nariva swamp

Did a self guided tour in the process of doing some research in the swamp. It was my first time and I was in sheer shock at the expanse of land that there is. The area teems with wildlife early in the mornings, many birds and monkeys. It is a must for locals too.

I cannot recommend Kayman of Limeland Tours highly enough. Kayman is such a knowledgeable guide who has a genuine passion for this area, his country and ecotourism in general. A real gentleman who made this day one we will always remember. Thank you so much Kayman.

I came to Trinidad to visit my newly retired parents home. Friday night I realized I would have a "free day" on Saturday and checked out what Ecotour opportunities were available on the internet. I chose this tour with Kayman of Limeland tours. I called at 8:00pm or so and reached Kayman and we booked the 2:00 pm tour for Nariva Swamp with my Mom and Dad and myself for the next day. He said I was lucky to get him on that phone number at night, but really it says a lot for him that he answered the telephone. My Mom has bad knees and my Dad has lower back pain, but they have young hearts and went with me. Kayman was wonderful and had my Mom in his Kayak so she did not have to row because of poor upper body strength. My Dad and I took the other kayak and though I am a novice with the kayak and my Dad had never paddled a kayak we were still able to paddle our way through the mangroves to Bush Bush Island. I must admit that the kayaking will be a memory I have the rest of my life, to be on the water with your Dad looking at Macaws flying overhead and seeing egrets. My Mom saw a caiman but by the time my Dad and I came to the area of the citing the shy animal had hidden himself again. Kayman is an incredible guide with a deep love of the island's natural gems. He loved having my Mom and Dad on the trip because they were aware of many of the indigenous trees and he really wanted them to get the message out when they went home of the need for conservation and appreciation of the beauty of the area. As I am a tourist, I really appreciated that this is an international wildlife refuge and an important ecological area in an oil producing part of the country. I do applaud the country's ministry for the environmental investment. Once we landed on Bush Bush island, the trail was flat and easy. My parents navigated the easy walk and we had a lazy pace as Kayman took his time and talked about the crabs, termites, ants, butterflies, birds, trees and Howling monkeys. With our naked eyes we observed a family of Howling monkeys and one baby hanging onto it's Mom high in the tree canopy. A very special tour as these monkeys are native to the island and no other caribbean island has native monkeys. We did not see the other monkey species, but that is the spontaneous aspect of the natural world.Our attire included sneakers, socks, long pants, long sleeve shirts, hats, and lots of bug spray. I had my phone in a waterproof bag and we did pack waters and a lunch that we ate where we launched the kayaks. Next time I would wear water shoes for getting in and out of the boat and change into sneakers on the walk. I would bring a towel, and a camera. Great choice for families with children over 10 and retired persons young at heart!

Truly fantastic and awe-inspiring! As recommended by other reviewers, we booked with Kayman (of Limeland Tours) and stayed at his guest house the night before.We drove ourselves from Port of Spain to Manzanilla. The hotel staff in POS looked at us like we were crazy, but the drive wasn't bad at all and as long as you have GPS you'll be totally fine. We drove on a rainy night in the dark and made it just fine! Kayman's guest house is very clean and comfortable and is equipped with a little kitchen and AC. We headed out on our tour at 5:30 am to catch the sunrise! Spectacular. Kayman was incredible. He knows everything about everything relating to this little corner of Trinidad, and really made me fall in love with the swamp and all its non-human inhabitants. Slow kayaking through a narrow channel was such a beautiful, intimate way to experience the swamp. We saw several incredibly beautiful and fascinating rare birds. The price of the tour is a little steep but worth every penny. Take bugspray, wear clothes you don't mind getting dirty, and - most importantly - take your camera!!

This is a rather bizarre attraction but its unique, fascinating, educational and fun! we were out of season so it was just us and a german couple with our guide, who was informative and fun. Its perfectly safe with a guide, but you do need secure footwear and its likely they will get wet, as there are pools of water in places in the rainy season. We really enjoyed it and its definitely unusual!

Kayman is an extraordinary guide/naturalist. Very experienced with encyclopedic knowledge of birds, plants, and the wildlife of Nariva swamp. A near native he lives nearby. Ours was a supurb visit, seeing Howler monkeys, caimen, lizards, and a wonderful variety of rare birds.

great little excursion ..there are some better times to go to see more of the Ibis and other wildlife . we went at late afternoon and saw the red ibis coming in to sleep for the night well worth the little adventure

every day on 16:00 different boats drive into the swamps to see birds and nature. At the end you can see many red ibis, coming back to sleep in the trees

Fantastic experience for the whole family. Our two boys loved kayaking. We saw two 2 different kinds of monkeys, very amazing. Would definitely recommend to do this tour when staying at Trinidad.

We got the WhiteTailed Golden throat hummer but otherwise very quiet really - longitude, YH Caracara

We went for what turned out to be a 6 hour tour of the Nariva swamp and Bush Bush protected area. The hike started in Kayman's own backyard where he showed us a pair of rare owls that stood perched on treetops. After a short, informative drive, we began our hike. Along the way, Kayman pointed out birds based on their calls and sizes. We were incredibly lucky to see many types of bird, as well as, agoutis, tegus,ending with the impressive red howler monkey and critically endangered white capuchin monkey playing in their natural habitat. It was an amazing day with a friendly and knowledgable guide.

Having come back to Trinidad after some time this was a really nice experience. I had gone to the swamp when I was about 9 yrs old or so but could not remember it well but this trip I will always remember. A great family outing.

We had an absolutely fantastic Kayaking experience with Kayman! We stayed overnight so that we could leave as soon as the sunrise so as to catch sight of the Howler monkeys and even the Trinidad Capuchin monkeys and it was not a disappointment at all! We spotted them along with lots of exotic birds and crabs in the swamp. I highly recommend this experience to all nature lovers! His local snacks were especially tasty and a truly pleasant surprise!

It was amazing to see the thousands and thousands of scarlet ibis come back to roost for the night in the trees. The mangroves are always fascinating to view. The guide was knowledgeable and a great wildlife spotter. If you have a chance go on this tour!

This place is amazing all the more so with a great guide like Mahise. Arrange him through Asa Wright. It's magic