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Wiki
travel forums |
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Icacos Point ||
Point Fortin by wikimapia |
| Wiki travel
guides |
| Gulf
of Paria, Venezuela by boat |
| Help others navigate the Gulf of Paria by
posting your insights to Captain wiki |
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Local
Links |
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pointfortin.com
w/ carnival coverage
The beach &
the Pipeline -2005 |
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Map
of P/ Fortin by pointalive.com |
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southtrini.com |
Events Calendar |
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Point Fortin Bourough Day Celebrations at .triniview.com/album |
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South »
Ten places to visit |
theRepublicOfCedros.org
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News |
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"With the introduction of a guest house system and a
centrally located Tourist Information Center in Bonasse, the Cedros Tourist
Office is planning to open up the peninsula to visitors that may want to
stay longer than just one day. With the possibility of a $500 airfare to Tobago,
Cedros is becoming a very appealing alternative and Cedros residents are more
than ready to accommodate the added visitor influx. [more
at therepublicofcedros.org] |
In December of 2006 Alcoa Aluminum plans to build a USD $1.5
billion smelter at nearby Cap-De-Ville were turned down due to
protests from the community and environmental activists. Alcoa has made no
announcements about alternative sites but does have a contract with the
government.
The Point Fortin Chamber of
Industry and Commerce said the decision not to go ahead with the Cedros and
Chatham smelter plants was an opportunity lost for people in the area.
the Chatham/Cap-de-Ville Environmental Protection Group, which was at the
forefront of protests against the smelter plants in the southwest peninsula
villages, and the group Fishermen and Friends of the Sea have vowed to
continue their campaign regardless of where the government intends to construct
the plants.
Errol McLeod, president of one of the biggest trade unions here, worries
that building an industrial estate
at the
Otaheite Bay
as announced by Prime Minister Patrick Manning when he killed the
aluminium smelter plants in the southwest peninsula villages of Cedros
and Chatham may severely affect the commercial fish centre in south
Trinidad.
[more
at google news]
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Fotos |
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South West at tripod |
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Siparia at triniview |
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Business & Trade |
southchamber.org
membership
 comprises
just under two hundred companies, mainly in the energy sector.
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noSmeltertnt.com
US Aluminum Giant Alcoa is facing massive criticism over a proposed
340,000 metric ton smelter plant in Cap De Ville |
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Real Estate |
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http://sipreal.com Point
Fortin-based agency specializing in properties in the south western peninsula |
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"As a result, my plan drastically
changed from coming here to die to coming here to “make a comeback!'
"After four months I was in
the best shape of my life and developed a social network of dear friends and
family. Now that I look back at my life, I see how I let myself become consumed
with the American culture of fast food and fast living and obsessed with
performance, achievement, status and the collection of material objects. All the
things that I thought I needed (which ran me into the ground and almost killed
me) I no longer wanted. I came to a point where the simple things were all that
mattered… family, friends, health and a sense of community and home.
[More at
escape artist] |
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On Carnival Sunday 22nd February 1998, at
around 2pm in the afternoon, the Lance Mitan suspension
bridge crossing the Moruga river failed.
more at seetobago.com |
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The southwest
peninsula, known locally as "deep south" has rarely been
visited by tourists since Columbus lost his anchor here in
1498. The many beaches on the gulf side offer brown sand and
calm waves. The countryside is coconut and teak plantations
broken up by sleepy backwater towns and unromantic oil
infrastructure and locals refer to the urban areas just a
couple of hours away as
'up north'. Cedros
has some of the longest stretches of
pristine beaches in Trinidad and Tobago and weekend visitors are flocking to the
peninsula since the long overdue reconstruction of the
Southern Main Road into
the Peninsula is finally completed.
Locals are looking forward to resort hotels
expected to be built at
Granville
and a hoped for large scale international
tourist resort at a designated 100 acre site at
Columbus Bay.
Cedros is easily
accessed by car being only
about one and a half hour away from San Fernando.
In 1906, a geologist, Arthur Beeby-Thompson, found oil at Guayaguayare and Point Fortin grew into an oil town.
It rode the wave of opulence during the 1990's oil boom and
withstood the economic ravages of the subsequent recession.
The area still shines brightly today as an oil and natural
gas hub, home to the Atlantic LNG plant as well as
other oil and gas company headquarters.
Icacos
Point is the
south western tip of Trinidad where you can see the vague
outline of the coast across the Gulf. Just 9km off the coast
and marking the division between Trinidad and Venezuela is
Soldado Rock. This is a major bird preserve with a
nesting season between March and July.
