Trinidad and Tobago - Trinidad und Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago is in the south of the Caribbean. The island state is made up of the larger island of Trinidad, the smaller island of Tobago and a good 35 smaller islands, seven of which are at least temporarily inhabited.

Regions

• Trinidad
• Tobago

Cities

• Port of Spain - in Trinidad, capital of the country.
• Scarborough (Tobago) - largest city on Tobago.

background

Trinidad and Tobago is an island nation in the southern Caribbean, in close proximity to mainland South America, off the coast of Venezuela.

Along with Jamaica, Trinidad is the economically and industrially most important island in the group of English-speaking Caribbean islands. Significant oil and gas deposits can be found off the coast. The carnival of Trinidad and the music of the "steel bands" are also known worldwide. In contrast to all other Caribbean islands, Trinidad has a very high proportion of the population with Indian roots. This has great implications for social life, beliefs, holidays, and culture in general.

Tourism is not of great importance on the island of Trinidad. In stark contrast to this is the smaller, northern island of Tobago. Since the collapse of the sugar industry, people have lived there almost exclusively from tourism. The population is also different, mainly the descendants of African slaves live on Tobago.

getting there

• Only 200 TTDs may be carried on entry and exit. The import and export of other currencies is not limited. However, larger quantities should be registered.
• While still on the plane, every traveler receives an immigration card that has to be filled out before landing. A valid passport and an onward or return ticket must be presented for entry.
• When leaving, z. Currently to pay an airport fee of 100 TTD and a security fee of 10 TTD.

By plane

Tobago, as a holiday destination, is served by various airlines from Europe. In addition to connections from London, there are flights with Condor from Frankfurt / Main and Martinair from Amsterdam.

Trinidad is only served three times a week from Europe British Airways served from London-Gatwick. Otherwise, British Airways offers daily connections via Barbados with Caribbean Airlines in codeshare. There are also various connections via the USA, mainly via Miami and New York. At least three hours should be planned for the transit with the entry and exit formalities of the USA. Through tariffs from Germany are offered by British Airways, American Airlines, Continental and Delta, among others.

Caribbean Airlines (airline of Trinidad & Tobago) and / or LIAT fly to Trinidad from the neighboring islands as well as from Guyana and Suriname. In addition, Insel Air from Curacao, Surinam Airways from Suriname and Aeropostal from Venezuela regularly fly to Trinidad. Caribbean Airlines offers cheap air passes for their Caribbean route network.

Between Trinidad and Tobago there is a cheap flight connection with Caribbean Airlines and a ferry connection between Port of Spain and Scarborough several times a day.

By boat

In addition to the possibility of arriving by cruise ship, you can ask whether there are cargo ships that still take passengers. You should inquire about this at specialized travel agencies.

There are ferry connections between Trinidad and Tobago.

mobility

There is a bus network operated by the state-run Public Transport Service Corporation (PTSC), but it is not particularly well developed. There is an "Express Bus" connection between Port of Spain and San Fernando and between Port of Spain and Arima. Overview of the PTSC bus network: [1]

Otherwise, shared taxis leave all main roads. These are cars with 4 - 5 passengers that you stop on the street or that leave from certain stands in Port of Spain or the provincial cities. The fare is cheap. Shared taxis always have a registration number that begins with an H (private vehicles are distinguished by the P).

Individual and radio taxis are rather expensive, as are taxis to and from the airport. But be careful: taxi prices are posted at the airport before leaving the arrivals hall and are also valid. Also remember for the return trip! There is a surcharge at night.

There are also maxitaxis in Trinidad, which are minibuses on fixed routes and, depending on the route, fixed start and end locations. There are different color markings on the vehicles for the individual directions. Maxi-taxis stop at all possible places to get on and off when you wave.

It is best to always ask the residents which means of transport is going where. There are no timetables for shared and maxi taxis, when a car is full, it drives off.

The international rental car providers (e.g. Hertz, Avis) are only represented at Piarco Airport, Alamo also in San Fernando. Small, local providers can also be found in a few other cities in Trinidad and Tobago. Overall, the network of providers is quite thin. The German driving license is recognized. Trinidad drives on the left. The driving style is more southern European. On the motorways, slow vehicles must be expected in the fast lane. The road network is well developed.

• Taxi fares from Piarco airport, http://gotrinidadandtobago.com

language

The official and written language is English. The spoken language, Trinidadian and Tobagonian English, has a more melodic sound than "Oxford English", a grammar that is simplified as in Creole languages ​​and, due to the colonial and immigration history, numerous loanwords from French and Hindi. In the metropolitan region of Port of Spain, the result is often easier to understand than in the more rural south and east.

to buy

In December 2019, the $ 100 note was replaced by a polymer version. As of January 1, 2020, the old paper 100 dollar bills are no longer valid.

kitchen

The very large number of fast food restaurants is striking for Central European visitors. Chains with a focus on chicken such as Kentucky Fried Chicken and Royal Castle account for the largest share of these, and Subway also has a large number of branches in the country. There are also many small takeaways and mobile food vendors offering warm, often local, mostly fried snacks. Restaurants all have an international, often US-American character and are comparatively expensive. Traditional Trinidadian cuisine is most likely to be found at specific stands in the food courts of shopping malls.

nightlife

Lots of bars and pubs, isolated open-air discos in the tourist resorts. The so-called "Sunday School" in the small fishing village of Buccoo is an absolute must. This is an event that takes place there every Sunday. One or more steel bands play and the whole village celebrates until the morning with carib and other drinks. Definitely go there!

accommodation

In Tobago there is a wide variety of accommodations in all comfort and price categories.

