoutis were commonplace. Castara serves up some real delights in its Caribbean Kitchen. Highlights include coconut prawns served along with the best cocktails I had on the island.
The plush Ohana Villa is a great place to stay (PR HANDOUT)It has only recently started serving breakfast (I’ll fly back to try it if I must...), so most guests went down the hill to Cheno’s, a coffee shop serving delicacies such as traditional salt fish and coconut bake.
If you like your food, in Tobago you’re in for a treat. Being surrounded by such plentiful seas, fishing is an important activity, both for business and for pleasure.
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Meals are heavily fish or seafood-based, and obviously the food miles here are practically zero – more of a catch of the minute rather than catch of the day. Lobster at Bird Watcher’s Restaurant and Bar in Speyside was superb, as was the island’s signature dish – crab and dumplings – that we helped to make at Miss Trims, in Crown Point.
I tucked into red snapper baked in a banana leaf at a cook-out at a local’s house, and wolfed down more saltfish at Miss Monica’s home in Les Coteaux. There’s a wide range of accommodation options on the island, from family-friendly resorts, bed and breakfasts and luxury holiday homes.
If the last one is your preference, there’s nowhere better to while away the time than at Ohana Villa, just outside of Scarborough.
With six bedrooms, two infinity pools, a huge terrace and a pathway down to an idyllic beach, you could be forgiven for thinking you’d died and gone to heaven. This striking home is perched high up on a hill, giving you glorious views of the sea.
Vast open communal areas and a kitchen complete the set-up in this Balinese-inspired villa, which would be perfect for a large extended family, group of friends or even to host a wedding celebration. It’s nothing short of paradise and was hard to say goodbye to.
But the island has so much to offer – you just have to find the right blend of activity and relaxation. A short drive away is Fort King George, a beautifully preserved historic site, along with a small museum, all with a stunning Caribbean panorama.
But it has to be said, views don’t come better than those at Pigeon Point Heritage Park, on the island’s south-west tip. Palm trees? Tick. Pristine white sand? Tick. Clear waters? Tick.
An all-day beach destination – a small fee to get in pays for the upkeep – here you can easily pass the time simply people-watching and sipping the local Carib beer. However charter boats leave frequently from the thatched jetty for an experience you can’t miss.
A short ride took us to No Man’s Land, a picturesque spit of sand fringed by mangrove wetlands, where we sipped the local brew and enjoyed chilled Tobagonian vibes.
Fort King George near Scarborough has some spectacular views (Getty Images)Back on board, we ate a plentiful lunch before moving on to the Nylon Pool sandbar. In the middle of the crystal clear sea, you can get off the boat. And stand up. A very strange feeling indeed!
Locals claim the sand has rejuvenating powers, and we were encouraged to rub it into ourskin. I can confirm that a) my wrinkles were just as visible after and b) sand scrubbing is not advised if you have even the tiniest hint of sunburn.
Described by many as “the last unspoilt island of the Caribbean”, Tobago sells a way of life us Brits can only aspire to.
There’s a sense of warmth from the people as well as the year-round sunshine, with its close-knit communities and a lot of looking out for one another. The local mantra is “work to live, don’t live to work”.
And I’ve never wanted to experience that more than when my BA plane landed back in the UK on a wet, chilly day...
Book the holiday
- Fly to Tobago from Heathrow with British Airways from £577 return, based on July 16 departure, ba.com
- Rates for Castara Retreats start from £130 (sleeping two), castararetreats.com
- Rates for Ohana Villa start from £9,561 for seven nights, based on September 9 arrival (for 12 people), ohana-villa-tobago.com
- More info at Healing with Horses, healing-with-horses.org, tobagobeyond.com
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