Caroni Bird Sanctuary

The Caroni Bird Sanctuary is home to thousands of scarlet ibis, Trinidad and Tobago's national bird. Every day at sunset the birds fly to the mangroves in the nearby swamp to roost. It is a truly stunning sight to see all the trees filled with the bright colored birds. The birds flying over the swamp appear almost fluorescent red in the light of the setting sun.

You can enter the sanctuary on long, flat-bottomed motorboats. The boats take 30 passengers or so at a time and move slowly through the swamp's channels. The guide explains some of the facts about the area's flora and fauna. Apart from the birds, animals that are commonly seen include two-toed sloth, boa constrictor and mudskipper fish that cruise alligator-like with their beady eyes above the water. The boats are stopped several times to be able to quietly watch the birds.

The boats keep some distance from the birds to avoid too much disturbance, so bring a pair of binoculars if you want to have a better look. The Caroni Bird Sanctuary includes some 150 bird species. It is only several kilometers south of Port of Spain.