Another type of natural attraction experienced in Trinidad is waterfalls and these can
be found on our Waterfalls Page. The numerous rivers in
Trinidad also give rise to other natural attractions and the Other
Hikes Page provides information on some of these river systems.
Caverns
Caves occur in all types of rocks and topographic situations and are formed by many
different erosion processes. Sea caves are created by wave action, while other caves are
caused by piping in unconsolidated rocks. Lava tube caves are formed through volcanic
activity. As Lava flows downhill and the surface cools and solidifies, the lava continues
to flow under the crust, until the eruption ends. If the liquid lava inside the crust
flows out, a hollow tube remains. The most common caves are created by ground waters that
dissolve the common soluble rockslimestone, dolomite, gypsum, and salt. Limestone
caves are the most abundant, longest, and deepest. Limestone dissolves under the
action of rainwater and groundwater charged with H2CO3 (carbonic
acid) and naturally occurring organic acids. The dissolution process produces a
distinctive landform known as karst, characterized by sinkholes, sinking
streams, and underground drainage.
The Northern Range of Trinidad has extensive beds of limestone known as the Maraval
formation that run through the the entire range from Diego Martin to Toco. As a
result there are numerous caverns and cave systems within the Northern Range. These
caverns are often the destination for some hikes. One of the
reasons for visiting the caves is to see the interesting geological formations of
stalactites, stalagmites, columns and curtains found within.
Stalactites are formed by groundwater trickling through
cracks in the roofs of such caverns and the water contains dissolved calcium bicarbonate.
When a drop of water comes in contact with the air of the cavern, some of the calcium
bicarbonate is transformed into calcium carbonate, which is precipitated out of the water
solution and forms a ring of calcite on the roof of the cavern. By repetition of this
process the length and thickness of the stalactite is increased. Stalactites grow down
from the roofs of the caves and tend to be long and thin, with hollow cores. The water
moves down the core and precipitates at the bottom, slowly extending the length while
keeping the core open for more water to move down.
Stalagmites grow from the floor up and are commonly found
beneath stalactites; they are formed from the evaporation of the same drip of water that
forms the stalactite. As the water lands on the ground after falling from the stalactite
further evaporation takes place leaving calcite on the ground which builds up with each
drop. Stalagmites are thicker and shorter than stalactites and have no central hollow
core.
Stalactites and Stalagmites are not necessarily paired; when they are, continual
elongation of one or both may eventually join them into a column. Curtains of dripstone sometimes form when water drips from the ceiling
of a cave along joint planes. The word stalagmite comes from the Greek word stalagma
which means "drop" or "drip".
The Caura, Lopinot
and Brasso Seco areas are noted for their
caves and the hikes to these caves but they are not the only areas with caves that are
hiking destinations. The Aripo Caves are a strenuous 3 hour (one way) hike to the largest
accessible cave system in Trinidad. The Oropouche Cavern (also known as the Cumaca
Caves) is a popular hiking destination in Cumaca and has a colony of Oilbirds within it.
From as early as 1911, these caverns have been visited to see these oilbirds. Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States of America, hiked to
this cave in 1911. These caves are on private land and so permission must be
obtained from the owners (Mr. Gary Aboud) in order to visit the caves. It may be possible
for small groups to obtain permission from the estate manager on the site. There
are two routes to this cave, one of which is a strenuous and adventurous 3 hour hike that
is almost entirely uphill crossing rivers and streams. The other route is a fairly easy
level 3 hike that has mainly downhill portions (on the way to the cave) and takes just
over two hours.
The Tamana Caves are in the Central Range just south of Sangre Grande.
They are situated at an elevation of 750 feet and require an easy walk uphill to
the cave entrance, in addition a visit to this cave system can be combined with a walk to
the summit for the spectacular view. For those who do not like difficult treks the caves
should be visited in the dry season as the incline can be slippery when wet. The cavern complex has 4 caves with the main cave having a wide 30 foot entrance
and the other caves being smaller as you progress inwards. Entering the main cave requires
navigating a steep, root-cluttered slope down to the floor. Within the cave are whip
scorpions, geckos, six species of frogs, several species of snake and the main inhabitant,
bats which hang in thousands from the cathedral ceiling. The highlight of any visit
to the Tamana Caves however is to view the exit of between 1 and 1.5 million bats
of 11 species each evening between 5.30pm and 7pm.
The most visited cave, due to its accessibility, are the Gasparee
Caves on Gasparee Island.
Other cave systems in Trinidad are:
The Piparo mud
volcano (known by some as Morne Roche) is located in South Trinidad,
just east of Marabella. It reaches an elevation of 365 feet (150 feet in relation
to the surrounding land) and covers some 425 acres. This mud volcanoes
usually sits dormant, but occasionally spews mud hundreds of feet into the air. The
largest recorded eruption occurred in February 1997. To get to Piparo, take the Guaracara
Road from Marabella heading east and turn onto the Piparo Road.

