• Capture the variety of Trinidadian life in its capital, Port of Spain, where bazaars throng beneath modern skyscrapers and mosques rub shoulders with cathedrals. The architecture of the city incorporates a mixture of styles from Victorian houses to Stollmeyer's Castle, an imitation of a Bavarian Castle.

• See Port of Spain's highlights, including the shopping district centred on Frederick Street; the Royal Botanic Gardens; the Red House (a stately colonial building, now the seat of government); the National Museum and Art Gallery; and the 19th-century gothic Holy Trinity Cathedral.

• Don't neglect Port of Spain's outskirts. The magnificent Queen's Park Savannah is a mixture of natural and manmade beauty, with attractive trees and shrubs (including the African Tulip). Fort George, built in 1804, offers superb vistas of the city and the mountains of northern Venezuela.

• Take in some of Trinidad's natural phenomena at the Aripo Caves, noted for their stalactites and stalagmites, the fascinating Pitch Lake, a 36-hectare (90-acre) lake of asphalt which constantly replenishes itself, and the lush tropical forest near the Hollis Reservoir on the east coast.

• Watch the sun set in Tobago's capital, Scarborough, from the Fort King George, built in 1779 during the many struggles between the French and the English. Admire the quaint houses spilling down from the hilltop to the waterside, and visit the Court House and the Tobago Museum.

• Take a dip at one of Tobago's fine beaches. Each has its own flavour, from the brown pelicans at Turtle Beach to fantastic snorkelling at Man O'War Bay. Store Bay, Mount Irvine, Bacolet Bay and Pigeon Point are also well worth a visit.

• Visit one of Tobago's old sugar plantations. Arnos Vale (website: www.arnosvalehotel.com), now a hotel, has a disused sugar mill complete with formidable crushing wheels, made in 1857, still on the grounds as well as a museum.

• Get active with a long hike along the excellent trails of the Tobago Forest Reserve, climb Pigeon Peak, the highest point on the island, or scuba-dive in Speyside, a colourful beach settlement.

• Drop in on some Tobago villages. On the Atlantic (windward) side of the island are many tiny villages including Mesopotamia and Goldsborough, the town of Roxborough and several beautiful bays. On the north coast are the beautiful villages of Castara and Parlatuvier.

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.