The Asa Wright Centre, Trinidad

...also gives an insight into the landscape, atmosphere and some other attractions of Trinidad.

The Asa Wright centre is more than just a hotel, it's a nature reserve, research centre, visitor attraction and tranquil get-away-from-it-all hideaway, high up in the Northern Range mountains of Trinidad.

The original house is set on a former coffee/cocoa/citrus plantation overlooking the Arima Valley, and was established as ...
...became too elderly to manage the place, a trust was established to protect the estate and maintain the house as a hotel for wildlife enthusiasts. The trust have continued to buy up land in the surrounding area to create an ever larger sanctuary of protected rainforest.

The original house only has a few bedrooms, and is mostly taken up with the lounge, dining room and verandah. The bedrooms are all located in small cottages ranged around ... more

I can't find a category for Hotels in Trinidad, but as this is my first op over here, go easy on me! I hope it also gives an insight into the landscape, atmosphere and some other attractions of Trinidad.

The Asa Wright centre is more than just a hotel, it's a nature reserve, research centre, visitor attraction and tranquil get-away-from-it-all hideaway, high up in the Northern Range mountains of Trinidad.

The original house is set on a former coffee/cocoa/citrus plantation overlooking the Arima Valley, and was established as a residence for visiting naturalists in the post-war years, by its owner, Asa Wright. As she became too elderly to manage the place, a trust was established to protect the estate and maintain the house as a hotel for wildlife enthusiasts. The trust have continued to buy up land in the surrounding area to create an ever larger sanctuary of protected rainforest.

The original house only has a few bedrooms, and is mostly taken up with the lounge, dining room and verandah. The bedrooms are all located in small cottages ranged around the hillside, and are extremely comfortable with ensuite facilities, ceiling fans and air conditioning. They are all only a few minutes walk from the house.

The main attraction of the house is the verandah which overlooks the valley. You can take your coffee out there after breakfast and watch the animals and birds getting their breakfast too, as feeders are put out with fruit for the majority of the birds and sugar-water for the hummingbirds. You can easily have a hummingbird hovering only a few inches from your face which is a magical experience, and see parrots and toucans flying across the valley. You may also see other wildlife – agoutis (guinea-pig like creatures) and scary-looking lizards called ‘mattes’ (but don’t worry, you’re up on the verandah and they’re down below)

Of course there are some ethical issues at stake here - by feeding the birds right by the house they are potentially turning the whole thing into a theme park, and discouraging the birds from foraging naturally, but on the other hand this allows people including the elderly and disabled to get up-close views of hummingbirds and other wildlife which they might never get in other circumstances.

There are various nature trails and organised trips on and offsite which the guides can take you on, some involving early starts to catch the dawn chorus. These trips include the oilbirds cave (oilbirds being a weird kind of nocturnal bird who nest in caves) and down into Caroni swamp to see the scarlet ibis (plenty of mozzie repellent needed!). You might also see a tree boa in the swamp, but the one I saw was curled up asleep, and not very big. There are poisonous snakes in Trinidad (Fer de lance being one) but it’s a case of ‘they are more scared of you than you are of them’ so it’s unlikely you’ll see one on your trip.

If you aren't a birdwatcher you can still get a lot of enjoyment out of staying at the centre - just being up in the rainforest is an amazing feeling, seeing the clouds drifting over the valley after a heavy downpour, and all from the comfort of an armchair on the verandah!

The food is fantastic - fresh tropical fruit for breakfast, traditional Trinidadian cuisine (which has lots of Indian and Oriental influence), tea at four o'clock with gorgeous cakes and a rum punch at six o'clock as the sun goes down. The entertainment after dinner is pretty much non-existent, but you go to the Asa Wright to chill out, not have a wild party.

Trips to nearby beaches (Maracas is the most famous) can be organised but Asa Wright has its own freshwater mountain pool, fed by a waterfall, the most romantic place imaginable for a swim, and not as cold as you might think!

Now the practical stuff - the centre is about 2 hours drive from Piarco airport. BWIA (British West Indian Airlines) fly to Trinidad via Barbados, but BA only fly to Tobago (a transfer from Tobago to Trinidad takes about 20 minutes, it's like catching the bus)

If your flight gets in very late, probably best to stay overnight somewhere else and set off for the Asa Wright in the morning. Lots of eco-tourism holiday firms organise trips to the Asa Wright, which gives you the advantage of being picked up from the airport. However, not all the firms have tours with completely fixed agendas, so you could extend your stay or arrange to go off on your own for a day if you want.

Rooms in the December-March (dry) season are US$120/night, April-Dec are US$90/night.
Lots of US visitors come in the dry season (and there are lots of day trippers at the centre too) so best come off-peak if you want to avoid the crowds. You'll still get plenty of sunshine for your money, and the rain's warm anyway.

I would heartily recommend the Asa Wright Nature Centre to anyone interested in wildlife or the environment, but if you aren't a birdwatcher, it helps to be at least tolerant of them, as there will be lots of them there!

Sadly, I have to add that the rest of Trinidad (especially the capital Port-of-Spain) is not as safe as it once was, so I would recommend travellers to go with a group and avoid PoS if possible.

If you do go into PoS, stick with your guide and group, and there are plenty of interesting sights - Queen's Park Savannah, home of the cricket ground, 'Magnificent Seven' (7 beautiful colonial mansions), the Royal Botanical Gardens, Carnival of course if you are there in February (and steel bands playing all year round) and last but not least, shopping. Going to lunch at the Hilton Hotel was a highlight on my first trip to Trindad when I was 5 - I can still remember what I ate, sausages and ice cream (though not together!)

My personal preference for a trip to T&T would be to spend 4 or 5 nights at the Asa Wright then fly on to Tobago (which is very safe) and then you will have the perfect rainforest/beach paradise holiday in one.

My mum and dad are imminently returning from a trip to the Asa Wright so I will update this with any new information....
 

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