Icacos [Ih-car-cus]
is a small village spawned by what was once the largest
estate in Trinidad, Constance Estate. This coast is a pretty 3 to 4 hour drive from
Trinidad. You will pass through coconut plantations, and
herds of buffalypso ( a type of water buffalo) graze on the
open land. On the way are unspoiled Cedros
and Erin offering tranquil coastal views
and sheltered coves.
You may not find a place to overnight but you'll enjoy the
fishing villages, whose slow rhythm of everyday life is
soothing to the soul.
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Places To Stay:
Point Fortin |
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Grandville Beach Resort Grandville Beach
Road, Point Fortin, Trinidad - (868) 648-0154 |
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South Western Court
[15 rooms] 16
Cap-de-Ville Main Road (868) 648-4734 Their
restaurant is the main gathering spot in town |
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Cinnamon Court 148 Clifton Hill, Point
Fortin, Trinidad - (868) 648-0752 |
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Cinnamon House Guest House 118 Cinnamon
Drive, Point Fortin, Trinidad - (868) 648-2349
A/C & cable TV in all rooms. Just past Clifford
Beach. Restaurant serves
good Creole food |
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Icacos |
| Icacos Beach House, Iacacos Beach
Road halfway between Icacos pt. and Iacacos
868-622-8826 |
Fyzabad is a bustling town 13 km (8 miles) south of San
Fernando,
west of Siparia and northeast of Point Fortin. In 1937 Fyzabad was the
centre of labour unrest, led by T.U.B. Butler which is considered the birth of
the Labour movement in Trinidad and Tobago.
Labour Day celebrations, observed annually on June 19. The OWTU (Oilfield
Workers Trade Union) organizes a walk through the streets of the town; and at
Charlie King Junction a stage is erected and there's a fun street fair.
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Pitch
Lake
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One of the wonders of the world, with a surface like
elephant skin
it is the largest of only
three natural asphalt lakes in the world (the other two
being located in Venezuela and Los Angeles, USA).
The lake was formedmillions of years
ago, and it's believed that at one time it was a huge mud
volcano into which muddy asphaltic oil seeped.
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Sir Walter Raleigh
discovers Pitch Lake |
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"Every fool knoweth that
hatreds are the cinders of affection."
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According to
legend, Sir Walter Raleigh [1552 or 1554 –
29 October 1618] discovered the lake in 1595
and used the asphalt to caulk his ships, he
also took time out to burn the new San Josef, Spanish
settlement.
On Raleigh's 2nd expedition to go up the Orinoco in search of El Dorado he attacked a
Spanish outpost which ended badly for both.
When Raleigh returned to Britain without his
son who died in the fight, authorities
granted the Spanish ambassador's wish that
his prior death sentence be carried out.
Raleigh was beheaded with an axe at
Whitehall on 29 October 1618.
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Churned up
and down by underground gases, the oil and mud eventually
formed asphalt.Today, the bitumen mined here is used to pave
highways throughout the world. You can tour Pitch Lake on
your own, paying an admission of US$5 per person.
The lake is believed to have healing
properties and
some wash their faces with the sulphuric water as it is
reputed to be good for mosquito bites, rashes and skin
conditions. When the natural springs appear at its
centre during the rainy season, you may find locals taking
an evening dip in the special waters.
An on-the-spot museum also houses some artifacts that have
been recovered from the lake. You'll find
some bars and restaurants at Le Brea.
GETTING THERE:
Pitch Lake
with the village of Le Brea on its north shore. To reach it
from Port-of-Spain, take the Solomon Hocoy Highway. It's
about a 2-hour drive, depending on traffic.
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| Mud Volcanoes |
Residents of Chatham, a small
village on the southern coast of Trinidad, awoke May 11 2001
to see a new island about a mile and a half offshore, in the
Columbus Channel. A mud volcano on the floor of the North
Atlantic Ocean formed the 16-foot wide piece of land,
scientists at Trinidad's
Seismic Research Unit said.
In 1997, a mud volcano erupted in the central Trinidad
farming village of Piparo, covering homes with mud that flew
as high as 150 feet in the air. The sound of rumbling and
the shaking of the earth alerted residents before the
eruption, and they all managed to escape from their houses
before the mud spilled out onto the village, crushing roofs
and forming a thick blanket of dirt over all structures. No
one was killed. (DisasterRelief.org)
Mud volcanoes tend to be associated with petroleum
deposits. They are found in several parts of the world apart
from Trinidad, including the Caucasus, Australia and
Venezuela. Gas is often the driving
force, pushing mud from deep within the earth upwards
towards the surface. The force is so great it can lift and
break rock formations, so that pieces of rock are sometimes
thrown out with the mud when the volcano erupts. Eruptions
may be triggered
by "external forces" such as "movement along old fault
lines"
Devil’s Woodyard
Although not the most spectacular mud volcanoe it is the
most accessible and famous of the many mud volcano sites
located in south Trinidad. It also has the best facilities,
including a children’s playground, picnic tables, and
toilets.