Digity Volcano courtesy the Geological Society of Trinidad and
Tobago
The Digity mud volcano has the
classical cone shape that is commonly associated with volcanoes. It is
approximately 20 feet high with mud and gas being ejected very infrequently (22/2/2003).
It appears also that the amount of mud being ejected is directly related to the amount of
rainfall, since in the dry season little or no activity is present.

The Digity mud volcano sits atop a small hill on the outskirts of a little village
surrounded by agricultural fields on three sides and a river on the other side. It is
visible from the roadway and is approximately 7 minutes walk from the road along a former
train track (the iron rails are gone but the cross ties are still visible). There are
several routes to get to this volcano with one of the easiest routes being along the San
Fernando Siparia Erin Road. At Debe village you turn onto Lalbeharry Trace (the Police
Post is at the intersection) and drive for 1.8 kilometers. You then reach a four-way
intersection with a cell tower on the left and you turn right on to the road opposite the
cell tower. You drive for 2.8 kilometers and will reach the small village with the
volcano. It is also possible to reach this volcano using Clarke Road in Penal but this
route has numerous turns onto other roads.
L' Eau Michel (pronounced Lamoshell) Mud Volcano is located in
Penal South Trinidad. To be more precise it is found by going to Penal and then travelling
along the Penal Rock Road to Bunsee Trace. You can drive by car to the end of Bunsee
Trace and then the hiking begins. The hike to the volcano is approximately one hour
(fitter hikers can make the journey in 40 minutes). The terrain is composed of
rolling hills and the trail is an agricultural dirt road. The trail goes through sugar
cane fields and teak forest.

The volcano is of the wet type with the mud rising in the form of
bubbles that then flow down the sides of the cone, trailing away from the center in every
direction. The outpourings from this volcano cover a large area. Visit the photo gallery
to see more pictures of the volcano and surrounding areas, enter the search term
"lamoshell". A short distance from the main cone is a smaller mud volcano.

During the rainy season the main cone occupies a larger area. The best time for
visiting the volcano however may be during the dry season as there is no mud to contend
with on the trail. A dry season visit however means dealing with the sun which can be
merciless. There are no shaded areas along the trail during the dry season as the teak
forest loses all its leaves. Any hiker on this trail should wear a wide brimmed hat and
carry plenty of water (at least three bottles).
After visiting the L' Eau Michel volcano, one may want to visit Lamoshell beach.

Devil's Woodyard courtesy the Geological Society of Trinidad and
Tobago
Devil's Woodyard is probably the best
known of Trinidad's mud volcanoes. It is an intermediate type of volcano being wet and
dry. Devil's Woodyard contains an active mud volcano emitting
through surface cracks warm, bubbling mud that forms into a cone as it cools. For most of
the time the cones in this area simply sputter with small spurts of salt mud. It has in
the past erupted violently with the first eruption being in 1852. The name Devil's
Woodyard arose because early European settlers in Trinidad believed that the sound of the
mud bubbling below the surface was the sound of the devil stockpiling wood. Some Hindus
consider the Woodyard a sacred spot and worship there. To reach Devil's Woodyard go to
Princes Town in South Trinidad and then continue on the Mayaro Road to Indian Walk,
turning off onto the Hindustan Road before New Grant.
Lagon
Bouffe is one of Trinidads largest mud volcanoes being approximately 100 metres
wide, covering an area of approximately 2 hectares. The vents that allow the escape of the
mud are at the bottom of what was originally a large lake of water. The mudflows have now
displaced the water and due to the low clay content have spread over the area, creating a
large lake of liquid mud. The Lagon Bouffe therefore differs from other mud volcanoes
that, due to their higher clay content, have cones. Individuals should not attempt to walk
across or into the mud lake as the mud is extremely soft and so there is the danger of
being swallowed by the mud.
The Lagon Bouffe mud volcano is located in the Trinity Hills
Wildlife Sanctuary and Reserve. This sanctuary is one of Trinidad's oldest reserves having
been classified a nature reserve in 1934. It covers 16,000 acres and is located in
Southeast Trinidad, west of Guyaguyare. This
sanctuary is home to a variety of wildlife including ocelot, capuchin monkeys, red howler monkeys, deer, manicou (opossums), lappe, matte (tegu lizard -
see Photo Gallery),
agouti, quenk (collared peccary), tatoo (armadillo), bellbirds,
parrots, toucans and pigeons. It has several rivers, streams and waterfalls. The
route to the Reserve is the Mayaro-Guyaguyare Road to the end of the road and then turn
onto Edwards Trace. An alternate route is the Rio Claro-Guyaguyare Road and then turn onto
Cats Hill Road and then onto the Trace into the Reserve. The Reserve is a restricted area
and to gain entry permission must be obtained from Petrotrin. Call Petrotrin at 649-5539
before 4 pm from Monday to Friday, or 649-5500/5501 on public holidays.
At Anglais Point the outflow from the mud volcano descends
over 700 feet to the beach to form a mud "glacier", with gullies and ridges
created by the erosion of rain water. The Anglais Point mud volcano is sometimes referred
to as the Beach Camp mud volcano. This volcano is on the South-eastern coastline, in the
village of Palo Seco in South Trinidad. You turn onto the Beach Camp Road and drive to the
Petrotrin gate and park your vehicle. From the gate there is a footpath to the beach and the mud outflow is on
the western section of the beach.
The Erin Mud Volcanoes are part of a chain of mud
volcanoes that run from Cedros to Morne Diablo.
Among the Erin Group is the volcano with the largest cone of Trinidad's volcanoes. The
directions for finding this volcano are taken from the Trinidad and Tobago
Field Naturalist Club Trail Guide. You go along the Siparia-Erin Road past Santa Flora and
Palo Seco until you come to Lorensotte South Trace, which is immediately after the 35
kilometer marker. You turn south onto Lorensotte South Trace and proceed to the end of the
road. The initial section of the road has asphalt but then becomes a dirt road and in the
rainy season it may be necessary to park at the end of the asphalt section. At the end of
the road there is a footpath through the forest that runs in a south south west direction.
This footpath leads to the volcano, merging with a dry shallow watercourse and then
veering out of the watercourse just before a gully. The footpath climbs uphill to the
volcano cone with a total distance of approximately 250 meters from the end of the road.
For the truly adventurous, this volcano provides the opportunity to take a mud bath.
The Cascadoux Trace, Manzanilla,
mud volcano is extremely accessible and can easily be combined with a visit to Mayaro Beach or Manzanilla
Beach plus bird watching in the Kernahan
area. The volcano is of the classic conical shape with the mud vent at the top of the
cone.

