Tiger Butterfly
Roger Neckles
Trinidad and Tobago wildlife photography with nature tours and birdwatching

avifauna@trinidad.net
(868) 633- 5614 or (868) 788 5755

 

Photographic Tour Itinerary for Trinidad and Tobago

With Leading Wildlife Photographer Roger Neckles

10 nights

  • Day 1 Arrival at Hotel
  • Day 2 Asa Wright Nature Centre Photographic Tour
  • Day 3 West coast south to Pitch lake and Caroni Swamp
  • Day 4 Blanchisseues Road
  • Day 5 Nariva Swamp to Grande Riviere
  • Day 6 Grand Riviere
  • Day 7 Departure to Tobago (Cuffie River)
  • Day 8 Little Tobago Island
  • Day 9 Rain Forest, Gilpin Trace
  • Day 10 South Island Tour
  • Day 11 Departure from Tobago to Trinidad

 

Day 1

Arrival at one of many fine hotels (to suit your budget) In accordance with the time of your arrival, there will be a short tour of the neighboring forest!
In Trinidad and Tobago the rainforest is never more that 30 min. from wherever you are staying!!

Day 2

Asa Wright Nature Centre, Relaxing at the veranda absorbing the busy feeding antics of the many bird species found at the centre. The day will start with a familiarization tour of the Asa Wright grounds, then we will spend much of the day recording the amazing flora and fauna of the property, from birds, to reptiles, mammals, trees, flowers and vistas all within leisurely walking distance and at a pace most photographers can appreciate.

Day 3

Trinidad’s west coast is very productive in many ways, on this tour we will have the opportunity to mix it up a bit of light culture with nature, we will visit many nooks and crannies which have brought great rewards for me and my fellow photographers and filmmakers alike! Photo ops abound, rewarding one with such treasures as the Scarlet Ibis, Osprey, Flamingo, Saffron Finch, Red-capped Cardinal, Purple Gallinule, Boat-billed Heron, Caiman (a small species of Crocodile) and much more. Later on in the afternoon we will take a flat bottom boat trip into the interior of the Caroni Swamp to witness the roosting of the Scarlet Ibis the national bird of Trinidad.

Click on photos to enlarge

Black-throated Mango
West Indian Flamingos
Red-capped Cardinal
Trinidad Piping-guan
89 Butterfly
Scarlet Ibis

Day 4

The Blanchissseuse Road. Is in my view the most picturesque road in Trinidad and Tobago, it’s rich flora and fauna, vistas and species diversity is simply amazing, one could spend weeks exploring the nooks and crannies of this winding rainforest road, which starts south of the foothills of Trinidad’s Northern Range cutting right through the middle of lush green rainforest and ending at the Caribbean Sea on the north coast of the island.
Our adventures here include Raptors, Trogons, Tanagers, Toucans, Caciques, Kingfishers, Flowering Plants and Trees, Butterflies such as the Blue Emperor, Tiger, Postman, Eighty Nine, Flambeau, Mot Bleu, Sweet Oil, Cracker, Orion, Malachite, White Peacock, Anartia, The Mimic, Gold Rim, Sulphurs etc. plus a wide variety of tropical Insects!

Day 5

We depart our hotel for Grand Rivierre Via Nariva Swamp. Nariva is an internationally protected wetland, with outstanding wildlife diversity. There, we take a short boat ride or hike (depending on tide levels) through one of the narrow brackish water estuaries to “Bush-Bush Island” a ancient inactive “Mud Volcano” now a lush swamp forest, here we search for our top target species the endemic Weeping Capuchin Monkey’s and the often quite vociferous Red Howler Monkey’s two highly endangered species in Trinidad, encounters are often breathtakingly close and photo opportunities amazing even with what I jokingly call “Mickey-Mouse” (Point-and-Shoot) cameras.
This amazing island is also home to the much sought after Blue Emperor Butterfly and the Mort Bleu or Owl Butterfly, two striking, huge Butterflies. As far as birds go, you are likely to see some of the top-end species of Trinidad and Tobago, such as the Red-bellied Macaws, and the recently reintroduced Blue and Gold Macaws, Red-breasted Blackbirds, Black-bellied Tree Ducks, White-bearded Manakins and Savannah Hawks.
Then off to Grand Rivierre where there are Leatherback Turtles (March –August) and to locate the Trinidad Piping Guan (Pawi!) Trinidad and Tobago’s only endemic bird, a ‘HUGE’ “Feather” in ones cap!!.