Some local Hindus hold this to be a
sacred spot and worship here.
GETTING THERE:
Take the route down Hindustani Road, 3km past Indian Walk in
Princes Town.
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| Oropuche Lagoon |
| The oldest Caribbean evidence
of human occupation has been found here, some 3400 to 5000 B.C.
Banwari Trace deposit is to be found on the southern edge of the
Oropuche Lagoon in southwest Trinidad, just west of the Coora
River. The site occupies the top of a Miocene hillock,
originally covered with deciduous seasonal forest, which rises
above the swamp. The Banwari Trace material culture shows a
highly distinctive cultural assemblage, typically consisting of
artifacts made of stones and bones. Objects associated with
hunting and fishing include bone projectile points, most likely
used for tipping arrows and fish spears, beveled peccary teeth
used as fishhooks, and bipointed pencil hooks of bone which were
intended to be attached in the middle to a fishing-line. A
variety of ground stone tools were manufactured for the
processing of especially vegetable foods, including blunt or
pointed conical pestles, large grinding stones and round to oval
manos |
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BEACHES |
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Cedros: Near
the tip of the south-western peninsula, and of the furthest
points on the island from Port of Spain, Cedros has
Trinidad’s widest beach at low tide.
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Quinam Beach is 7.5 km drive down the
Coora Road/Penal Quinam Road, through teak plantations and forest.
 The waters are calm and good for swimming, and the sand is fine and
brown, although it disappears during high tide. Favored for family
outings on the weekend.
Quinam Recreational Park
Quinam Recreational Park is a newer park, in a forested area near
the Quinam beach in south Trinidad. Includes rustic picnic shelters,
an information centre and nature trails.
Forestry department (622–3217).
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Erin Bay Erin is a popular spot for windsurfing. Erin remains on of
the most vibrant of fishing communities thousands of pounds of
carite, red fish, cavali and other varieties of fish are dispatched
every day from Erin and creating a striking hustle and bustle
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Vessigny
Beach Just 3 kilometres past the Pitch Lake in La Brea,
the beach boasts brown sand and calm seas.
Changing rooms, picnic tables and a snack bar, open on
weekends and during school holidays are all available.
Enjoys a reputation as a popular weekend party spot. It also
has camping facilities. There are no lifeguards on
duty. It is about 2 hour's drive from Port of Spain.
- Columbus
Bay: Said to be the point at which Christopher
Columbus first landed in Trinidad. The beach is surrounded
by miles of coconut plantations and the "Three Sisters" (3
tiny islands) protrude just off the shoreline.
Columbus Bay is
where the famous explorer supposedly lost his anchor, which
is now displayed at the
National Museum. This beach is huge, very tropical and
seldom occupied.
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Moruga
Beach where Columbus first landed and
named the island after the Holy Trinity in 1498
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Moruga |
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Moruga comes alive each August for the re-enactment of
Christopher Columbus’s arrival on the island in 1498. The local community hosts
a heritage festival in October. |
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"God
made me the messenger of the new heaven and the new earth of
which he spoke in the Apocalypse of St. John [Rev. 21:1]
after having spoken of it through the mouth of Isaiah; and
he showed me the spot where to find it."
Columbus 1500 |
| In his treatise The Book of
Prophecies, which was influenced by the writings of
earlier theologians, Columbus offers some insight into his
views on the Garden of Eden and the second coming of Christ.
In order for the return of Christ to come about, certain
requirements would have to be met --namely, that
Christianity must take root throughout the world; the holy
lands and in particular Jerusalem, the birth place of
Christ, must be wrested from the Muslims; a "last emperor of
the world" must be established (Isabella and Ferdinand would
seem, at least to Columbus, to meet this requirement); and,
finally, the Garden of Eden would have to be found.
