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By Josh Roberts, SmarterTravel.com
"In the forest you 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 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 day hikers and tourists into Tobago's
rainforest—the oldest legally protected preserve in the Western
Hemisphere—for more 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 day you find yourself exploring a
place voted the best ecotourism destination in the world.
Last month, I told you about some strenuous
adventure options on Trinidad, Tobago's larger and more 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 more built-up Caribbean islands, Tobago is
one of the classic undisturbed gems—and it has the flora and fauna to
prove it. For more than 200 years, the island's tropical rainforest has
been legally protected from human interference. That's allowed more 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 by 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 home to the jungle he calls his
"playground." The island is lucky to have him. He has twice
won Tobago's top tour guide award, and his jungle tours set the standard
for the island.
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