After sleeping in the car the past few nights – I was ready for a change. Night one I hid the car behind a large pile of dirt next to a small road in the middle of the rainforest. Night two, a frightful sleep was interrupted by dark shadows at my driver side window by two guys carrying scary looking weapons. Apparently my choice for my spot of rest was too close to a military base. They were nice and motioned me to move on. Night three I didn’t have any time during daylight to scout out my location so I ended up parked off the side of the road – next to a busy road (even at 1am). I was interrupted by flashing blue lights and two police cars wondering what I was doing parked there. I moved on and finally found a farmers field to crash in at about 1am.
So by day four I was ready for something better.
As luck would have it I stumbled upon the welcoming Salybia Nature Resort and Spa. I love roughing it, yet at the same time the “roughing it” makes me appreciate the finer things while on the road. Like a stay here with nice sauna, spa and cascading waterfalls into a pool that loops under – part of which is an infinity pool overlooking a generous helping of palm trees and the crashing surf below.
After checking in – I headed up a pot hole filled narrow windy debris covered approximately 4km road that led to one of the more well known waterfalls on the island – Rio Seco. No one was parked at the end of the road – the sign recommended 2 hours for one way into the falls. It took me 25 minutes. No one was here – this beautiful short waterfall cascades down into a very deep pool – completely surrounded by the rainforest. Jumping in with clothes and all – I was quickly refreshed by the the cool waters.
As I was leaving, a wild eyed guy came running out of the hills – soon informing me of his name, Chien. He was a local farmer and told me he keeps watch over any cars left here while people are hiking to the waterfall. I commented that I was the only one here on a Monday. He then incorrectly informed me it was a Tuesday – and I said I’ve been having such a good time I lost track of the day of the week.
Hey Dave, really wonderful story. I recreated the story on our site here : http://wishbeen.com/travelplans#!/plans/32db13bb0e3548ef but had a really hard time finding where exactly Rio Seco was. Is it a really “out of the way” sort of spot? Considering on Monday you were the only one there I suppose it must be pretty quiet most of the time..
Sounds like a really amazing little adventure though.. wow.
Do you think the waterfall’s pool would be a nice place to do some snorkeling? Is there anything to see there?
Thanks for sharing my post Leland. Yep, there are a few tours that take folks here from time to time – but I had it all to myself that particular Monday. Yes the pool at the base of the waterfall would be great for snorkeling – its not too big but it seemed to be very deep. There are some sulpher deposits if you continue on further down the main trail – you cross several refreshingly cold creeks before reaching the waterfall – but part of the attraction is hiking through this pristine rainforest 🙂
The Island of Trinidad isn’t huge but it def takes some time to get around the island because the roads are generally narrow and the more backroads are full of potholes and other road hazards. I would say the trailhead is about a 2 hour drive from the capital city, Port of Spain.
Cool. Sounds like a nature-lover’s dream. Thanks for the tips Dave. 🙂
Your trip sounds like fun, I laughed so much because I think getting lost and getting in trouble is all part of the traveling package. Will check out the place too.
Pamela – absolutely, independent travel offers up the most experiences – many of which make for good stories 🙂