Leader	Roy Atkins plus local guides
Flights	British Airways, scheduled Outbound: Morning, Gatwick–Port of Spain Inbound: Overnight, Port of Spain–Gatwick Internal flights: Port of Spain–Tobago-Port of Spain

Days 1-6	Fly to Port of Spain then a 1 hour transfer to Asa Wright. Birdwatching and wildlife exploration on the trails at Asa Wright plus visits to Coroni Swamp, Waterloo, Blanchisseuse, Nariva Swamp and Aripo Savanah - 6 nights Asa Wright.
Days 7-8	Transfer to Grande Riviera where we watch Leatherback Turtles laying eggs on the beach and visit local forests - 2 nights Mt. Plaisir Estate Hotel.
Days 9-10	A 45min flight to Tobago, then birding on the island before transferring to our hotel with vernadas and sea views. Birdwatching and wildlife exploration including a boat trip to Little Tobago and walking the Gilpin Trace - 2 nights Blue Waters Inn.
Days 11-12	We return to Port of Spain for our overnight flight back to London, arriving in the UK on the morning of Day 12.

Weather	It is the dry season, so should be dry and it can be hot, but at any time of year there can be heavy showers and some years we have had very rainy days, humid in some places (20-30°C).
Walking	At Asa Wright all the trails are on sloping ground and steepish in places, with some steps. Trails may be muddy after rain, but the paths are generally in good condition with easy walking. The visit to the Oilbirds is a good trail, but with lots of steps. All are taken at a slow pace.
Insects	On occasion biting insects can be a nuisance, bring repellent. There are chiggers on Trinidad but these are not usually a problem, as we generally stick to the paths and not through vegetation.
Boat trips	One through sheltered channels to a lagoon to see Scarlet Ibis. The other is a 20 minute crossing to Little Tobago on a glass-bottomed boat, sometimes with a diversion to spend time over the reefs. This trip can sometimes be a little choppy.
Meals	All included from dinner on Day 1 to lunch on Day 11.
Accom	Twin and single rooms all ensuite
Group	12

Relaxed and easy Caribbean birdwatching based at the famous Asa Wright, plus Mt Plaisir and Blue Waters Inn - the perfect introduction to South America’s wildlife riches.

	*   Morning coffee with the veranda hummingbirds, tanagers and honeycreepers
	*   Watch Scarlet Ibis come to roost from our boat - rum punch in hand!
	*   Frigatebirds, tropicbirds, boobies and terns on Little Tobago
	*   Leatherback Turtles laying eggs on a white sand beach
	*   Mysterious Oilbirds in forest caves, plus manakins, toucans, parrots and more
	*   Early morning Trinidad Piping Guans and Montevideo Trail
	*   Two islands, three great hotels, one relaxing holiday

