East Coast Road Trip

The Trinidad Dreamscape road trip buggy is off again. On this occasion we will be driving past almost 40km of coastline on the east of Trinidad. We offer glimpses into some of the beaches along the way. Our favourite route to this stretch is via the Manzanilla-Mayaro road that can be reached via the Eastern Main road from Sangre Grande. As always, you can refer to our map.

Manzanilla Beach

Comprising Cocos Bay, Manzanilla Beach stretches for over 20km and is lined with palm trees. There are public beach facilities situated at the north end of the beach. The sand is quartz-based and light brown in colour. Beaches slope gently into the sea. Northward patches of Manzanilla beach suffer from coastal erosion which has necessitated the construction of sea-walls to prevent flooding of the Manzanilla-Mayaro road. The tides play a large part in the available sandy beach cross-section. High-tide can sometimes cover the beach entirely. Easterly breezes blow continuously, except at dawn and dusk, and influence the wave action on the beach. Longshore currents are prevalent and can be dangerous. Manzanilla forms the home of Trinidad's fledgling coconut industry with many hectares of coconut trees lining all 37km of the Manzanilla-Mayaro road. Closely apposed to the estuary of the Ortoire River are the Nariva wetlands. The wetlands are protected by law under the Ramsar Convention.

Manzanilla Beach Update - 2008

Manzanilla Beach Update - 2010

Mayaro Beach

Mayaro Bay is a popular vacation destination for many Trinidadians. It is also one of the main fishing centres in Trinidad. Mayaro can be reached either along the Manzanilla-Mayaro main road or via the Naparima-Mayaro road from Princes Town. The beach front is more expansive than that of Manzanilla and stretches for more than 17km.

Mayaro Beach Update - 2008

Mayaro Beach Update - 2010

Guayaguayare