Cascadoux Trace is along the Manzanilla/Mayaro Road. For
those individuals visiting from north Trinidad, Cascadoux Trace is approximately 5
kilometers after the Nariva River mouth. For those
individuals travelling from south Trinidad, Cascadoux Trace is approximately 4 kilometers
after the Ortoire River mouth. On
turning into Cascadoux Trace, you proceed approximately 1 kilometer along the road and
shortly after crossing a bridge, the road begins to rise. At the top of the incline you
can park at the side of the road and the volcano is approximately 3 minutes walk on the
northern side of the road. The mud volcano is at the rear of some houses and so permission
should be requested of the property owners to walk through their property.

The Cascadoux Trace volcano has been linked to the mud volcano off the
coast at Point Radix as it lies along the same fault line. The
Point Radix mud volcano is visible from the land by going along Point Radix Road and then
ascending the hill with the TSTT cellular tower. The Point Radix Road is navigable by car
and parallels the Ortoire River as it empties into the sea.
Off shore mud volcanoes while not common in Trinidad are not unusual. The
most well known of the off shore mud volcanoes is at Chatam in South
Trinidad. The top of the volcano periodically rises above the water to form an offshore
island but is eroded by the waves. The first recorded instance was in 1911, when an island
emerged amid an explosion and flames, rising about 12 feet above sea level. In 1928, an
island again emerged, accompanied by gas explosions, and disappeared within a few weeks.
The largest version of the recurring island appeared in 1964, when a 10.5-acre land mass
formed over several days, ultimately rising 25 feet above sea level. On May 11 2001 the
volcano again created a new island about a mile and a half offshore, in the Columbus
Channel. In November 2002 the island off Chatam reappeared but by March 2003 the mud volcano was almost totally eroded
below sea level.

Aripo Savannas Scientific Reserve
The Aripo Savannah is the largest remaining natural savannah in
Trinidad and is an area of approximately 1,600 hectares. It is located in eastern Trinidad
between Valencia and Sangre Grande. It is actually a cluster of savannahs enclosed by
marsh forest. In it are found Savannah Serrette trees, melostome shrubs (Trianna, Monkey
Bone, Bois lissette), tiny bladderworts, the borders are lined with Moriche Palms. It is a
natural savannah determined mainly by soil type. The soil consists of an impervious clay
pan of depths of 50 100 cm overlain by fine sand. The clay causes water to remain
on the surface during the rainy season and run off is horizontal, leaching the soil of its
nutrients. Most of the plants are therefore specially adapted to fixing their own nitrogen
or are parasitic or insectivorous. Ground orchids are common. Tiny sundew, which is a
carnivorous plant with leaves adapted for catching insects are found there. Several
species of bladderworts that are aquatic plants with leaves adapted for catching insects
and crustaceans are also found in this savannah. Overall more than 200 species of plant
life are found in these savannas. In addition More than 250 species of birds have been
seen here, and the savannah hawk and fork-tailed palm swift are among common sightings.
This is a protected area and a permit is required for entry. Contact the
Forestry Division at 868-645-1203 for permit details.