Click on photos to enlarge

Capuchin Monkey
Wattled Jacana
Silver-beaked Tanager
Butterfly Orchid
Speckled Tanager
Black Stick

Day 6

We take a ride up the village mountain in search of the Trinidad Piping Guan, this spot is also home to Violaceous Trogons, Black-tailed Tityra's, Yellow Orioles, Silver-beaked Tanagers, Squirrel Cuckoos, Grey-headed, Swallow-tailed and Plumbeous Kites, White Hawks, Ornate Hawk Eagle, and more! Our main objective is to immortalize on film some of the last remaining Pawi in Trinidad, the estimated total number of birds left in the wild is said to be 70-200, so they are critically endangered, so any photo of them can be considered priceless, certainly a must see life species!

Day 7

We take the fast ferry over to the sister island of Tobago arriving in the capital Scarborough and head to the central area to a fantastic nature retreat called Cuffie River, this spacious accommodation and settings with pool is an ideal location to access the various points of call on our visit to this tranquil island. The lifestyle is laidback and the people friendly. Experienced birders have recorded 27 species of birds in the first two hours of daylight here. Hummingbirds, Motmots, Jacamars, Collared Trogons and Blue-backed Manakins can be found on the grounds. A familiarization tour of the property will be laid on for you and photo ops will be readily available.

Day 8

This day we will visit Little Tobago Island just three miles off the Tobago mainland, here we will see the Red-billed Tropicbirds, Boobies, Nody's, Sooty Terns, Oropendolas, Motmots, Shiny Cowbirds, Gray-rumped Swifts, Frigatebirds and many other forest dwelling species, The view is great near the top of the island and the vegetation quite prehistoric in appearance. We then take a short boat ride to Goat Island were we can explore the amazing undersea world of Tobago’s rich marine life, put on your snorkels and flippers and plunge into the safe warm waters and immerse yourself into the kaleidoscope of colours, shapes, and unique life forms, come face to face with exotic fish such as, Queen and French Angle fish, Spotlight Parrotfish, Peacock Flounder, Stingray. Doctorfish, Grunt, Damselfish, Squirrelfish, Trumpetfish, Grouper, Moray Eel, Butterflyfish, Blue Tang, Porkfish, Turtles and so many more, it’s like living a documentary…..Really!

Click on photos to enlarge

Limpkin
Brown Noddy
Yellow-hooded Blackbird
Southern Lapwing
Common Tern

Day 9

We take a gentle assent to the northern range Rainforest Reserve, and take in some beautiful vistas, birds and plant life as we head to Gilpin Trace. This trail was the original north coast road traversed long ago by plantation workers with their donkey carts as they brought produce to and from the Cocoa and citrus estates.
Today Gilpin Trace is perhaps one of the most productive and important breeding grounds for the extremely rare White-tailed Sabrewing Hummingbird, our main target of the trip! A species thought to have become extinct due to a sever hurricane in 1963 named Flora, which devastated the species, so much so that it was not seen for over a decade, since 1974 it has been making a very slow comeback and numbers are increasing, truly a must see life species. After Lunch on the road we meander back to base and relax at the grounds.

