Castara Bay

Castara Bay is another famous beach in the little island of Tobago. It is more frequented by the locals and people like us who came from the larger sister island of Trinidad who know about the location. There are so many awesome Air B&B's in that area along right on the beach that are great experiences for those looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Castara beach is on the Northern coastline of Tobago away from the western side where there are a lot of tourists. This location is as relaxed and sleepy as you can get in the little island and is perfect for rest, relaxation and recharge!

The first thing that you notice about Castara Beach is the beautiful emerald green waters that is typical of this side of the coastline of Tobago. The other thing that you would notice is the abundance of fishing boats (locally known as pirogues) that are made of fibre glass and painted in brilliant colors. This is because Castara is a sleepy little fishing village and the fisherfolk take great pride in their craft as well as water vessels. These, of course, do not prevent or hinder patrons of the beach from enjoying a refreshing swim in any way shape or form.

The above photo is the view that one would see when looking to the right side of the beach from the entrance. You can see a small peninsula that protrudes from the mainland forming more of a bay shape. You can also see one of the properties in the distance where one can rent for a relaxing stay right on the beach front. On top of the peninsula, there are more houses in and around that provide amazing sea views for those who wish to stay in them! As I spoke about earlier, you can also observe the colorful fibre glass pirogues strewn about the length of the beach providing the unique northern coastline Tobagonian aesthetic. You can also see the colorful red and yellow lifeguard booths!

On the left hand side view as seen from the photo above, there is another peninsula that is more lush and laden with trees and little more steep so that it is not really built up with houses as much as the one in the right hand side. In the foreground, you can see water flowing directly into ocean via the beach from a local river. That was quite exciting to see as there was only one other beach that was in Trinidad that had this phenomenon that I did a blog on here last here about called Salybia Beach. There are even more pirogues on this side, some coconut trees. You can even see some of the fisher folk walking about!

After walking about for a while and exploring the beach, I decided finally to send up the drone with during which I took the photo above as it ascended past the coconut tree leaves. From the drone feed, I immediately got an amazing view of the emerald green waters that did not show as much from our lower angle as we stood near the shoreline. There was also a better view of the peninsula and rocks that were peppered around it that seemed extremely dangerous to unsuspecting boaters.

A higher view from above showed how clear, pristine and clean the waters were. There was also a better view of rocks that were not at all visible from where we were! The lush green landscape that showcased the fertility and natural vibrance of Tobago (much of why it was fought over by colonial powers back in the day), also became more apparent. I cannot explain it but the trees and grass look so much more lively and healthier here in Tobago as compared to those in the nearby Trinidad. The air here is probably just healthier and cleaner as we humans who visit also feel much healthier mentally and physically after being here for even just a few hours!

I flew down the coastline on the right side for a while and found an area or outcrop of rocks from the coastline that really caught my eye. This is an area of the island that may never have been photographed in a top down manner as I have and it became my utmost favorite photo (as well as my wallpaper) from the whole trip that year! I used a long exposure method on the drone to get this look where all the waves are smoothed out and you can see beneath to all the corals, colors and interesting rock patterns! Look at those colors and details on the rocks below the water and waves! I was quite surprised with what I could achieve with the long exposure as this method would never have worked if it was really windy and the drone was shaking a lot!

I took another shot with the same method of a little random cove lower down the coastline but it was not as impactful as I was much higher and the details of what was below the waves were not as apparent. I decided to head back and land after this as the battery was getting low and we could not any longer resist bathing in the enticing green waters. Castara Bay is always a pleasure to visit and be lulled into a sense of calm and serenity free of stress. When we leave, we never fail to feel recharged and healed in some way or the other. Thanks so much for coming along, cheers!