Caroni Swamp Crossing

Venturing into any swamp is nothing short of an epic challenge; the dynamism of the Caroni Swamp is no exception to this rule.

For this trek, the daylight hours need to be optimized so an early start is critical, as opposed to timing the tides. This being said, the slack tide will have you crawling in the swamp mud, whereas the rising, falling or high tide will offer you a swim; perhaps with the current not in your favour.

THE MISSION

Your mission will start at the mouth of the Caparo River (Central Trinidad); you will be shuttled there from POS. From the start point you will be in the swamp within 2kms/1mi.

From here,18kms/11mi, in the distance, you will get an idea of the task ahead, for you will see the POS skyline.

Your journey will end at the Bhagwansingh's Hardware, Sealots. From here you will be shuttled back to your vehicles.

WHAT'S IN STORE

As highlighted above, if the tide is slack, you will have alot of mud crawling; this will certainly give your core a workout! Between your mud crawl segments, you will get the pleasure of traversing the Mangrove roots; these segments will bring out the acrobat in you! Other than this, you will have some swimming to do; the last 2km/1mi will be a full swim; but nothing hectic; you just waddle through and enjoy the view, as you will be where no man goes!

THE WILDLIFE

From our experience troubleshooting this tour, we have encountered Flamboyances of Flamingos; Scarlet Ibis; Great Egrets; Snowy Egrets; Silky Anteaters; Cooks Tree Boas; Boa Constrictors; Rainbow Boas; Crab Eating Racoons; Caimans and Iguanas...large ones! The mangrove network servers as a fish nursery.

Some of the not so desired wildlife encounters will be mosquitoes; sometimes in droves. A good repellent will do the trick; coating your skin with mud will also help! Another not so desirable encounter will be oyster shells, so gloves will be important.

This is a tour that will challenge you but the memories will make it all worthwhile.