Day 10

It’s south to the other end of the island, where we will take in the sites of the southern end of the island and one or two of my favourite haunts for migratory and resident species of birds, and we shall pop in to the Arnos Vale estate and get face to face with Hummingbirds with the most dazzling colours and agility, often you can feel the wind from their wings as they dart past you chasing each other around the feeders, great photo opportunities are afforded here as a multitude of exotic noteworthy species visit the feeders for tasty morsels of fruit and bread, species that are difficult to photograph in the wild are tame at the feeders and opportunities are ever present for much of the day, a really great place to visit.. Then we duck into a few other nooks and crannies to add a final tally to our impressive flora and fauna list such as, Black-bellied Tree Ducks, White-cheeked Pintails, Southern Lapwings, Green-rumped Parrotlets, Yellow-crowned Night Herons, Chachalacas and more!

Day 11

We depart Tobago for Trinidad were the tour comes to an end here we will part company as you head off to your respective countries, leaving behind so much more to discover for your next sortie to the blessed shores of these lush green islands….Trinidad and Tobago!

Tour cost, per person, per day USD130. Gate receipts and ground transportation included. Seven (7,) or more persons USD110.

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Things to bring:

  • Personal Medication (Please notify me of any serious medical conditions that may warrant adjustments to our itinerary)
  • Sun block
  • Bug repellent
  • Cap
  • Sunglasses
  • Light earth tone clothing i.e. khaki, green, brown, maroon etc.
  • Light long sleeve shirt
  • T-Shirts
  • Zip leg pants
  • Light raincoat
  • Sandals
  • Walking shoes or Hiking boots
  • Small backpack (1 per couple is fine)
  • Snorkel & Flippers (Although you can rent them, you may be used to the fit, hygiene and comfort of your own)
  • Binoculars (do bring a good pair of binoculars each, you will regret not having a good pair)
    You probably do have a good pair. Still I thought that I would send you, some Bins (binoculars) info to help you make your choice, I like two Bins on this site, the first is the Nikon Monarch series that come in 8X42 and 10X42, the second is the Swift Ultra Light 8X42 which also come in 10X42 which gives you a higher magnification but a narrower ‘field of view’, many such as I opt for higher magnification. I give the swift the nod actually because of the fast focusing feature, which is so important in locking on to your subject quickly and effortlessly.
    Here’s the site have fun!
  • Camera: Couples, try to each bring your own camera, it’s great taking candid shots of each other and having unrestricted freedom to express your creative talents!
    Bring all of your camera gear, or the most portable, there is nothing worse than saying “Oh’ I should have brought this or that!” I have heard it so many times before. You can leave what you don’t need on the day in your room.
    Do remember to bring your Batteries and extra rechargeables AND THE CHARGER!!
  • Digital Cameras:do bring extra high quality Cards and/or a pocket sized external hard drive which run about a Dollar a Gig. If you are a pro birder definitely bring your spotting scope otherwise Bins are fine.
    Books on the Flora and Fauna of Trinidad and Tobago are readily available at top book stores. However, many like to buy them in advance of their trip to familiarize themselves before hand.

  • Recommended Camera Equipment
    Micro Lens 105mm 2.8 or 200mm 4.0 anything around that range. 16mm 2.8 28-70mm 80 – 400 2.8 or similar (with a compatible 1.4 converter), this lens should be more than adequate and is THE most portable solution on travels abroad 600mm 2.8 or similar
    Extension Tubes at least two sizes (Contact your manufacture or retailer for facts)
  • Compatible Flash, manufacturer recommended
  • Battery pack or lots of rechargeable batteries!
  • Solid tripod
  • Quick adjusting tripod head (Wimberley or latest other versions, Contact your manufacture or retailer for facts)
Very Important note!

Don’t be put off if your camera is a point and shoot digital camera, there are many top quality point and shoot digital camera’s on the market now from 3-7.2 MG, I have seen many publishable shots taken with these Cameras.

Too often pro photographers have been put to shame with the speed, resolution and portability of what I jokingly call “Mickey Mouse” Cameras. As you may or may not know, these point and shoot digital cameras are being attached to Telescopes, (Contact your manufacture or retailer for attachment facts) producing extraordinary results in resolution and sharpness, with images making top billing in major international natural history publications. This technique is called, ‘Digiscoping’. So bring the “Mickey Mouse” if that’s all you have and challenge us pros!!!….