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Area Summary

 

Events Calendar Bird Watching Hiking Camping Kayaking Bicycling Surfing Running Hashing Fishing Multi-sport Other Recreation Places of Interest Accommodation Tour Operators Recreation Store Posters & Photos Articles Table of Contents
People sometimes are aware of and visit only one attraction at a particular location and never visit the other attractions or activities that are available at that location. There are times when parents are planning a vacation, their children complain, by asking, "What is there to do or see?". Our Area Summary Page provides a quick summary of the recreational activities, attractions, places of interest, in various areas of Trinidad, particularly those locations that are often used for vacations. The listing of locations is organised in alphabetical order and to get more information on any recreational activity or attraction in that location, simply click on the activity. The listing also provides the meaning of the various place names in Trinidad. In addition to the initial listing there is another listing lower on this page that gives other non-english places names in Trinidad, particularly East Indian, Amerindian, African, Spanish and French place names.

If you are looking for places to stay, visit our Accommodations Page.

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Arena

An Amerindian word meaning place of sand

Hiking, Birdwatching, Visit a Historical Site, Picnics

Arima

An Amerindian word, see Arima Landmarks for meanings.

Visit a museum, See a historical landmark, Visit a religious site, Birdwatching (Asa Wright, Aripo Research Station )

Aripo

An Amerindian word for the flat baking stone on which the Amerindians made bread.

Birdwatching, Hiking, River Lime, Visit a cavern,

Balandra

Visit a Waterfall, Sea Bathing, Kayaking, Surfing, Camping

When staying at Balandra, it is easy to combine visits to Matura and Rampanalgas into your vacation

Blanchissuesse

A French Place name meaning washer woman

Kayaking, Birdwatching, Sea Bathing, Visit a Waterfall, Surfing, River Lime, Turtle Watching, Hiking, Camping, Bicycling, see historical sight

If you are staying in Blanchissuesse for an extended period and have a car, it is worth the drive to go to Brasso Seco

Brasso Seco

A Spanish place name meaning Dry Branch

Visit a Waterfall, Hiking, Birdwatching, Visit Caves, River Exploration

Caroni

An Amerindian name meaning water

Kayaking, Birdwatching, fishing

Caura

An Amerindian place name meaning heavily wooded valley

Visit Caves, Go on a River Lime, See a Historical Site, Camping

Caura and Lopinot are adjacent valleys so going to both areas is relatively simple.

Cedros

A Spanish place name, given because of the giant cedar trees in the region at the time

See a mud volcano, Sea Bathing, Birdwatching, Bicycling, Kayaking

Chacachacare

An Amerindian place name

Visit historical sites (Lighthouse, former leper colony), turtle watching, Sea bathing, Camping

Chaguaramas

The Amerindians named the bay after the giant Palmiste trees that lined Chaguaramas bay and eventually the name was given to the entire peninsula.

Visit a museum, See historical landmarks, Sea bathing, Kayaking, Bicycling, Hiking, Fishing, Visit a Waterfall, Bird watching, Ziplining

Cumana

This area shares its name with several other places in South America where the Spanish settled.

Kayaking, Sea Bathing, Camping, Birdwatching, Fishing, Bicycling, Turtle watching

It is easy to combine a stay at Cumana with visits to other locations along the northeast peninsula such as Toco, Grande Riverie, Matelot, Rampanalgas and Matura

Diego Martin

Named after the Spanish settler Dom Diego Martin

Hiking, Visit a museum, See a waterfall, Visit a historical site, View a religious site

Visiting the attractions at Chaguaramas and St James is easy to include with the Diego Martin attractions

Erin

A Spanish name, the area is also called by the French name, San Francique

Sea bathing, See a mud volcano, Visit Historical Religious Site, Fishing

During a holiday at or trip to Erin, you can include visits to Quinam and Los Iros

Fyzabad

The East Indians gave this place a Hindi name after the district of Faizabad in India

See a Historical Site, Visit a park, Discover Trinidad's oil exploration past, Visit a museum, Go to a war memorial

Gasparee

Named after the Spanish settler Gaspar de Percin la Roque

Visit Caves, See Historical Sites, Sea Bathing, Kayaking, Fishing

Guyaguyare

Guayaguayare is an Amerindian name meaning clay

Sea Bathing, Visit a mud volcano, Bicycling

In order to get to Guyaguyare you have to go through Mayaro and so including some of Mayaro’s attractions into your sojourn is very simple.

