I had heard of many great stories about a NGO named “Healing with Horses” that was doing fabulous work in the island of Tobago. So of course during my last visit to Tobago, my friends and I had decided to reserve a horseback riding tour with “Being with Horses”, which is the business initiative to support Healing with Horses, and see what it was all about. To get a preview on the amazing work done by the Foundation – click here.

Upon arrival to our Saturday morning swim and trail combination ride, we were introduced to all members of the Being with Horses Family – Veronika and her amazing team as well as their healthy herd of gorgeous rescue horses. Veronika sat us down in a circle around her and revealed to us on how the foundation came to be. It had all started when Veronika, a native German, had met her husband Lennon, a native Trinidadian, while she was on vacation in Trinidad and Tobago. They fell madly in love and shortly after, they co-founded the Healing with Horses foundation. Their mission is to give therapeutic services to hundreds of differently abled individuals from Tobago and Trinidad, using Equine Nature Therapy, free of charge. The horses are free to roam for 16 hours a day in their farm located a few miles up the hill, which are brought down to the stables for the therapeutic and riding sessions.

We were then asked to make our way to the horses; each situated in their homely and beautifully decorated stall. Veronika would then introduce us to each horse one by one with a little story on how they came to Healing with Horses. Subsequently, the horse would slowly make their way out of their stall and walk up to the individual with whom they would like to partner up with. This was quite the experience. I was slightly anxious especially as I was one of the last individuals to be selected by the horses. Luckily, one of the most beautiful horses in the stable, named Princess, slowly walked up to me, gave me a nod as she waited for me to offer her a little snack. I had only ridden once before, so was nervous to get up onto Princess but once I did, it all went rather smoothly.

We began the ride by making our way out of Buccoo Village, past the goat race track, through the wetland mangroves and onto the beach. Princess surely had a mind of her own as we ever so often ended up on the other side of the mangrove, away from the rest of the group. I trusted her and knew that I was well taken care of. Princess was slightly uneasy upon entering the water but with a little nudge, we were on our way to riding past the rest of the group. It was so picturesque and an unreal experience; feeling the power of the horse while riding through the clear and calm waters of Buccoo Bay.

We finished the ride through the waters made our way back to the stables where we said bye to these amazing creatures. Just before I left, Veronika had showed me a video about my horse Princess and the incredible journey she went on after falling 40m off a cliff a few years prior. You can watch the video here to see the amazing work done by Veronika and Lennon in enabling Princess to have a full recovery.

Also during our ride, we were very lucky to have a group of professional photographers – Gabriele Boiselle and her TEAM Edition Boiselle – whom specialize in photographing horses. All the photos seen in this article were taken by Gabriele and her team. You can find more information on Edition Boiselle here.

Learn more about Healing with Horses here and book your next ride with Being with Horses here to support the foundation and this great cause!

Here is my ideal itinerary that you can follow, if you are planning a sweet weekend getaway to the island.

Friday Night
On your first night in the isle of Martinique, I recommend having dinner at the Kay Ali. Located on the foothills near Fort de France, the restaurant is a colonial style house converted into modern yet chic food haven. We were guided to one of the few private and colourful rooms of the restaurant to have a scrumptious three course meal. A three course meal at this gem is a must so you can get a taste of the true Martinique/ French cuisine. The overall experience was quite lovely with its fabulous customer service and laid back island-life ambience. Head down to Lili’s bar, nearby to Kay Ali, for some after dinner drinks, where you can meet some locals and practice your french!

Saturday Day & Night
Jardin Balata
Martinique is known as the Island of Flowers, so you should not visit Martinique without getting lost in the magnificent palm trees of the lush and tastefully designed gardens of Jardin Balata. Even though it had poured the night before and the sky was quite overcast, we decided to continue our trip to the Jardin Balata to arrive just in time for the opening of its gates. This was a great idea especially as the garden had only a few visitors, making the experience more pleasant and perfect for getting impressive photos! The entrance is marked by white and quaint colonial house surrounded by gorgeous red ginger plants dispersed amongst the greenery of the garden’s numerous walkways. After you enter, you will walk pass the Royal Walkway taking you to one of the most scenic parts of the garden looking onto the valley of the mountains. There is also a fun Tree Top Trail 50 m above ground, where you can admire the flowers from a different and higher angle. The Jardin Balata are by far one of the most magical gardens I have ever explored.

