Trinidad & Tobago Birding Tour
Trinidad and Tobago’s diverse habitats,ranging from rainforests and savannas to coastal wetlands and mangroves, make it a top birding destination. With Trinidad's close proximity to mainland South America we will see some classic species from the "bird continent" such as Channel-billed Toucan, White-beaded Manakin, and Bearded Bellbird. On the smaller island of Tobago, we will see more Caribbean influence in the birdlife. On the island of Trinidad we will visit the Caroni Swamp in search of Scarlet Ibis, look for the endemic and critically endangered Trinidad Piping-Guan, and visit caves in search of the peculiar Oilbird. On Tobago we will keep en eye out for Trinidad Motmot and the localized White-tailed Sabrewing.
For beginners and seasoned birders alike, these islands boast an astonishing diversity of bird species, making them an essential stop on any birder’s bucket list. On this tour we will stay at three different lodges, notably the famous Asa Wright Nature Centre where the birding on the lodge grounds is exceptional, and the Mt. Plaisir Estate Hotel.
For beginners and seasoned birders alike, these islands boast an astonishing diversity of bird species, making them an essential stop on any birder’s bucket list. On this tour we will stay at three different lodges, notably the famous Asa Wright Nature Centre where the birding on the lodge grounds is exceptional, and the Mt. Plaisir Estate Hotel.
Asa Wright Nature Centre
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Channel-billed Toucan
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Trinidad & Tobago Birding Tour Information
Dates: January 10-19, 2026
Start/End City: Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (POS)
Tour Leader: Gavin McKinnon + local guides
Cost: $5795 USD
The tour fee above is based on double occupancy and includes all ground transportation, internal flights, accommodation, all meals and professional guiding services. Single supplement is available for $750 USD. The deposit for this tour is $1000 USD, final payment is due October 1, 2025.
Maximum of 10 participants
Start/End City: Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (POS)
Tour Leader: Gavin McKinnon + local guides
Cost: $5795 USD
The tour fee above is based on double occupancy and includes all ground transportation, internal flights, accommodation, all meals and professional guiding services. Single supplement is available for $750 USD. The deposit for this tour is $1000 USD, final payment is due October 1, 2025.
Maximum of 10 participants
Trinidad & Tobago Itinerary
January 10: Arrival at Piarco International Airport and transfer to Asa Wright Nature Centre
Today we will arrive at Piarco International Airport and transfer to Asa Wright Nature Centre where we will spend 5 nights, afternoon tea and dinner will be served in the evening after we familiarize ourselves with the lodge and the common birds of the property. Many flights from North America arrive in the late evening, if your flight is arriving later, we recommend you arrive a day early (January 9th) and spend the night at a nearby hotel.
January 11: Asa Wright Nature Centre
We will spend the entire day at the Asa Wright Nature Centre enjoying in the atmosphere and exploring the trails. Early in the morning we will gather on the verandah and enjoy the Copper-rumped Hummingbirds, Bananaquits, Crested Oropendolas, as well as Silvery-beaked and White-lined Tanagers. Following breakfast, we will walk along the forested trails where we hope to find the colourful Ruby Topaz Hummingbird, Tufted Coquette, Long-billed Starthroat, White-bearded Manakin, Trinidad Euphonia, Red-crowned Ant-Tanager. In the afternoon we'll hike to Dunstan Cave where we will look for Oilbirds, Asa Wright is one of the easiest places in the world to find this enigmatic, fruit eating nightjar.
January 12: Aripo Savannah and Nariva Swamp
Following breakfast, we will travel to the Aripo Savannah in the foothills of the Northern Range. This area is excellent for open countryside and rough pasture birding, which offers some intriguing new species and exciting areas to visit. Here we hope to find; the Carib Grackle, Short-tailed Swift, Cocoi Heron, Savannah Hawk, Gray-headed Kite, Yellow-headed Caracara, Wattled Jacana, Southern Lapwing, Pinnated Bittern, Green-rumped Parrotlet, Fork-tailed Pam Swift, White-winged Swallow, White-headed Marsh Tyrant, Pied Water Tyrant, Yellow-chinned Spinetail, Red-breasted, Meadowlark, Grassland Yellow Finch. We will continue our birding before heading to the Nariva Swamp on Trinidad's east coast for a beachside picnic. Raptors can be seen perched on the coconut trees as you drive down "Coconut Alley." Here, the sea meets the Nariva Swamp, and the freshwater habitats of the mangrove swamp forest and herbaceous swamp provide excellent birding. Green and American Pygmy Kingfishers, Black-crested Antshrike, Silvered Antbird, Yellow-crowned Amazon, Red-bellied and Blue-and-yellow Macaws, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Purple, Gallinule, Yellow-hooded Blackbird, and White-tailed Goldenthroat.
