Shore Excursion: Customizable Trinidad Highlights With Monastery

What your day looks like

We depart the port and make our way to downtown Port of Spain. Here we experience lively Independence Square with its imposing Central Bank and Brian Lara Promenade. We continue our tour passing various interesting sights like the Trinity Church, the Parliamentary Building (Red House), the Supreme Court, our most prestigious High School St Joseph's Convent, the Museum of Natural History and at last the "world's largest roundabout", the Queens Park Savannah. This 200-acre recreational Park is lined with exotic trees and interesting colonial-style buildings. The most impressive among these are the "Magnificent Seven", a row of imposing mansions with amazing architectural designs. We may pass by a ‘panyard’ where the steel bands practice at night (depending on timing). Learn about the history of the only musical instrument invented in the 20th century. Continuing our drive we now tour through various villages until we reach the most astounding part of our tour – the scenic journey up the North Coast Road. We enjoy the panoramic views of the Paramin Hills, the highly residential valleys, the Northern Range Mountains, and the rain forest. The most amazing view awaits us when we reach the Caribbean Sea. A photo stop at the Maracas Lookout is most rewarding (panoramic view). A short drive now brings us to Maracas Beach. Here we can taste the famous “Bake and Shark” or other fish sandwiches. Take time to enjoy this totally unspoiled beach with a lovely rainforest backdrop (no hi-rise hotels!). We then depart on a countryside drive via Santa Cruz and its cocoa plantations to our last stop at the lovely Mt. St Benedict Monastery. Enjoy a beautiful panoramic view and opportunity to taste homemade yogurt (cost not included) produced by resident monks. Inside visit of the church. We then drive back to the ship via a different route.