North Coast
Macqueripe Bay is a small cove with clear water that reflects the greenery of the surrounding hillside. The water in this small bay is usually calm except during November to April, when the sea may be rough on some days. This beach is located at the end of Tucker Valley Road in Chaguaramas, on Trinidad's Western Peninsula. From the paved car park you descend a series of concrete steps to the stony beach. As you enter the water the seabed has a downward slope. Sometimes early in the morning groups of dolphins frolic at the mouth of the bay. There are no lifeguards, change rooms or reliable washroom facilities at this beach. On weekends vendors sell snacks and cold drinks in the parking lot.
A scenic vista of aquamarine water rolling onto golden sands fringed with coconut palms and set against green hills welcomes you to Maracas Beach. Approximately a 30 minute drive from Port of Spain, Maracas Bay is probably the most popular beach in Trinidad. Lifeguards patrol daily from 10am to 6pm and secure parking, changing facilities, showers, toilets, lockers and picnic tables are provided. There are numerous snack booths and no visit to Maracas is complete without sampling the local delicacy, shark and bake - crisp fried fillets of shark sandwiched between fluffy slices of fried dough and topped with your choice of fruit, salad and spicy sauces.
Approximately 9 km east of Maracas Bay is the popular Las Cuevas Bay. Sheltered by the curved embrace of the Northern Range, the surf at Las Cuevas is gentler than Maracas. A snack bar, car park, picnic tables, benches, changing rooms, showers and toilets facilities are available, with lifeguards on duty from 10 am to 6 pm daily. During the rainy season, sand flies are plentiful
Blanchisseuse is located on the north coast of Trinidad, a 15 minute drive north from Las Cuevas. A small village on the sea coast backed by the Northern Range, Blanchisseuse is home to two popular beaches - L'Anse Martin and Blanchisseuse Bay. L' Anse Martin is a small beach with the entrance to the beach being via a footpath opposite a hilltop hotel. Blanchisseuse Bay is at the end of the North Coast Road and is approximately 1.4 kilometers in length. The popularity of this beach stems, not from the sea, which has plunging breakers and strong rip currents, but from the deep, still pool at the mouth of the Marianne River. Other beaches in the area are Damien Bay and Yarra.
Northeast Coast
Toco's Salybia Beach on Trinidad's northeast coast is a ribbon of golden sand trimmed with coconut trees. The eastern section of this beach is protected by a fringing reef providing a calm area at low tide. At high tide the waves break over the reef and generate westerly flowing currents. The western section of the beach is deeper but with weak easterly currents. Snack vendors abound in the vicinity on weekends but there are no toilet/shower facilities or lifeguards.
Balandra Bay along the Toco Main Road in northeast Trinidad gives you the feeling that you can walk for miles without encountering another person. The shoreline is gently sloping and backed by coconut, almond and sea grape trees. The currents in this area are negligible, particularly at the northern end next to the headland and wave heights average 42 centimeters. There are no toilet facilities at this beach.
Sally Bay (also called Saline Bay) is located between Matura village and Balandra Bay on the Toco Main Road. The main entrance to the beach is immediately before the bridge spanning the Rio Seco River and runs parallel to the river. There are strong offshore currents that flow in a westerly direction and to the centre of the beach is a small offshore reef. The attraction of this beach for many is the Rio Seco River mouth, which is quite wide and suitable for swimming. Lifeguards patrol this beach and there is a beach facility with toilets and showers open on weekends and public holidays. Snacks and cold drinks are available from vendors on weekends.
East Coast
Manzanilla is famed for the miles of coconut trees that line this coast.
Changing rooms, snack bars, toilets, showers and parking facilities are available at the northern end of this beach. Care should be exercised when bathing in the sea at Manzanilla due to currents and rip tides. There are lifeguards at this beach, but only in the area of the beach facilities. On some weekends and public holidays there is entertainment and music.
Spanning nine miles of coast fringed by coconut palms, Mayaro is Trinidad's longest beach. A favourite weekend getaway for Trinidadians, the area has a number of small hotels, guesthouses and holiday homes. An early morning walk along Mayaro Beach will reveal a variety of bird species, including kingfishers, whimbrels, collared plovers, brown pelicans, turkey vultures, ospreys, semipalmated plovers, ruddy turnstones, sanderlings, spotted sandpipers, western sandpipers, willets and zone-tailed hawks. Wildlife includes mongoose, mattes (a large lizard) and iguanas. Along Mayaro Beach there are areas with rip currents, side currents and inshore holes. Eight sections of the beach are patrolled by lifeguards from 10.30am to 5.30pm :
- Indian Bay
- Radix Beach
- Plaisance Beach
- Church Road Beach
- Derose Beach
- St Anns Beach
- Bourmount Beach
- Rabitta Beach
Southeast Coast
Quinam Beach on Trinidad's southeast coast is approximately 1.6 kilometers in length with low waves. The currents along this beach are moderate. Lifeguards patrol the beach and 150 meters away is a recreational park with an interpretative center, huts, tables, benches and barbecue pits.
A favourite with windsurfers, Los Iros beach on the southeast coast is cooled by a constant breeze. The beach is approximately 2 kilometers in length with beige sand and the waves have an average height of 40 centimeters. There are weak to moderate longshore currents and care should be exercised on the eastern end where currents are strongest. Lifeguards are posted at this beach and accommodation is available at a nearby guest house. During the rainy season, sand flies are plentiful.
The entire Cedros peninsula is comprised of beautiful beaches. The sand is powdery white or beige, while the water is calm with weak currents and clear blue-green all year (except during heavy rainfall). The more popular bathing locations are at Bonasse, Fullarton and Columbus Bay. At Bonasse and Fullarton there are several shops and bars where villages abut the beach. At Columbus Bay the water supply is unreliable, but the facilities include a car park, showers, toilets and change rooms. Snack vendors are usually found near the beach facility, especially on weekends. There are no lifeguards at any of the Cedros beaches.
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