TAZmanian Devil

Tour Details:

This expedition is a personal favorite of mine for several reasons. Firstly, this is attributable to the fact that the “The TAZmanian Devil” trail was cut by the CoolBlue Adventure team… well I should rather say, T-ian and the minions of CoolBlue Adventures: A-very and Z-arah. The balance of the name is dedicated to the Tazmanian Devil, for the initial ascent and final descent of this expedition, is as tough as this Australian marsupial.

Secondly, 'the TAZ’ is a gateway to many of our urban expedition options (see listings) as it is essentially a connector trail to the Lady Chancellor Hill. Who would of thought that, starting at North Silva Trace in Maraval, not even 1 minute out of Port of Spain, you would have a chance to experience a true rustic adventure?! The following sneak peak describes some of the highlights of this trek...

The Cascades

Up 'the cascades' is the first leg, the source of which is a natural spring. When active, it will delight you with small refreshing waterfalls and soaking pools big enough for 2.

Armadillo Hill & Tarzan Lookout

From here, the gradient increases by about 20 degrees, onto Armadillo Hill. This segment gets its name because of an Armadillo (locally know as Tattoo) sighting at the base of this hill, while the trail was being cut. This hill ends at the Tarzan Lookout, where it has now become customary to vocalize the Tarzan Roar at this well deserved rest stop.

The Congo

We then enter and quickly exit the Congo. For this phase, the gradient increases by another 10-15 degrees. The view when exiting this segment can easily be comparable to Congolian rainforests.

Valley of the Ferns

Now its onward bound to the Valley of the Ferns, where you can now see the end of the Tazmanian Devil. This mystical mountain face is littered with Bracken Ferns and the gradient tapers off by a few degrees.

Breezy Hill

From here we mosey on to the top of Breezy Hill. Here you will perhaps get the best aerial view of the 'Savannah', POS environs and the St Ann's Pine forest. During the dry season, this area tends to experience bush fires and the pine trees are said to preserve the forest and stop erosion which can lead to flooding the POS area.

Interesting Fact: The Queen’s Park Savannah was originally named Paradise Estate. It was owned by the Swiss family Peschier in the late 18th century. The land was cleared to build their sugar estate; it included a house, accommodations for the enslaved Africans, fields, a mill and a boiling house. In 1817, then governor, Sir Ralph Woodford, bought the estate and turned it into a city park. Members of the Peschier family are said to be buried in the middle of 'the Savannah' up to today.

From here we make the invigorating descent of Fairy Mountain. Our trek then continues along the Chancellor Hill Trail, switches back up to the Tazmanian Devil trail head, into our final plummet.