January 13: Brickfield / Waterloo coastal birding and Caroni Swamp
With its vast tidal mudflats along the West Coast, Waterloo is the best place to find waterbirds and migrant shorebirds in Trinidad. Species like; Magnificent Frigatebird, Brown Pelican, Neotropic Cormorant, Great and Snowy Egrets, Little Blue and Tricoloured Herons, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Black-necked Stilt, Laughing Gull, Royal Tern and Black Skimmer are found here. In some areas near Carli Bay, we can find a rare resident Rufous Crab-Hawk. Later in the day, we will embark on a motorized flat-bottom boat that will take us through the mangrove waterways of the Caroni Swamp, where we may see a variety of species; Long-winged Harrier, Bicolored Conebill, Masked Cardinal, Straight-billed Woodcreeper, Green-throated Mango, Northern Waterthrush, Anghinga, Striated Heron, White-cheeked Pintail, Common Potoo, American Flamingo, just to name a few! The highlight of the day will be seeing hundreds of Scarlet Ibises returning to the swamp roost, in the evening after feeding all day.
January 14: Birding Blanchisseuse Road and the Northern Range
The Northern Range, which stretches as a belt of forested hills across Trinidad's northern Caribbean shoreline, is the northeasternmost point of the Andes. We will travel the Blancheuse Road through the Northern Range mountains for the entire day, making regular stops at excellent birdwatching locations like Las Lapas and Paria Junction. Throughout the day, we hope to find species such as Turquoise and Bay-headed Tanagers, Bearded Bellbirds, Lilac-tailed Parrotlets, Guinean Trogons and the endemic Trinidad Motmot. We will visit the village of Morne Le Croix, across the where we will enjoy snacks and watch the Blue-headed Amazons roosting in the evening.
January 15: Travel to Grande Riviere
After a morning with breakfast at the Asa Wright Nature Centre, we will depart and travel to Grande Riviere, making a stop at the Toco lighthouse, which marks the meeting point of the Atlantic and Caribbean Seas. Grande Riviere has some of the densest forests in Trinidad and we hope to find Swallow-tailed Kites and Crimson-crested Woodpecker, as well as many familiar South American species such as Channel-billed Toucan. Our second ecolodge, Mt. Plaisir Estate Hotel, is a quaint luxurious beachside hotel with a backdrop of magnificent tropical rainforest. We will enjoy dinner here before getting some rest to prepare for the following day.
January 16: Trinidad Piping-Guan (Pawi) at Montevideo Trace
Early this morning, we will embark early to search for an endemic and critically endangered species, the Trinidad Piping-Guan, locally known as "Pawi". The rarest resident, with just over 100 individuals remaining in the wild, this area is the last stronghold for this species. We will reach the hilltop and a large clearing after hiking up Montevideo Trace, where the Trinidad Piping Guan can be found amidst the nutmeg trees. The birding here is also excellent and we hope to find species such as Gray-headed Kite, Golden-headed Mannakin, Purple Honeycreeper, White-flanked Antwren and more! In the afternoon we will return to Mt. Plaisir to enjoy a relaxing evening along the Carribean shore.
January 17: Flight to Tobago
Following breakfast, we will transfer to the airport in time for our early afternoon flight to Tobago. Upon arrival in Tobago, we will make a couple of stops at the Bon Accord Lagoon and other lowland locations en route to our third hotel destination, Blue Waters Inn. Today we hope to see White-cheeked Pintail, Wattled Jacana, Mangrove Cuckoo and Scrub Greenlet.
