Introduction to Trinidad and Tobago

"Allow 2 days for sightseeing and shopping in Trinidad, then all the time in the world for lounging on the beaches of Tobago," a local advised us. Good advice. Trinidad, although filled with nature's wonder once you leave the capital of Port-of-Spain, is a commercial and industrial hub, while Tobago is more of a tourist destination. Good beaches in Trinidad do exist, but they're out of the way and hard to find. In Tobago you can't miss them.

Trinidad, which is about the size of Delaware, and even tinier Tobago, some 30km (19 miles) to the northeast, form a nation popularly known as "T&T." South African Bishop Desmond Tutu once dubbed it the "Rainbow Country," for its abundance of floral growth and the diversity of its population. The islands are the southernmost outposts of the West Indies. Trinidad lies 11km (6 3/4 miles) from the Paria Peninsula of Venezuela, to which it was physically connected in prehistoric times.

Trinidad exploits its oil, natural gas, and steel industries. But it is also the birthplace of calypso, steel drum music, and the limbo. The island has sophistication and cultural mélange far greater than any other island in the southern Caribbean.

Conversely, Tobago, its sibling island, is just as drowsy as ever -- but that's its charm. Through the years, immigrants from almost every corner of the world have come here, and today the island, like Trinidad, is a fascinating mixture of cultures, races, and creeds.

The Spanish founded Trinidad in 1592 and held it longer than they did any of their other real estate in the Caribbean. The English settled Tobago in 1642 and captured Trinidad in 1797. Both islands remained in British hands until the two-island nation declared its independence in 1962. The British influence remains visible today, apparent through the British dialect and the islanders' fondness for cricket.

Don't Miss . . .

• Asa Wright Nature Centre (Trinidad): A 90-minute drive north of Port-of-Spain delivers you to this 74-hectare (183-acre) nature reserve, a particular favorite of bird-watchers who "flock" here to see everything from the rare oilbird to tanagers.
• Port-of-Spain (Trinidad): Explore Trinidad's capital by starting at an oasis called Queen's Park Savannah and branching out to everything from imposing turn-of-the-20th-century mansions called the "Magnificent Seven" to a jumble of shopping bazaars. Pay a final call at the Royal Botanical Gardens to see everything from a sausage tree to a lipstick plant.
• The beaches of Tobago: When a filmmaker, such as the director of Swiss Family Robinson, wants a pristine beach, he ships film crews to Tobago, known for having some of the finest strips of sand in the southern Caribbean. From Lovers' Beach to Englishman's Bay, the beaches of Tobago often appear in travel brochures.