Lunch – La Luciole
On our quest for food after our “strenuous” walk through of the garden (just kidding – it really is a walk in the park), we opted to have a quick lunch at nearby La Luciole restaurant. What a great choice! Rated as number one restaurant in the area, it served delicious meals with a side of great customer service. I ordered the Magret de Canard with French fries and it was yummy!

Afternoon – Les Anses d’Arlet 
We made our way through the hills of the south-west side of the island in search of some of Martinique’s famous beaches. There are so many beaches to visit so we decided to spilt our beach adventure into two days. Along the coastline of the region of Les Anses d’Arlet, we uncovered a car park that took you to two different beaches – each so different in nature but yet so close to one another. On the north side of the car park, you descend (via dozens of dozens of steps) onto a beach named Anse Noire covered in silky black sand and surrounded by clear blue waters. A walk along the jetty in this bay was spectacular. On the other side of the car lot is the white sand beach named Anse Dufour. Have a look at both and make your pick of where you would like to relax for the afternoon!

Dinner – La Cave a Vins
Tucked away in the heart of Fort de France, this warm and cozy restaurant was hands down my favourite pick out of the dozen resturants we had eaten at during our stay in Martinique. The grand selection of wines and entrees is perfect for a French gastronomie lover! I had the fois gras, confit de canard and crème brulee. I dream about this meal even weeks after my visit!

Sunday Day & Night
Le Diamant & Anse Cafard
Early Sunday morning, we headed down to the south side of the island again to explore some more of the isle’s fabulous beaches. Just past Les Anses d’Arlet, we came across the region of Le Diamant. Not only can you relax at the beach, but you can drive down to the end of the road to un cover a collection of statues known as Anse Cafard, symbolizing the memorial for slaves whom lived in Martinique. This moving art formation was completed in 1998 in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the emancipation of slaves in the French West Indies. It represents the tragedy of April 7, 1830, where a ship carrying African salves sank and drowned more than 40 slaves along the coast of Le Diamant.

Cap Chevalier & Lunch
After Le Diamant, we drove much further down the coast to the region of Sainte Anne to Cap Chevalier – Anse Michel beach. You can park your car at the end of a narrow dirt road and walk along the semi hidden path onto the most adorable secret getaway beach. There is also a popular little restaurant located at Cap Chevalier beach – Le Cocotier. It was unfortunately closed during our visit but I hear great reviews. Possibly call to make sure it is open when you plan to visit! The water at this beach is unreal! It was the most relaxing spot to lay down in the clear blue waters and admire the blossoming palm trees all around.

Dinner – La Table de Marcel
As we stayed in at the Simon Hotel, located in Fort de France, we had to evaluate the reknown “La Table de Marcel“. It was quite the experience but make sure you book a reservation or you may not get a table. Excellent customer service and tastefully decorated dishes that will make your mouth water. I had the fois gras (absolutely delicious) and the lobster for my main course and highly recommend both. It is a bit more expensive than the average martinican dinner but it is worth every dime!

Accommodation
We stayed at the brand new spanking hotel, the Simon Hotel, located right in the heart of Fort de France. Its modern elegant design, its ease of access into the city centre and its fabulous restaurants make it a top choice for the island however if you are interested in a quick and relaxing getaway weekend, I would recommend a hotel near one of the island’s many beaches!

For all you soca music fans, Trinidad and Tobago (T&T)’s Carnival is the place to be to get that full-on experience that you having been searching at other festivals! For the carnival virgins, download some soca music, start dancing in your room and get excited, as this festival is a once in a lifetime event that cannot be missed!

Carnival – What it is all about?

Carnival was introduced to T&T during the late 18^th century by the French who would parade down the streets for the two days preceding Ash Wednesday, which is the start of Lent (i.e. 40 days before Easter). These are known as the last two days before one must give up something they truly desire – so Why not throw a crazy party? This tradition was parallel by the African slaves whom eventually turned this celebration into one of the greatest festivals of all time. Those of African descendants influenced the music, the costumes and large number of events to occur during the “Carnival season”.

Carnival season usually starts a month before the actual street parade where one can partake in music competitions for pan, calypso, soca and chutney as well as costume competitions such as Kings and Queens as well as Kiddies Carnival. The atmosphere is pulsating with positive energy and loud music. It is quite difficult to escape.

I will take you through the process of how one organizes “costumes” which are basically your tickets to enter this amazing street/ road festival.

Costumes – Tickets

Start your journey to Trinidad Carnival by securing your costume in one of the many band available.

Why buy a costume, can I not just make my own?