January 18: Birding on Tobago
We will travel up the slopes of the historic Tobago Main Ridge Forest Reserve after breakfast. The Main Ridge Forest Reserve is the best location on the island to see a wide diversity of species. Some of these species such as Rufous-vented Chachalaca, White-tailed Sabrewing, White-fringed Antwren, and Blue-backed Manakin are not found on Trinidad. Other species we will search for are; Collared Trogon, Great Black Hawk, Blue-backed Manakin, Yellow-legged Thrush, Red-crowned Woodpecker, White-fringed Antwren, Plain Antvireo, White-throated Spadebill, Olivaceous Woodcreeper, Stripe-crested, Spinetail, White-necked Thrush and Gray-throated Leaftosser. In the evening, we will board a glass-bottom boat for a relaxing trip to Little Tobago Island, One of the major wildlife sanctuaries in the nation, the island provides incredible views of seabirds such as Red-billed Tropicbird, Brown Booby and Red-footed Booby. In the dry tropical forest of the island, we can also hope to find Chivi Vireo, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Pale-vented Pigeon and Scaly-naped Pigeon. As we pass a former coral garden off Goat Island on our way back to the mainland, the captain will stop to search for vibrant fish and if we are lucky, Hawksbill Sea Turtles.
January 19: Flight to Trinidad and Departure
We will spend the morning on the grounds of the Blue Waters Inn, enjoying the on-site amenities and birds. Later in the morning, we will fly back to Trinidad, to catch our onward flights home in the afternoon.
Today we will arrive at Piarco International Airport and transfer to Asa Wright Nature Centre where we will spend 5 nights, afternoon tea and dinner will be served in the evening after we familiarize ourselves with the lodge and the common birds of the property. Many flights from North America arrive in the late evening, if your flight is arriving later, we recommend you arrive a day early (January 9th) and spend the night at a nearby hotel.
January 11: Asa Wright Nature Centre
We will spend the entire day at the Asa Wright Nature Centre enjoying in the atmosphere and exploring the trails. Early in the morning we will gather on the verandah and enjoy the Copper-rumped Hummingbirds, Bananaquits, Crested Oropendolas, as well as Silvery-beaked and White-lined Tanagers. Following breakfast, we will walk along the forested trails where we hope to find the colourful Ruby Topaz Hummingbird, Tufted Coquette, Long-billed Starthroat, White-bearded Manakin, Trinidad Euphonia, Red-crowned Ant-Tanager. In the afternoon we'll hike to Dunstan Cave where we will look for Oilbirds, Asa Wright is one of the easiest places in the world to find this enigmatic, fruit eating nightjar.
January 12: Aripo Savannah and Nariva Swamp
Following breakfast, we will travel to the Aripo Savannah in the foothills of the Northern Range. This area is excellent for open countryside and rough pasture birding, which offers some intriguing new species and exciting areas to visit. Here we hope to find; the Carib Grackle, Short-tailed Swift, Cocoi Heron, Savannah Hawk, Gray-headed Kite, Yellow-headed Caracara, Wattled Jacana, Southern Lapwing, Pinnated Bittern, Green-rumped Parrotlet, Fork-tailed Pam Swift, White-winged Swallow, White-headed Marsh Tyrant, Pied Water Tyrant, Yellow-chinned Spinetail, Red-breasted, Meadowlark, Grassland Yellow Finch. We will continue our birding before heading to the Nariva Swamp on Trinidad's east coast for a beachside picnic. Raptors can be seen perched on the coconut trees as you drive down "Coconut Alley." Here, the sea meets the Nariva Swamp, and the freshwater habitats of the mangrove swamp forest and herbaceous swamp provide excellent birding. Green and American Pygmy Kingfishers, Black-crested Antshrike, Silvered Antbird, Yellow-crowned Amazon, Red-bellied and Blue-and-yellow Macaws, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Purple, Gallinule, Yellow-hooded Blackbird, and White-tailed Goldenthroat.
January 13: Brickfield / Waterloo coastal birding and Caroni Swamp
With its vast tidal mudflats along the West Coast, Waterloo is the best place to find waterbirds and migrant shorebirds in Trinidad. Species like; Magnificent Frigatebird, Brown Pelican, Neotropic Cormorant, Great and Snowy Egrets, Little Blue and Tricoloured Herons, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Black-necked Stilt, Laughing Gull, Royal Tern and Black Skimmer are found here. In some areas near Carli Bay, we can find a rare resident Rufous Crab-Hawk. Later in the day, we will embark on a motorized flat-bottom boat that will take us through the mangrove waterways of the Caroni Swamp, where we may see a variety of species; Long-winged Harrier, Bicolored Conebill, Masked Cardinal, Straight-billed Woodcreeper, Green-throated Mango, Northern Waterthrush, Anghinga, Striated Heron, White-cheeked Pintail, Common Potoo, American Flamingo, just to name a few! The highlight of the day will be seeing hundreds of Scarlet Ibises returning to the swamp roost, in the evening after feeding all day.