Days 1-6	Gazing out over Caribbean rainforest from the Asa Wright veranda, coffee in hand, the feeders come alive with Bananaquits, Red-legged Honeycreepers, Crested Oropendolas, Trinidad Motmots and Silver-beaked Tanagers. Agoutis pick up the crumbs and hummingbird feeders draw several species to within inches! We’ll check the tree tops for Green-backed Trogon, Orange-winged Parrot and Channel-billed Toucans - and all before breakfast! The forested trails yield more new birds - Chestnut and Golden-olive Woodpeckers, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Great Antshrike, Collared Trogon, Golden-headed Manakin and Squirrel Cuckoo. Bearded Bellbirds ‘clang’ above our heads and White-bearded Manakins ‘snap’ and dance at their lek. Vervain flowers attract Tufted Coquettes - tiny hummingbirds with amazing red crests. Late afternoon, rum punch is served, as we watch more birds and there is a chance of fly-by Oilbirds at sunset! One morning we shall visit the famous caves where the Oilbirds nest, to see them making their eerie clucks and screams in the darkness. Mixed feeding flocks occur in forest along the road to Blanchisseuse in the Northern Range. Cocoa Woodcreeper, Guianan Trogon and Swallow and Turquoise Tanagers are here, whilst fruiting trees attract Channel-billed Toucan, orioles and raucous flocks of parrots. Raptors such as Black Hawk, Plumbeous Kite and White Hawk may be here, whilst beaches on the north coast have Magnificent Frigatebirds and Brown Pelicans riding the waves. We’ll visit mangroves and marshy wetlands to search out American Pygmy Kingfisher, Pied Water-tyrant, Wattled Jacana and Yellow-hooded Blackbird. Where coconut palms line the coast, we’ll search for Gray-lined Hawk, Pearl Kite, Yellow-headed Caracara and Yellow-crowned Parrots. Scrubby grassland in the central lowlands is home to Red-breasted Blackbird, Short-tailed Swift, White-headed Marsh-Tyrant, Green-rumped Parrotlet, Yellow-rumped Cacique and Savannah Hawk. Coastal sites are teeming with shorebirds, plus Large-billed and Royal Terns and bizarre looking Black Skimmers - we may even see them skimming! Cruising slowly through the mangrove-lined channels of Caroni Swamp, we’ll look for Common Potoo, Greater Ani, Masked Cardinal, Tree Boas and with luck, a Silky Anteater asleep in the trees. Snowy Egrets and Tri-coloured and Little Blue Herons feed amongst the arching roots and Yellow-crowned Night-Heron peer from the branches. Then we’ll enjoy the spectacle of hundreds of Scarlet Ibis coming to roost, brilliant red in the setting sun, another real highlight.
Days 7-8	We travel to Grande Riviera in the north-east of the island, where we settle into our lovely hotel with sea views. In the evening we head out to witness the sight of huge Leatherback Turtles, as they haul themselves up the beach to lay their eggs. We’ll watch the whole process from digging their nest hole at the top of the beach, to laying their eggs before they return, exhausted, to the water - a real highlight of the trip that many people find remarkably moving. The following morning we shall make an early start to see Trinidad Piping Guans as they call from the tree tops, before enjoying a walk on the Montevideo trail. Here we may see Silvered and White-bellied Antbirds, White-flanked Antwren, Crimson-crested Woodpecker and perhaps Plumbeous and Swallow-tailed Kites.
Days 9-10	It’s a short flight to Tobago and our beachfront hotel, with Turnstones round our feet, Magnificent Frigatebirds offshore and raucous Rufous-vented Chachalacas in the gardens. Beautiful trails through the rainforest of the northern ridge provide the chance of Olivaceous Woodcreeper, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, White-throated Spadebill, Yellow-legged Thrush and the endangered White-tailed Sabrewing. Great Black Hawk soar above the forest and we may see dancing Blue-backed Manakins. The crossing to Little Tobago, by glass-bottomed boat, is a glimpse into a world of coral reefs and multi-coloured fish. We’ll look out for Brown-crested Flycatcher and Chivi Vireo as we walk up to viewing platforms, where we’ll enjoy Red-billed Tropicbirds just feet away, spectacular Magnificent Frigatebirds and nesting Brown and Red-footed Boobies. Roseate and Bridled Terns are sometimes also here. Wetland sites and the ‘Tobago Plantations’ hold White-cheeked Pintails, Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks, Least Grebes and Anhingas and we’ll search for Red-crowned Woodpecker, White-fringed Antwren, Barred Antshrike and elusive Mangrove Cuckoo.
Days 11-12	Depending on flight times there may be time for a walk on the beach or even a spot of snorkelling before our flight back to Port of Spain for our overnight flight to the UK, arriving on Day 12.

Just some of what we hope to see..

Leatherback Turtle	Red-billed Tropicbird	Red-bellied Macaw
Oilbird	White-tailed Sabrewing	Squirrel Cuckoo
Scarlet Ibis	Trinidad Motmot	Fork-tailed Palm Swift
Bearded Bellbird	Tufted Coquette	White-tailed Trogon
Trinidad Piping Guan	Ruby-topaz Hummingbird	White-fringed Antwren
White-bearded Manakin	Rufous-tailed Jacamar	Blue-backed Manakin
Channel-billed Toucan	White-necked Jacobin	Black-faced Antthrush
Magnificent Frigatebird