Trinidad 1,814 square miles Highest point: El Cerro del Aripo, 3,084 feet
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Just nine miles off the coast of Venezuela, Trinidad is a piece of South America that broke off a few thousand years ago, and the island’s Northern Range is geologically the final spur of the Andes, disappearing into the Atlantic at Point Galera. Still largely covered with rainforest, those mountains are just one of Trinidad’s distinct ecosystems, which also include the Caroni and Nariva Swamps, natural savannahs in the central plains, and rugged offshore islets. This is a birdwatcher’s paradise, with 469 species counted on the island — one of the few places in the world with such a concentration in such a small area. But there’s much more: the eerie mud volcanoes of Devil’s Woodyard, the world-famous Pitch Lake, gorgeous north coast bays accessible only by boat or hiking on forest trails, and the Mt Tamana caves, home to vast colonies of bats.
The towering palms of east Trinidad’s Nariva Swamp are a favoured nesting site for blue and yellow macaws
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