From the Sangster's Hill terminal in Scarborough the buses leave for every corner of the island. Maxi taxis with a blue band stop wherever someone waves. And anyone heading for the north coast usually ends up in a hire car after all.
The towns and villages of Tobago are small. Where you stay shapes your holiday more than any hotel. The south-west around Crown Point has the airport, most of the hotels and the beaches with facilities. Along the west coast come Buccoo, Mount Irvine, Black Rock and Plymouth. The north coast is quiet: Castara, Parlatuvier, Charlotteville. Speyside in the north-east is the divers' village, Roxborough on the Atlantic side the gateway to the rainforest.
Population figures come from the 2011 census and follow the statistical office's community boundaries. They do not always match the place as people know it. Where that is the case, the village page says so.
South-west
- South-westCrown Point
From the terminal to the sand is a two-minute walk.
- South-westBon Accord and Canaan
The mangroves start at the edge of the village, and at night the water glows.
West coast
- West coastBuccoo
On Easter Tuesday goats race here, the rest of the year the bay belongs to the fishermen.
- West coastMount Irvine
On one side of the rocks the water lies still, on the other the winter swell rolls in.
- West coastBlack Rock
From the old fort the view runs down the coast as far as Pigeon Point.
- West coastPlymouth
Settlers from Courland came ashore in this bay in the 17th century.
North coast
- North coastCastara
In the morning the fishermen haul in the net, in the evening the village sits on the beach.
- North coastParlatuvier
From the car park by the bar you see the whole village, the boats bobbing below.
North-east
- North-eastCharlotteville
At the end of a dirt track a long flight of steps leads down to a bay with nothing for sale.
- North-eastSpeyside
Two small islands lie off the village, and under the water the reefs begin.
Atlantic coast
- Atlantic coastRoxborough
A quarter of an hour on foot, then the water drops 54 metres.
- Atlantic coastScarborough
The fort stands above the bay, and below it the ferry from Trinidad comes in.
Frequently asked questions
Which part of Tobago works best without a car?
Crown Point is the easiest without a car: the airport, hotels, Store Bay and Pigeon Point are all close together. On the north coast buses and taxis are hard to find, and a hire car helps.
How do you get around Tobago without a hire car?
By bus from the Sangster's Hill terminal in Scarborough, by maxi taxi, which carries a blue band in Tobago, or by licensed taxi. The German Foreign Office advises hotel taxis and taxis with number plates starting with H.
Why do population figures for places in Tobago differ so much?
The statistical office counts by community, and those boundaries do not always match the place. For Scarborough it gives 1,167 people in the community, while Wikipedia gives 17,537, the figure for the whole parish of St Andrew.