One of the many highlights of our extended stay in Tobago was a day out with Ali Baba Tours, run by Brian Taylor, aka Ali Baba! Brian is a larger than life character who is passionate about Tobago. He loves sharing his knowledge about his birthplace with tourists. One couple I spoke to had been on one of Brian’s boat trips every year for the past twelve. They said that they would continue doing it because, not only was it a most enjoyable day out, but they always learned something new about the island from Brian.
In this article
What you need to know before the trip
On the day of our trip, we were picked up from Little Bay, Castara at 9.45am. The first thing to be aware of is that you will have to wade out to the boat, so there’s little point in wearing anything except a swimsuit and a T-shirt because you are certainly going to get wet! Brian keeps a very clean boat with no shoes allowed on board. You will need to take your shoes off on the beach, wash them in the sea, and then deposit them under the seats on the boat. Any bags you take with you will need to be held aloft as you wade out, to prevent them from getting soaked, although Brian does have a crew member to help with this and to assist less able passengers to get on the boat.
The Itinerary
Once everyone is on board (there were eight of us on our trip), Brian motors a little way out into the bay and gives a talk on what the day will involve, the flora and fauna you will see, and a bit about Tobago’s colourful history.
The trip continues along Tobago’s Caribbean coast westwards towards Pigeon Point. There are frequent stops along the way, often in beautiful secluded bays that are only accessible from the sea. Brian describes each of these in detail, often giving fascinating insights which you can’t find in the guidebooks. Frigatebirds and brown boobies are present in their hundreds, perched on the rocks in each bay.
King Peter’s Bay
We paused in King Peter’s Bay, named after the last leader of the Tobagonian Amerindians who settled here. In the 18th century, pirates used this isolated cove to land their treasures in secret. The sand here is darker than on other Tobago beaches due to the black rocks found locally.
Culloden Bay
Our next stop was in Culloden Bay, where we admired the cliff top villas, including the former home of royal photographer, Norman Parkinson. I really wanted to visit this place where Princess Margaret was a frequent visitor and where the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh had stayed. It is currently owned by a doctor who lives in the US and rarely visits. I met the caretaker she employs, who explained that she doesn’t allow anyone to see the house. Now in his sixties, he has worked there since he was a teenager and told us stories of parties attended by royalty, the Kennedys and Hollywood stars. He described the stunning chandeliers and the egg-shaped swimming pool lined with thousands of glass mosaic tiles. I would have loved to have seen it for myself!
Arnos Vale Bay
We then went on to Arnos Vale Bay where we spent a very pleasant half an hour snorkelling. It is one of Tobago’s best snorkelling spots. The corals and the fish we saw were breathtakingly beautiful. On the shore we could see the famous Arnos Vale Hotel, now, sadly, boarded up and crumbling. Back in 1960, Princess Margaret and Lord Snowden spent part of their honeymoon here in the ‘Crow’s Nest’ suite which famously had one of the Caribbean’s most magnificent views – a broad 270° sweep over the turquoise Caribbean Sea and the Arnos Vale estate’s 450 acres lush with tropical flowers. The estate was once a thriving sugar plantation, but all of this has now gone.
Cotton Bay and Mount Irvine Bay
We paused again in Cotton Bay (aka Paradise Bay), named after the cotton plantation which once covered the hillside behind it, and also in Black Bay, Great Courtland Bay and Stonehaven Bay. All of these secluded beaches provide turtle nesting sites in the season. The best chance of seeing them is in May and June.
Our next stop was in Mount Irvine Bay, Tobago’s surfing hotspot. We marvelled at the number of pelicans occupying the fishing boats in the bay and watched local fishermen landing their catch.
Bon Accord Lagoon
From there, we motored round to Buccoo Bay and entered the Bon Accord Lagoon in order to get up close to the mangroves which edge its shores. The lagoon is one of the most important fish nurseries on Tobago. Its seagrass beds are a sanctuary for conch, snails, shrimp, oysters, crab, urchins and sponges.
Lunch at No Man’s Land Beach
We stopped for lunch on No Man’s Land beach. From here, there is a great view of Pigeon Point. The water is clear and warm – perfect for pre- and post-lunch swimming. Brian provides a plentiful and delicious lunch on his full-day boat trips. We had barbecued fish and chicken accompanied by salad, noodles, vegetables and garlic bread. We had Brian’s recipe rum punch to drink. This concoction is not for the faint-hearted but we were up to the challenge – so much so that Brian had to send a couple of locals in a jet-ski to buy some more Puncheon rum! Shopping Tobagonian style!! (Later in our stay in Castara, we witnessed many an unwitting tourist, as well as one or two locals who probably should have known better, either falling off the boat on arrival back in Little Bay, or having to be carried off it, after partaking in a few too many of Brian’s rum punches!)
Buccoo Reef
After lunch, we motored out to Buccoo Reef to do some more snorkelling. It was pretty choppy and I didn’t manage to get my snorkel and mask on properly, so I didn’t see any of the magnificent fish everyone told me were lurking below the surface! The reef is home to Tobago’s largest collection of corals, from hard stag and elkhorn varieties to waving purple sea fans and peach-coloured fire coral. These are patrolled by the brilliantly coloured trigger, butterfly, surgeon and parrotfish which thrive here. Although many parts of the reef have been damaged in the past due to pollution, carelessly placed anchors, and tourists being allowed to walk on the coral, there is still plenty to see. This is largely due to the work of the Buccoo Reef Trust, a local NGO working to preserve the reef and educate boat operators and fishermen about sustainable practices. Tourists can help by standing on the seabed only and by refusing to buy any coral trinkets. Mark said it was the best snorkelling he’d ever done!
Nylon Pool
Our last stop of the day was at Nylon Pool, a gleaming coralline sand bar which forms an appealing, warm, metre-deep swimming pool in the middle of the Caribbean Sea. It is so named because Princess Margaret said it was so clear that it reminded her of her new-fangled nylon stockings! We were there at high tide, though, so the water was deeper than it usually is, making drinking our rum punch much more difficult than it should have been!!
The End of the Trip
From Nylon Pool, Brian took us back along the coast to Castara. It was a thrilling high-speed ride accompanied by a soundtrack of classic eighties tunes. Fuelled by rum punch, we all sang along with gusto – a fun end to a fantastic trip!!
The trip cost US$90 per person. For a whole day out, it was worth every penny!!
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