Tobago is the quieter, smaller sister island of Trinidad, about 30 km to the northeast. Where Trinidad is bustling and multicultural, Tobago is laidback and beach-focused — a proper Caribbean island with palm-fringed bays, coral reefs, and rainforest-covered hills.
The southwestern end around Crown Point has the airport, the best beaches (including Pigeon Point and Store Bay), and most of the tourist infrastructure. The northeastern end is wilder and less developed, with the Main Ridge Forest Reserve — the oldest protected rainforest in the Western Hemisphere, established in 1776.
Castara Bay on the north coast is a beautiful, relatively undeveloped fishing village with good snorkelling. Little Tobago, a small island off the east coast, is a bird sanctuary and one of the best places in the Caribbean to see seabirds up close. The diving and snorkelling around Tobago are excellent — the island sits where the Caribbean meets the Atlantic, creating nutrient-rich waters with abundant marine life. Buccoo Reef is the most accessible coral system, reachable by glass-bottom boat from Store Bay.
Englishman's Bay is widely regarded as one of the island's most beautiful beaches — a horseshoe cove backed by forest with calm, clear water. Speyside on the Atlantic coast is the centre of the island's dive scene, with manta rays, barracuda, and large schools of fish. Arnos Vale on the Caribbean coast combines beach with a birding area and the ruins of an old sugar mill.