Scarborough, Tobago

Discover the fascinating history of Tobago, a 116-square-mile tropical paradise that changed hands numerous times during the colonial era before eventually becoming a ward of Trinidad in 1889. A relaxing drive from Scarborough follows the island's main road to the city of Plymouth and two must-see sites: Fort James, overlooking Great Courland Bay; and the tombstone of Betty Stiven, with its cryptic inscription that has baffled visitors for centuries.

Enjoy a scenic coastal drive along Windward Road en route to the Tobago Main Ridge Forest Reserve, the oldest rainforest reserve in the western hemisphere. Nestled within this tranquil Eden of lush greenery is the Tobago Cocoa Estate. Here, where the air is filled with tropical birdsongs and the scent of fermenting cocoa beans, you'll spot trees adorned with large burgundy and yellow cocoa pods waiting to be plucked and transformed into the world's most treasured sweet. It's a magical process of transformation that you'll have the chance to witness in its various stages.

Situated on Tobago's northwest coastline, within a bucolic landscape of gently rolling hills, is the golf course at Mount Irvine Bay Resort. Its attractive grounds were once a thriving sugar and coconut estate. Today as an 18-hole, 127-acre golf property, the course boasts numerous awards, including "Trinidad & Tobago's Best Golf Course," as bestowed by World Golf Awards. It has hosted such competitions as Shell's Wonderful World of Golf and the Johnnie Walker International Pro-Am.

Situated on the southwest tip of Tobago is Pigeon Point, one of the Caribbean's best beaches, with picture-postcard vistas stretching along its powdery, palm-fringed sands. A scenic coastal drive will take you to Pigeon Point and its thatched-roof jetty where a glass-bottom boat awaits to ferry you to the amazing underwater world of Buccoo Reef. Gliding along crystal-clear waters toward the reef, you'll marvel at an array of colorful coral gardens and fascinating marine life.

With its luxuriantly forested mountains, waterfalls and wealth of wildlife, Tobago is a nature lover's paradise. You'll appreciate the island's natural beauty during a scenic drive on Windward Road, tracing a path along Tobago's southern shoreline to the town of Roxborough, where you'll enter the Main Ridge Forest Reserve. Here, within the oldest protected rainforest reserve in the western hemisphere, fortunate birdwatchers might spot white-tailed sabrewing hummingbirds, blue-backed manakins and more on a brief naturalist-guided stroll through lush vegetation.