January 14: Birding Blanchisseuse Road and the Northern Range
The Northern Range, which stretches as a belt of forested hills across Trinidad's northern Caribbean shoreline, is the northeasternmost point of the Andes. We will travel the Blancheuse Road through the Northern Range mountains for the entire day, making regular stops at excellent birdwatching locations like Las Lapas and Paria Junction. Throughout the day, we hope to find species such as Turquoise and Bay-headed Tanagers, Bearded Bellbirds, Lilac-tailed Parrotlets, Guinean Trogons and the endemic Trinidad Motmot. We will visit the village of Morne Le Croix, across the where we will enjoy snacks and watch the Blue-headed Amazons roosting in the evening.
January 15: Travel to Grande Riviere
After a morning with breakfast at the Asa Wright Nature Centre, we will depart and travel to Grande Riviere, making a stop at the Toco lighthouse, which marks the meeting point of the Atlantic and Caribbean Seas. Grande Riviere has some of the densest forests in Trinidad and we hope to find Swallow-tailed Kites and Crimson-crested Woodpecker, as well as many familiar South American species such as Channel-billed Toucan. Our second ecolodge, Mt. Plaisir Estate Hotel, is a quaint luxurious beachside hotel with a backdrop of magnificent tropical rainforest. We will enjoy dinner here before getting some rest to prepare for the following day.
January 16: Trinidad Piping-Guan (Pawi) at Montevideo Trace
Early this morning, we will embark early to search for an endemic and critically endangered species, the Trinidad Piping-Guan, locally known as "Pawi". The rarest resident, with just over 100 individuals remaining in the wild, this area is the last stronghold for this species. We will reach the hilltop and a large clearing after hiking up Montevideo Trace, where the Trinidad Piping Guan can be found amidst the nutmeg trees. The birding here is also excellent and we hope to find species such as Gray-headed Kite, Golden-headed Mannakin, Purple Honeycreeper, White-flanked Antwren and more! In the afternoon we will return to Mt. Plaisir to enjoy a relaxing evening along the Carribean shore.
January 17: Flight to Tobago
Following breakfast, we will transfer to the airport in time for our early afternoon flight to Tobago. Upon arrival in Tobago, we will make a couple of stops at the Bon Accord Lagoon and other lowland locations en route to our third hotel destination, Blue Waters Inn. Today we hope to see White-cheeked Pintail, Wattled Jacana, Mangrove Cuckoo and Scrub Greenlet.
January 18: Birding on Tobago
We will travel up the slopes of the historic Tobago Main Ridge Forest Reserve after breakfast. The Main Ridge Forest Reserve is the best location on the island to see a wide diversity of species. Some of these species such as Rufous-vented Chachalaca, White-tailed Sabrewing, White-fringed Antwren, and Blue-backed Manakin are not found on Trinidad. Other species we will search for are; Collared Trogon, Great Black Hawk, Blue-backed Manakin, Yellow-legged Thrush, Red-crowned Woodpecker, White-fringed Antwren, Plain Antvireo, White-throated Spadebill, Olivaceous Woodcreeper, Stripe-crested, Spinetail, White-necked Thrush and Gray-throated Leaftosser. In the evening, we will board a glass-bottom boat for a relaxing trip to Little Tobago Island, One of the major wildlife sanctuaries in the nation, the island provides incredible views of seabirds such as Red-billed Tropicbird, Brown Booby and Red-footed Booby. In the dry tropical forest of the island, we can also hope to find Chivi Vireo, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Pale-vented Pigeon and Scaly-naped Pigeon. As we pass a former coral garden off Goat Island on our way back to the mainland, the captain will stop to search for vibrant fish and if we are lucky, Hawksbill Sea Turtles.
January 19: Flight to Trinidad and Departure
We will spend the morning on the grounds of the Blue Waters Inn, enjoying the on-site amenities and birds. Later in the morning, we will fly back to Trinidad, to catch our onward flights home in the afternoon.
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