San Fernando Hill
San Fernando Hill (officially known as Naparima Hill) is a 180 metre (600-foot) hill
that rises majestically out of the Naparima Plains. The hill is a landmark in south
Trinidad and the city of San Fernando has developed around its flanks. The Amerindians
called the hill Anaparima which means "single hill", although some have put
forward that it means "place without water". It is believed that the Amerindians
used the hill as a place of worship, with members of the Warrahoon tribe (Guaraunos)
travelling in canoes from the Orinoco delta in South America, landing at Icacos, Quinam, Erin and Moruga
and travelling overland to San Fernando. It is said that up to the 1920's the Guarahoons
still travelled from South America to worship on San Fernando Hill and then went to Mount
Tamana. According to the Angostura Historical Digest Vol VIII they created quite a stir in
San Fernando in the 1920's as they passed naked through the town.
San Fernando Hill is a limestone outcrop of approximately 100 acres. A photograph taken
from Palmiste Estate in 1895 shows that the hill was originally dome shaped with a
flattened center. Unfortunately for over 200 years the gravel from the hill was quarried
and used for road construction, resulting in the hill being reduced in size by
approximately one third. Protests by citizens' groups led to a halt to quarrying and the
Hill was included in the National Parks and Protected Areas plan of 1980.
San Fernando Hill is now a place for recreation and relaxation. A process of
reforestation has been implemented so that natural tree cover is now found on many parts.
There are covered areas for picnics and the holding of functions, plus barbecue pits for
outdoor cooking. Numerous benches are located on the hill so that you can enjoy the view,
which is stupendous. Looking to the north and Northwest can be see the Point Lisas
Industrial Estate and the coastline of the Gulf of Paria. The eastern and northeastern
views show the Caroni and Naparima Plains plus the rolling hills of the Central Range. As
you look to the southwest, the Pitch Lake at La Brea can be seen
and in the distance the town of Point Fortin
can be discerned.
It is possible to drive to the top of the Hill, however for those who like a more
challenging route there are steps which leads from the bottom of the hill at Marryat
Street to its summit. For the really adventurous there are several World War Two bunkers
on the hill that are not readily accessible to the public. To get to the vehicle entrance
to San Fernando Hill you proceed along Circular Road and turn at Soongs Great Wall
Restaurant.

Pitch Lake
In 1595 Sir Walter Raleigh while in search of gold visited Trinidad and found an
outflow from the Pitch Lake which he used to caulk his ships. It is likely however that he
was not the first to discover this natural wonder of the world as the existence of the
Pitch Lake was certainly known by the Amerindians. The Chaima Indians
(Amerindians) believed that the lake was formed as punishment for their cooking and eating
the hummingbirds that they believed held the spirits of their ancestors. In punishment a
winged god opened the earth and swallowed the offending village in the pitch. It
now believed that the lake is the result of large quantities of asphaltic oil having
seeped into a great quantity of mud with great pressures and gases. The lighter portion of
this mixture evaporating over the course of centuries, leaving a thick viscous residue.
The Pitch Lake at La Brea in Trinidad is 55 miles (90 kilometers) &
90 minutes from Port of Spain. It is the largest in the world, being approximately 100
acres (40 hectares) and 250 feet (75 metres) deep at the centre. The two other known lakes
are at Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela and at the La Brea Tar Pits at Los Angeles, California.
The entire region derives its name from the lake which is a Spanish word meaning
tar. Trinidadians however have always referred to tar as "pitch". The
"lake" has been mined and its fine asphalt exported since 1859. Some believe
that the lake is inexhaustible as a hole dug one day is completely filled by the next day.
Although most of the surface is firm there are soft areas and a person can sink completely
below the surface. Visitors are free to bathe in the "fountain of youth" which
are natural springs, reputed to have healing properties, appear at the center during the
rainy season: their sulphuric water is supposed to be good for rheumatism, arthritis,
mosquito bites, rashes and skin conditions.
At first sight it seems as though nothing can survive on the lake
surface and yet herons are everywhere, along with hummingbirds, sandpipers and
kingfishers. There is a small museum at the site that houses Amerindian artifacts
recovered from the lake along with the remains of prehistoric animals such as the mammoth.
The site is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm and admission includes a guided tour. It is
recommended that you only use approved tour guides. The La Brea Pitch Lake Tour Guides
Association, tel. (868) 651-1232, operates from the La Brea Visitor Facility, which
includes a cafeteria and a car park.