Gran Couva

See old statues, visit a cocoa estate, see a Doppler radar station

Grande Riviere

A French place name meaning large river

Turtle Watching, Kayaking, Sea Bathing, Surfing, River Lime, Birdwatching, Hiking

Grande Riviere is only a 15 minutes drive from Matelot and so easy to include on your itinerary.

La Brea

A Spanish place name meaning tar which came about because of the presence of the Pitch Lake. The word pitch comes from the Amerindian word "piche".

Pitch Lake, Sea bathing, visit a historical site

Combine with Point Fortin

Las Cuevas

A Spanish place name meaning the caves.

Sea bathing, fishing, visit a historical sight

La Fillette

A French place name meaning the little girl.

Sea Bathing, River Lime, Hiking, Kayaking

Blanchissuesse is a short drive after La Fillette so you can combine visits to both locations.

Lopinot

Named after the French settler Charles Joseph Count de Lopinot

Hiking, Visit a Religious Site, Visit a Museum, Visit Caves, River Lime,

Lopinot and Caura are adjacent valleys so going to both areas is relatively simple.

Manzanilla

Manzanilla was named by the Spanish after the manchineel trees that grew in the area that reminded them of little apples

See a mud Volcano, Sea bathing, Kayaking, Fishing, Birdwatching, Camping, Turtle Watching, Bicycling, Historical sites ( Manzanilla Reservoir, Manzanilla Tomb), Stroll on a walkway

Mayaro and Manzanilla are adjacent to each other and so seeing the sites at Mayaro is very easy.

Matelot

Derived from a French name apparently related to the word sailor or boatman

Hiking, Visit a Waterfall, River Lime, Sea Bathing, Camping

Including a visit to Grande Riviere is easy once you have a car.

Matura

Possibly a Spanish name meaning High Woods

Visit a Waterfall, Sea Bathing, Kayaking, Turtle Watching, Hiking, River Lime, Visit a cave, Camping

If you are driving, it is not difficult to continue on from Matura to see  Balandra and Rampanalgas

Mayaro

An Amerindian place name after the maya plant

Sea bathing, Camping, Kayaking, Fishing, Visit Historical Sites (St Joseph Statue, Lord Harris Cottage, Former Mayaro Post Office), Visit a Religious Site, Birdwatching, Bicycling

Mayaro and Manzanilla are adjacent to each other and so visiting the attractions at Manzanilla is very easy.

Moruga

See a mud volcano, Sea bathing, Kayaking, Fishing, visit a religious site

Mundo Nuevo

A Spanish place name meaning New World

Visit a museum

Penal

An English place name because of the penal colony that was once in the area

Fishing, Visit Mud Volcanoes (L' Eau Michel, Digity)

Pointe-a-Pierre

The French version of the original Spanish name of Punta de Piedras, which meant Stony Point.

Fishing, Bird Watching, visit historical site

Point Fortin

Named after a French settler Messier. Fortin who had a sugar estate in the area

Sea Bathing, See parts of Trinidad oil history, fishing

It is easy to visit Cedros from Point Fortin

Quinam

Camping, Fishing, Sea Bathing

Combine with Erin and Los Iros and Siparia

Rampanalgas

Visit a waterfall, Sea bathing, Bicycling, camping, fishing

Rampanalgas is a short distance after Balandra and not far from Matura

Salybia

In the early part of Trinidad history, the Amerindian tribe, the Kalinago had a settlement in this area. The name, Salybia, is thought to be derived from Chaleibe, their name for Trinidad.

Sea bathing, kayaking, Visit a Waterfall, fishing

 

San Fernando

The city of San Fernando got its name when Governor Chacon named it San Fernando de Naparima in honour of the infant Prince Ferdinand of Asturias, who later became King Ferdinand VII of Spain

Kayaking, Fishing, Birdwatching, Visit a Mud Volcano, See a historical site, go to a natural attraction, Bicycling

If you are staying in San Fernando, the sights of Central Trinidad are a short distance away, as is La Brea

Sans Souci

A French name meaning Without Care

Surfing, Sea Bathing, Turtle watching

To arrive at Sans Souci you drive through Matura, Cumana and Toco. It is also easy to continue and visit Grande Riviere and Matelot.

