"In the forest wewe must first use your ears, then your eyes," says Harris McDonald, my rainforest guide here on the tiny Caribbean island of Tobago. He silences me with a finger to his mouth. "Listen." I do, and then I hear it: a loud, yawning groan like something straight out of Jurassic Park. I back up a step and stumble over the gnarled roots of the nyumbu, mule path we've been following for the past hour.
McDonald follows that with a smile roughly the same size as the machete at his side. He's known as the "Jungle Man," and he's been leading casual siku hikers and tourists into Tobago's rainforestthe oldest legally protected preserve in the Western Hemispherefor zaidi than 10 years.
Today, he's leading me.
"Kissing trees," he says with a laugh. He points upward, and I see the two windblown giants rubbing against each other overhead. They make an appalling noise, but a unique one, and it's something to savor. It's not every siku wewe find yourself exploring a place voted the best ecotourism destination in the world.
Last month, I told wewe about some strenuous adventure options on Trinidad, Tobago's larger and zaidi urban sister island. Here on Tobago, life moves at a different pace. If Trinidad exudes a vibrant South American charm, Tobago embraces all things Caribbean: quiet beaches, crystal blue waters, and mile upon mile of reefs made for snorkeling.
Unlike the zaidi built-up Caribbean islands, Tobago is one of the classic undisturbed gemsand it has the flora and fauna to prove it. For zaidi than 200 years, the island's tropical rainforest has been legally protected from human interference. That's allowed zaidi than 210 species of birds, 23 types of butterflies, 16 lizards, and even some fish-eating bats to thrive. Everything grows bigger here, too, including the rainforest greenery that sprouts up taller than a fully grown man. Not bad for an island that's only about 100 square miles.
The best way to make sense of Tobago's amazing biodiversity is kwa choosing an experienced guide. McDonald, a native of Tobago, is also a world traveler who's seen much of North America and Europe firsthand, but he always returns nyumbani to the jungle he calls his "playground." The island is lucky to have him. He has twice won Tobago's juu tour guide award, and his jungle tours set the standard for the island.
McDonald follows that with a smile roughly the same size as the machete at his side. He's known as the "Jungle Man," and he's been leading casual siku hikers and tourists into Tobago's rainforestthe oldest legally protected preserve in the Western Hemispherefor zaidi than 10 years.
Today, he's leading me.
"Kissing trees," he says with a laugh. He points upward, and I see the two windblown giants rubbing against each other overhead. They make an appalling noise, but a unique one, and it's something to savor. It's not every siku wewe find yourself exploring a place voted the best ecotourism destination in the world.
Last month, I told wewe about some strenuous adventure options on Trinidad, Tobago's larger and zaidi urban sister island. Here on Tobago, life moves at a different pace. If Trinidad exudes a vibrant South American charm, Tobago embraces all things Caribbean: quiet beaches, crystal blue waters, and mile upon mile of reefs made for snorkeling.
Unlike the zaidi built-up Caribbean islands, Tobago is one of the classic undisturbed gemsand it has the flora and fauna to prove it. For zaidi than 200 years, the island's tropical rainforest has been legally protected from human interference. That's allowed zaidi than 210 species of birds, 23 types of butterflies, 16 lizards, and even some fish-eating bats to thrive. Everything grows bigger here, too, including the rainforest greenery that sprouts up taller than a fully grown man. Not bad for an island that's only about 100 square miles.
The best way to make sense of Tobago's amazing biodiversity is kwa choosing an experienced guide. McDonald, a native of Tobago, is also a world traveler who's seen much of North America and Europe firsthand, but he always returns nyumbani to the jungle he calls his "playground." The island is lucky to have him. He has twice won Tobago's juu tour guide award, and his jungle tours set the standard for the island.