In Trinidad, hotels are more set up for business trips and are not particularly numerous. By far the largest number of hotels are in Port of Spain. A small number of hotels can be found in San Fernando, Point Fortin and near the international airport in Piarco. Vacation rentals and Air-BnB accommodations can also be found on the north-west, north-east and east coasts.

Learn

The University of the West Indies (UWI) has a large campus on the island of Trinidad.

Work

If your company does not send you to work in Trinidad, it is rather bad to find work. Getting a work permit is difficult.

public holidays

• January 01, New Year, New Year
• March 30th, Shouter Day, Liberation of the Baptist Church (1917-1951 under the spell of the colonial government)
• Good Friday
• Easter Monday, Easter Monday
• May 30th, Indian Arrival Day, commemoration of Indian immigrants
• June 19, Labor Day
• Ascension, Ascension Day
• August 1st, Emancipation Day, Liberation Day
• August 31, Independence Day, the holiday for the breakaway of the Republic from Great Britain in 1962
• September 24th, Republic Day, Republic Day
• Eid-ul-Fitr, Muslim New Year Festival
• Divali, Hindu festival
• December 25th, Christmas, Christmas
• December 26th, Boxing Day, Christmas Day
• December 31st, New Years Eve, New Years Eve

security

• There are some areas in Trinidad that Europeans shouldn't necessarily visit. The German Embassy in Port of Spain gives advice on this on their website.
• The crime rate in Trinidad is rather higher than in the rest of the Eastern Caribbean - In recent years there has been an increase in kidnappings, but these have targeted Trinidadian residents in order to extort ransom.
• Possession, trafficking and use of drugs, including marijuana, are criminal offenses. Offenses of this kind are prosecuted by the OCNU (Organized Crime and Narcotics Unit).

• Travel warning from the Federal Foreign Office:
• On the night of August 22, 2011, the government of Trinidad and Tobago imposed a limited state of emergency as a measure to combat crime more effectively, which was extended for a further three months on September 4. The curfew in the regions of Port of Spain, San Fernando, Arima, Chaguanas, San Juan / Laventille and Diego Martin is between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. until further notice.

• With effect from 09/14/2011, 11 p.m., the curfew was extended to eleven other districts and the coastal waters within three nautical miles.

• Tobago is not affected by the curfew.

health

If you observe the usual precautions for traveling to tropical countries, traveling in Trinidad is possible without any problems. Mosquito repellent should be considered because of possible outbreaks of dengue fever. The drinking water is usually potable. But you can buy mineral water everywhere.

Since public hospitals suffer from a shortage of skilled workers, you should definitely take out private health insurance so that you can also visit private doctors and clinics. If necessary, the German Embassy can provide information on doctors.

Hepatitis A is definitely recommended as a vaccination before the trip.

AIDS

It should also be remembered that HIV and other hepatitis infections are common in the Caribbean and therefore avoid unprotected sexual contact. The latest HIV figures are from 2003. 29,000 people were reported to be infected. By 2003 there were 1,900 deaths. The prevalence among adults is 3.2%.

climate

Tropical all year round with rainy seasons in late spring and summer. In contrast to all other east Caribbean islands, Trinidad is considered to be "hurricane-safe", as it is located south of the hurricane zone.

respect

Post and Telecommunications

• Area code: 868 (since June 1, 1997) for on-site calls. For long distance calls 1 868

literature

German travel guide

• Trinidad & Tobago, Dumont travel book, 2nd edition, 1996, ISBN 3-7701-2851-6
• Trinidad and Tobago, Travel Know How, Peter Rump Verlag, 1998, ISBN 3-89416-638-X
• Trinidad and Tobago, Christine De Vreese, Stefan Loose Verlag, 1st edition, 2000, ISBN 3-922025-88-9

English travel guide

• Trinidad and Tobago, Jeremy Taylor, MacMillan Caribbean Guides, 1991, ISBN 0-333-55607-0
• Trinidad & Tobago, Insight Guides, London, 2005, ISBN 981-258-147-2
• Trinidad & Tobago, Rough Guides, 4th Edition, 2007, ISBN 978-1-84353-847-9

Fiction

• V. S. Naipaul, A house for Mr. Biswas, dtv Verlag, 1995, ISBN 3-423-12020-7

Web links

• Tourist Office, http://tidco.co.tt
• Information, http://discovertnt.com
• Information, http://tdc.co.tt
• Information, http://tntisland.com
• Port Authority of Trinidad & Tobago, http://patt.com