St. James

See a historical site, Fishing, Kayaking, Visit a religious site, Birdwatching

Diego Martin and Chaguaramas are only minutes away from St James

St Joseph

The English version of the original Spanish name, San Jose de Oruna

Visit Historical Religious Site, Visit a Waterfall, Have a River Lime

Combine with Caura and Lopinot

Tabaquite

An Amerindian name believed to be associated with the tobacco plant.

Hiking, Visit a historical site, Have a picnic

 

Tamana

The name Tamana is derived from the name of an Amerindian Tribe, the Tamanaco, who originally lived in that area.

Hiking, Bat Watching

 

Toco

An Amerindian Name meaning wild sapodilla plant

Visit a historical site, Sea bathing, Visit a museum, Surfing, Fishing, Camping, Bicycling, Birdwatching, see turtles

Once you have a car it is easy to combine visits to Grande Riviere, Matelot and Cumana into your stay in Toco

Waterloo

This is a Flemish place name

Birdwatching, Visit a museum, Visit religious sites (Temple in the Sea, Hanuman Statue, Dattatreya Mandir)

 

Other non-english Place Names in Trinidad on this web site

Arouca

An Amerindian name that was originally Arauca

Anglais Road

Anglais is the French word for "English" and it is believed that this area in Cumana Toco is named after the English who attempted to create a settlement in the area in 1631, while Trinidad was still a Spanish colony.

Barrackpore

The name arose from the East Indian individuals who settled in the area

Basse Terre

A French place name meaning Loose or Poor Earth

Bejuecal

An east indian word meaning place of the Bamboo reeds

Biche

Named after the French word for “beast” because it was first started as a settlement for hunters.

Bonasse

This village in Cedros is believed to have been named after the French word meaning "nice".

Bonne Aventure

A French name meaning good adventure

Buenos Ayres

A Spanish name meaning Good Air

Calcutta Settlement

Named after Calcutta in India

California

Although in other parts of the world, the name California is usually associated with areas of Spanish influence, it is believed that in Trinidad the name arose because of the Amerindian sub-tribe, the Kalipuna,who settled in that area. To learn more about the Amerindian sub-tribes see the section on Cleaver Woods Museum.

Cap de Ville

An area in Point Fortin named after a French estate owner Monsieur Cap de Ville

Carapichaima

Formed from two Amerindian words. Chaima was the name of an Amerindian tribe while their settlement was called Carapa

Carenage

Named by the French because of the careening of boats in the bay to clean their bottoms

Champs Fluers

A French name meaning a field of flowers

Chandernagore

This place name has East Indian roots and is a corruption of the name Chander Nagar which mean place lighted by the moon

Chaguanas

This area derived its name from the Amerindian tribe, known as the Chaguanese, which inhabited the area.

Cocorite

Named after the Cocorite trees that were in the area

Couva

An Amerindian place name

Cumoto

An Amerindian place name

Cunupia

Some say that this is an Amerindian place name others say that is named after the Spanish word “conupia”, which when translated means “canopy”

Dalley Village

Located in Santa Flora, this village was created in 1948 and named after Christopher Dalley who was the joint managing director of Trinidad Petroleum Development Company (TPD), the company that created the village

D'Abadie

A French place name after a French Creole estate owner

Embarcadere

A French word that means wharf or shipping place

Fondes Amandes

Located in St Anns this is French for Almond Grove

Galera

This peninsula in Toco is a Spanish word for a type of sailing ship called a Galley

Galeota

This peninsula in Mayaro is a Spanish word for a type of galley

Guaico

An Amerindian word that was taken from the river that runs thru the area.

Guapo

A Spanish name after the river in the Point Fortin area which they called Beautiful River

Guayamare

An Amerindian place name for an area after Rampanalgas

Guanapo

An Amerindian place name meaning place of grass

Hindustan

This place name was given because of the East Indian inhabitants

Huevos - A Spanish place name meaning Eggs

Icacos

An Amerindian name for a village in Cedros after the shrub icaco which is today known as fat pork

 

Indian Walk

This area in Moruga is named after a trail that was used for centuries by the Guarahoon Indians who visited Trinidad, travelling in their dug-out canoes across the channel from Venezuela. See also Petit Cafe

Kernahan Village

Named after an Irish family that lived in this area of Manzanilla

L'anse Noire

A French place name meaning Black Cove.