If only this was the case! But unfortunately no you cannot do this. Think of your costume as a ticket to entering a festival. Carnival is a competition of the various bands of masqueraders in beautifully hand decorated costumes competing to win the best band of the year. Carnival Bands come in all sizes. The largest and more up-beat bands are: Harts, Tribe, Bliss, Fantasy, Island People, Trini Revellers!

As the theme of each band changes annually, the costumes change the same. Once you buy your costume, you will receive wrist bands that allow you enter the band within a secured area on the streets in which the bands roams and the revellers “chip down d road”.

During the summer months of July and August, these Carnival Bands have “band launches” to display the new costumes for the upcoming year. Within a few days of the band launch, the costumes become available to purchase the “Band House” or online. Therefore you need to determine which band you will play with at least 6 months in advance. Costumes can sell out within days after up the event but I recommend buying as soon as they are available (by July/August).

Getting there & Accommodation

Flights – Once you book your costume, I would recommend booking your flight! You can direct flights to T&T from London, Frankfurt, New York, Miami, Orlando, Houston, Toronto and many Caribbean islands. Key airlines to look into include Caribbean Airlines, Liat, British Airways, American Airlines, Jetblue, WestJet, Condor etc. For more listing on flights check here.

Accommodation – If you are a large group, I would recommend renting an apartment in Port of Spain on airbnb or tripadvisor. Top hotels in Port of Spain include the Hyatt ($$$), Hilton ($$), Carlton Savannah ($$), Radisson ($$) and Mariott ($$).

The Event

Listen to Soca Music

You will hear Soca non-stop once you arrive in T&T around Carnival time so it is best to catch up on the best tunes of the season. One way to do that is to search carnival soca music on youtube or look out for DJ mixes online such as DJ Private Ryan or DJ Marcus Williams or DJ Nick Pena. Top soca artists include Machel Montano, Kes, Bunji Garlin & Fayann Lyons, Destra and many more.

Pre-Carnival Activities

Book your trip to T&T a couple days before the Carnival Event so that you have time to visit Carnival pre-parties, pan yards or relax in the sun to get that tan beforehand! Carnival schedule is updated one month before the event at Trinidad Carnival Diary – have a look around December and it ought to be online!

Key Essentials for the Ladies

Not only do you have to buy a costume for Carnival, but a popular new tradition is to buy another costume to wear on the Monday. This is called “MondayWear” – it usually consist of a monokini that is decorated lightly with beads and feathers. Other recommendations include buying boots (with dr schools insols) for true comfort on the road, accessories such as necklaces, bracelets, earrings, earcuffs and of course glitter and diamontes for your face. Many ladies book make-up, hair and even spray tan appointments months in advance to ensure they look perfect on the day, even if it means waking up at 4am.

Carnival Monday

J’ouvert (Optional but worth it)

It starts at 3am where you arrive in Port of Spain with an old pair of clothes and sneakers to parade in the streets until sunrise where you will be covered in mud, paint, powder or cocoa powder. Organize your J’ouvert package from numerous bands that specialize in this unique activity. The big bands include Red Ants, Cocoa Devils, Fantasy, Simply J’ouvert etc. If you are playing carnival, best not to take a nap and go straight through until Carnival if you can handle it!

The bands usually start around 11am in Port of Spain. If you are driving, go early to get a good parking spot near to where you band finishes for the day. A safe and reliable spot to park is St. Clair. Pack a little bag with essentials such as phone, id, cash, makeup, sunscreen and camera! Your band will provide you with food and drinks but take your time as the sun is hot and there may be not shade for hours at a time. Enjoy yourself and don’t go too hard as remember you have another 24 hours of partying to go!

Carnival Tuesday

The bands start much earlier than Monday and everyone is in their full costume. It is quite the sight especially at the stage where the costumes come together to present a show to the numerous judges determing who has designed the most awe-inspiring costumes for that year! It is a long day and there is even after parties in secret locations for selected bands. Have a great time and don’t stop dancing!

Post Carnival

A Carnival cooldown in Tobago for the following few days to relax those poor feet and burnt out bodies. Book your flights or boat across to Tobago at least two months in advance to ensure you get a spot as this is top post carnival activity!

Carnival Newbies

Grab your friends, Buy some costumes, Book your flights and get some good dancing shoes as this is a once in a lifetime experience!

Check out “Trinidad-Eat, Stay, Do” and “Tobago – Eat, Stay, Do” for more information on the best places to stay, the best places to eat and top activities to do in this beautiful sister isle nation.