Main Ridge Forest Reserve

The oldest protected rainforest in the Western Hemisphere, established in 1776, covering most of Tobago's northeastern spine

The Main Ridge Forest Reserve protects the central spine of northeastern Tobago — a cloud-draped ridge of tropical rainforest that runs for most of the island's length. The forest is genuinely ancient: mahogany, teak, and immortelle trees rise to 30 metres, and the canopy is alive with the calls of mot-mots, trogons, and the rufous-vented chachalaca (Tobago's national bird). Several marked hiking trails cross the reserve, ranging from an easy 2-km walk from the Roxborough-Bloody Bay road to longer ridge hikes that reward with views of both coasts.

The best birding is at dawn and dusk when the forest is most active. Over 200 bird species have been recorded on the island, of which perhaps 130 can be found in or near the reserve. The forest also shelters agouti, armadillo, tree boas, and fer-de-lance, though the last is rarely encountered on the main trails. Guides can be arranged through operators in Speyside or Roxborough — local guides know the bird calls and can spot species you'd walk past entirely.

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A story
The Main Ridge Forest Reserve was established in 1776 by British colonial proclamation — making it the oldest legally protected rainforest in the Western Hemisphere, predating any national park in the Americas by nearly a century. The decree was written not for ecological reasons but because the colonial government recognised that forest cleared for sugar plantations was causing the streams to dry up. Pragmatic conservation from a sugar economy.

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