Las Cuevas

A Spanish name arising from The Caves in the area

La Lune

Originally a Spanish name, La Luna, meaning the moon because of the beauty of the moonlight on the water in this area of Moruga.

La Tinta

A Spanish name meaning inky for a bay on Chacachacare.

La Puerta - A Spanish name meaning The Door.

Laventille

A French name given to the area because it was considered The Vent (La Ventaille) through which the winds blew

Los Attajos

A Spanish name, meaning the shortcut

Los Bajos - A Spanish place name meaning The Lowlands

Los Iros

A Spanish name meaning The Rocks

Maracas

A Spanish name arising from the musical instruments, The Maracs

Macqueripe

An Amerindian name for this area in Chaguaramas

Mandingo Road

Mandingo Road got its name from the descendants of the Mandingo tribe of West Africa who settled in this area of Moruga

Madras Settlement

Named after Madras in India

Majuba Cross Road

An African place name for an area in Diego Martin

Manzanilla

This coastline had numerous machineel trees and the fruit of that tree looks like tiny apples so the Spanish gave it the name little apple.

Marabella

A Spanish name meaning good sea

Matilda Junction

This intersection on the Moruga Road was named after Ma Matilda who owned land adjoining the Fair Field and New Fancy Estates and allowed passage through her land, thus reducing the journey of persons travelling from Moruga to Princes Town.

Monos - A Spanish place name meaning Monkeys

Morne Bleu

A French name meaning Blue Mountain

Mucurapo

An Amerindian place name that according to Anthony De Verteuil was originally Camocorabo and the Spanish changed to Cumucurape and meant The Place of the Silk Cotton Tree

Mundo Nuevo - A Soanish place mane meaning New World.

Naparima

An Amerindian place name meaning either Large Water or Father of the Waves

Oropouche

An Amerindian word

Palo Seco

A Spanish name meaning Dry

Petit Cafe

This area in Moruga is within the section known as Indian Walk. It is so named because women did brisk trade selling edibles to the travellers at this location.

Point Radix

Under the Cedula of Population of 1783, a French immigrant with the surname Radix was granted all of the northern headland of Mayaro Bay. Over time the headland came to be called Point Radix.

Point Gourd

This name for an area in Chaguaramas is derived from the original Spanish name of Punta Gorda (Fat Point) which the French called Pointe Gourde and the English changed to Point Gourd.

Rancho Quemado

A Spanish name meaning burnt land

Rio Claro

A Spanish name meaning clear river

Rustville

This area in Mayaro is named after Randolph Rust, a Trinidad oil pioneer

San Juan

A Spanish name given by Governor Chacon after St John the Baptist

San Raphael

A Spanish place name that is also spelt San Rafael. It is named after a Catholic saint who is considered the healer of wounds.

Sangre Grande

A Spanish name meaning big blood because of a battle between Spanish colonists and Amerindians

Sangre Chiquito

A Spanish name meaning little blood

Santa Cruz

A Spanish name meaning Holy Cross

Santa Flora

A Spanish name

Savonetta

This place was originally called Savanetta by the Spaniards and is the Spanish word meaning “small savanna.”

Sierra Leone Road

An African name because many freed slaves from Sierra Leone lived in this area of Diego Martin.

Tacarigua

An Amerindian place name

Tompire

An Amerindian place name for this area on the outskirts of Cumana

Tortuga

A name given by the Spanish settlers because of the many land tortoises that were found in the area

Tre Roche

A French place name meaning Three Rocks.

Tunapuna

An Amerindian place name derived from the words "Tona" meaning water and "Pona" mean on.

 

Tumpuna

An Amerindian place name

Turure

An Amerindian place name

Valencia

A modification of a Spanish place name arising from a planter, Valentia, who had an estate in the area

Vessigny

A French name as a result of the Corsican settler Simon Paul Vessiny who opened a sugar estate in the area

Vistabella

A Spanish name meaning good view

Yarra

An Amerindian place name

 

 

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Last modified: May 08, 2022

All photographs (unless otherwise stated) are the property of  Brian Ramsey. None of the photographs may be reproduced without the express written consent of  Outdoor Business Group Limited and Brian Ramsey.