A Great Way to Get Acquainted with the Swamp!

(A shot showing the end of the boardwalk and its view of the Mangrove)

The Caroni Swamp is quite the tourist attraction being the largest mangrove wetland in Trinidad and Tobago according to the National Trust. It is home to the Caroni Bird Sanctuary and it is located on the north western coast of Trinidad and there are lots of boat tours that operate here that showcase the beauty of the location with its abundance of birds and other wildlife including the national bird called the Scarlet Ibis. The Visitor centre has since opened the Caroni Boardwalk which allows us to get glimpses of the swampland and some fauna without having to take a boat tour. We explore the newly built boardwalk as well as the beautiful views the location has to offer!

We were just in the carpark and already, we were surrounded by mangrove trees and lush wetland! The numerous amounts of roots systems and the accompanying river ways were quite the magical site giving the feel of something you would see at disney world but actually naturally made. The whole visitor center and its access road surrounded by the wetland and it was quite the feeling.

Here is another angle head on from the carpark. There were no railings or boundaries of any sort and one could certainly just walk into the swamp if one wanted. It felt raw and uncensored and quite immersive. I remember from a tour I took a long time ago, there were lots of snakes and caimans (a type of crocodile) in and around the wetland and I can imagine how often they show up here at the center with no fences of the sort.

The compound was not that large with the main building and a few smaller supplemental structures that served certain marine purposes as you will see in a bit. I did not enter the main centre yet as I wanted to explore the rest of the area first. There were lots of benches here and there and I believe they usually do hold a lot of events here for academic purposes that would include international guests who come to study the flora and fauna and for showcasing the largest swampland in Trinidad and Tobago.

I sort of stumbled around until I came to a fascinating boat house with a huge beautiful stained wooden ceiling. It seemed to be the area where they maintain their watercraft with winches and so on. It was quite a beautiful scene with a vista of mangrove trees and the sort of lake we were in.

In one of the bays, there were two pirogues that are made with fibreglass and they seemed to have no engines attached.

Just outside of the boathouse, there were more pirogues but there had much more seats and a canopy that indicated that they were the types used for tours with lots of people. This was the same type of boat I remember taking the tour with all those years ago, being able to see coiled snakes on the branches typically right in front your face! Another thing I remember was a dead caiman that some hunters had just killed for their supper!

At this point I was making my way to the boardwalk along the river or lake. There were lots of mangrove trees on the banks, some being the tallest I had ever seen! There were also these pipes placed in the water for whatever reason and they looked a lot like lit cigarettes, the black ashy area being underneath with that sort of brown burnt paper look as it goes up. Interesting!

There were lots of benches in this area as well allowing you to take in the beautiful sights and sounds of nature. There are lots of birds here including the aforementioned national bird but they typically return from feeding to their nests at sunset which is such an amazing display with the hues of the setting sun and the scarlet reds of the scarlet ibis as they settle down in droves from the air and populate trees like big red feathery fruits! This will be documented and posted in the future by yours truly do not worry!

I found a dude just sprawled off, relaxing in the warmth of the sun adding to the tranquil vibes of the area. I'm sure he has quite the diet here in the area with lots of fish and mangrove crabs to be feed on as well as the humans around who would be sure to supply yummy food!

The boardwalk seemed to be populated with some people already taking in the mangrove sites. There was a huge sign with lots of rules and disclaimers. I found it hilarious that the last rule was "NO leaning or climbing on the rails and in the background of the above shot and in the rest of the shots, everyone was leaning heavily on the rails at one point! This is Trinidad manifest!

It did not seem that long of a boardwalk and felt more like a jetty but I think there are plans to lengthen and expand as time goes on. As you walk on, you get access to areas of the wetland in an immersive way without the need for a boat and you can spend as long as you like. There was a serene sort of calmness and quietness except for the sounds of nature. Just the birds, the leaves rustling in the wind as well as the flowing water.

You get an idea of just how thick those mangrove trees are from these views, so much so that those across the water, you could not see past them in any way! If the boardwalk is ideally expanded in the future, it would feel like taking a stroll in the mangrove forest much like the experience I showcased in the Tobago Plantations Boardwalk a while ago. To the right and left there were much thinner mangrove trees that you could see through as well. There was a difference in the position and height of the canopies maybe due to differences in species?

Looking back, you could see who the water flowed from the lake through a narrow way of sorts towards the other side where the boathouse was. It was quite calming watching the water flow here and the mangrove trees had a magical presence to them that elevated the mood.

To the right of the boardwalk were more mangrove trees that there right up to the railing to the point you could actually touch them. The awesome thing about this is that you could study the root systems up close as well as the little critters that live between them. It is quite an extensive and mind boggling ecosystem.

Here we are with another incriminating shot of the people leaning on the railings, quite hilariously! No matter, as I found myself mindlessly doing it too while taking in the the sights. You can't help but get relaxed out here and want to stand more comfortably!

This is the view that we saw from the end of the boardwalk. It is quite the cul de sac! I just really hope they do expand the walkway all around the cove, that would be phenomenal and even more immersive!

The above shots show the view facing back towards the main building which we will be touring next that showcase the prominent flora and fauna at the swamp with taxidermied specimen!

There was a large very high open concept auditorium of sorts adjacent to the visitor centre with a bar and more awesome stained wood ceilings. It seemed like the main area where the wildlife seminars and events are held and seemed like an area that could rented out for weddings and so on.

Upon entering, you get hit in the face with an overflow of information with wildlife and their names and information on the walls and every surface you could think of! Everywhere I looked, there was some sort of info on an animal, its typical habitat and their name! There were some wetland facts here and there thrown about as well.

In the corner there was a glass case showcasing Heritage Presentation Awards. One medallion showing that the Caroni Bird Sanctuary was nominated for the Award and one above it showing that they had indeed received the award in 2009 from the National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago!

You can see in the above shot a picture of multitude of people in a boat while on a tour of the bird Santuary and it is quite the experience! I recommend that you zoom in and take in the names of the all the wild life, the names are quite interesting.

Finally, there was a glass case with taxidermied animals posed almost as if in action in the their habitats! Some with their natural predators and prey as well as just going about their business. You can see the Scarlet Ibis in the above shot with its brilliant red coat that comes from their heft diet on mangrove crabs.

Here are some shots of a reptile and two birds that seem to be going at it while on the roots down below are some more birds as well as snails that are thriving! It was quite interesting.

In this one above, there is a snake and a large magnificent frigate bird that looked like they were having a conversation of sorts. I guess by the size that the bird predates on the snake as well as by the way they arranged the display, I could be wrong.

There were also some frames with some different types of fish in the wetlands. The one shown above is a tilapia, quite the common fish here in Trinidad that is often made in many dishes here in Trinidad and Tobago. I am sure the other wildlife here at the Caroni Swamp also include them in their diets! The newly built boardwalk and the awesome displays at the visitor center was quite the experience to take in and was very immersive as well as enlightening about the mangrove life in general! I hope you enjoyed the virtual tour, thanks for coming along, Cheers!