Christopher Columbus is much examined in history as one of
the greatest mariners in history, a visionary genius, a
mystic, a national hero, a failed administrator, a naive
entrepreneur, and a ruthless and greedy imperialist. To the
surprise of many, in 1992 on the commemoration of
the 500th anniversary of the voyage that changed the
world, Columbus had become a divisive figure. |
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Columbus, who never abandoned the belief that he had reached
Asia, led a total of four expeditions to the Caribbean. On
his third he named Trinidad & Tobago, Venezuela, and Margarita Island. He
returned home in chains for he was not a good manager of
men and was quite filled with himself. He changed the coat
of arms he was granted in 1493 several times adding new
elements, such as an emerging continent next to islands and
five golden anchors to represent the office of the Admiral
of the Sea.
It is popular today to use his obvious failings to
claim his genius was a fraud but this will not stand
the test of time.
His method of navigation was called "Dead Reckoning" and it
combined experience and intuition with vague guidelines
based upon a compass and estimates of daily travel.
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| Tours:
|
pariasprings.com/events/icacos.html
Take off for Trinidad's South-Western Peninsula. Here the
landscape becomes rolling hills spotted with farms, fishing
villages, wetlands and forests. This offers a different view
of Trinidad as rural communities dot the landscape side by
side with the oil industry. These areas offer rich birding
opportunities in wetlands for Spotted Toddy-Flycatchers,
Pygmy Kingfishers and Rails, scrub and farms areas for
Yellow-Headed Caracaras, Flycatchers, and Yellow-rumped
Caciques or forest areas for Honeycreepers, Manakins, or
Trogons |
The Orinoco River Delta is one of the largest intact and
unspoiled wetlands in the world. With the exception of the
town of Tucupita, the Orinoco River Delta is a glorious
expanse of forest, water and sky.
Visit our Orinco and
Chagauramas Guides for lots more
options and information about this trip. |
angel-ecotours.com/adventure-travel-package-orin1.html
Tours run year-round. Of course, our itinerary is completely
customizable to suit your adventure goals. from
Puerto
Ordaz or Maturin. 2 days / 1 night
Difficulty Relaxed - paced tour includes some walking, river
travel in canoes, and optional swimming.
Lodging You will be staying in comfortable wooden cabins
that have running water, toilets and showers. Some cabins
have queen-size beds. Hammocks are available upon request.
|
Clipper Cruise
Line,
clippercruise.com 11969 Westline Industrial
Dr., St. Louis, MO 63146. Call (800) 325-0010, fax them at
(314) 655-6675
The Yorktown Clipper: A 227-foot craft with a shallow
8-foot draft and easy maneuverability. Boasts
advanced-technology satellite navigation and communication
equipment. Meals are American and continental fare with
regional touches from the Caribbean Basin. The ship is
completely air-conditioned. Itinerary: "The Natural
Treasures of the Lower Caribbean" is not listed at their web
site but you may wish to inquire. |
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| Hurricane season lasts from June to
November. Although the islands of Trinidad and Tobago are
below the hurricane belt, you will experience more rain
during these months. |
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Gulf of Paria On any
given day, the Gulf-regarded as one of the largest natural
harbours in the western hemisphere- is speckled with oil
tankers to service the many companies in the south. |
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Birding |
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Grand Icacos Lagoon, Cedros |
Located on the south-western
tip of Trinidad, just seven miles from Venezuela, this lagoon is an estuarine
basin mangrove of approximately 330 hectares. While the entire peninsula is a
bird watching experience, there are three prime hotspots; Fullarton Swamp, Los
Banquilles Swamp and the Grand Icacos Lagoon.
The road from Fullarton Village to Icacos Village runs
through the center of the Swamp and so it is possible to literally view the
birds without leaving your vehicle. Greater enjoyment however comes from parking
the vehicle and entering the water with a kayak or other water craft.
More at birdsoftt.com/ |
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Trip Reports |
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The highs
and lows of the 3rd Voyage of Columbus |
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Believing
he had found the Garden of Eden, he was quite dismayed to
find himself shipped back to Spain in chains |
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The Story of the Discovery of the Americas begins with
Columbus 3rd voyage to Trinidad and Venezuela. A trip we encourage everyone to
take.
A great story in its own right we have given it a special
place here as the foundation of the
holiday of the Americas |
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Many begin their journey to Venezuela's
Macareo River from Columbus Bay near the Southern Tip of Triniday |
A flotilla of 4 boats and families:
We were not alone in Columbus bay. Some fishing boats were anchored there
too. We didn't pay them much notice until this "transport" boat passed by.
-SHRIMPS
We bought a bucket full, 10 pounds of huge shrimps.
Macareo main
page.
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"Well, no matter. We were soon unhooked from the bottom and
sailing southwest in a gentle breeze which gradually built through the day to a
howling 20+ knots. Our route led us among the derricks and platforms of the
Soldado Oilfield, where we caught a large crevalle jack, then around some
striking rocks to Columbus Bay at Trinidad's southwestern tip. Just as we
rounded Los Gallos rocks and headed into the bay we caught up with
Alsager, the third boat of our party, who had left much earlier in the
morning. We grilled up the jack as the main course of a potluck for all of us,
and sat back with our drinks, among friends, contented, thinking, "Ah yes. This
is cruising." "Of course cruising also means motor
sailing into howling wind, adverse current, and big whomping waves breaking over
the bow. The next day we covered the straight-line distance of 20 miles by
power-tacking 33 miles, which because of the current translated into 47 miles
through the water. It was a bone-shaking day, rough and bouncy through thick
brown water. We had a dispiriting choice of unpleasant waves where the current
was less strong, or smooth water among fishing boats, but right into the wind
and the worst of the current, so we just tacked back and forth and partook of
both.
"Reuben on Alsager had convinced us all that one of the
waypoints in the Rio Macareo info packet was incorrect, so we cut across the
"mud flat" shown on the chart. This turned out not to be the right thing to do
-- at least not for Alsager, as they have a 7-foot draft and the water
was about 7 feet deep. Windom slid through with our shorter keel, while
Kajsa led Alsager the proper way around. Eventually we were all in
the 12-foot deep channel, although our GPS and chart insisted we were actually
aground.
10/10/01 | Approach to the Rio Macareo |
"Our trip to the river is
marked by adverse winds, a 3 knot current against us and the most uncomfortable
anchorage any of us have ever experienced. Now we begin to understand why more
boats don't come here. We are racing daylight and the tides to get to the mouth
of the river. Finally just at sunset with Ventana in the lead we cross the
shallow bar and have the deep water of the river beneath us. We are not in the
river 5 minutes when we are greeted by pink dolphins playing near the boat.
Moments later we fall silent in awe as a flock of scarlet ibis fly overhead and
come to roost in the trees nearby. The ibis are a color so red you can't believe
it could exist in nature.
ventanasvoyage.com/macareo |
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'....anchored off Icacos Point, the southwest
tip of Trinidad, we feasted on his tasty white flesh. The anchorage there was
terrible, with the swell coming from the south and causing a rolly and
uncomfortable night. In anything other than a multi-hull, it would have been an
impossible anchorage. Early the next
morning we hoisted the sails again and headed across the Serpents Mouth to the
Macareo River.
"Mosquitoes? Bugs? YES!!
Screens on the hatches and Chrissi's cockpit screen enclosure were 100%
necessary after 5pm.
Don't leave home without them!
It's not bad before dark.
"EVERY village wants to trade.
When our trade goods of fish hooks and fabric and flour and soap, etc., etc.
were gone,we started with our food and clothing and sheets and towels - until we
were traded into near-destitution!Baskets and beads and models of boats are the
main items offered in return.
more Macareo River-
12/01 |
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"We couldn't help noticing many young people are
lacking teeth, maybe caused by their diet. We were told the river water is badly
polluted from the towns and settlements many miles upstream. The doctor at the
clinic tries to advise them to boil their water, but they consider what wood is
available is too precious to use for this purpose. During the rainy season at
least they have no other source of water but the river.
"As we lay at anchor again in Columbus Bay at the
end of our expedition, having successfully negotiated the shallow river mouth,
we agreed that it had been a truly absorbing and fascinating experience. We
shall particularly long remember the happy natural smiles of the children
standing in their canoes, their faces lining the toerail as they looked over the
top at us. more at
tripod |
"The dinghies let us explore the waterways in a more intimate way
than the big boats, getting us into tiny side streams which are sometimes no
more than less dense spots in the vegetation. We head in a ways, then kill the
engine and either row or drift with the current. We look, and more importantly,
we listen. The noises of the jungle rise around us.
10/13/01 |
On the river |
|
Cruising notes to the RIO MACAREO |
The Rio Macareo may be only 15 miles south of Trinidad
but when compared to the usual Caribbean cruising grounds it is a very remote
cruising area with no facilities providing supplies for fuel or food.
Weather: Daily temperatures
range in the 80s to 90s with matching high humidity, but both are lower in the
evening. Rain showers can be expected in all seasons.
To get information of what to do before entering the river, contact The Boca,
tlf. (868) 634 2622. (
www.BoatersEnterprise.com ) Cruising notes to the RIO MACAREO are
essential for a safe, minimum hassle visit.
2004 Trip Report in their monthly publication -.pdf |
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