A hike through nature, a refreshing swim at a waterfall and a visit to a chocolate factory? Where do I sign up? These items were on the itinerary of the National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago’s ‘A Taste of Brasso Seco’ – Adventure Tour. Even though I had to wake up super early to go on this adventure, I was excited!
Brasso Seco is in the North of Trinidad. From our meeting point around Queens Park Savannah, it took about 2 hours to get there. Our guide, Marlon Greene, shared a plethora of information about the places we passed on the drive and people of interest. Hearing these stories, T&T's history that we did not learn in school, is always a special treat for me and everyone listened intently.
At Brasso Seco, local guides carried us to and from the falls. The main guide was a friendly man, full of knowledge of the area and the flora we passed along the way. He graciously answered questions and stopped to point out several types of plants, birds, and other fauna.
Walking at a quick but easy pace, the group took a bit less than 3 hours to walk to and from the falls. Now let me mention that my two friends and I were in the minority age-wise. The group was mostly people over 60/65, who all made it to the waterfall (seemingly) easily. This was inspiring to me as even though most of the hike was a long but easy walk with a slight incline at portions, the last part of the terrain was more challenging. We had to walk uphill, clambering over rocks, branches, and low brush (some of which were slippery) on a small trail. I’m not going to lie; I didn’t think everyone would make it to the actual falls after I experienced that last part myself. Seeing how easily the group did the last part and that everyone made it, I was just a reminder that I need to keep up my exercise and health routines to be like them in the future!
The swim in the pool of the fall was heavenly. The pool was shallow, and it was easy to swim over to get your head under the falling water. The water was crisp and refreshing as expected, and it was the exact type of rejuvenation I needed!
Back in the village, we had a delicious lunch at the community center and then we went to the chocolate factory! I was pleasantly surprised that the small factory produced a very popular brand that I see all the time. One of the factory creators passionately shared the process of making the chocolate and we got to taste the chocolate at different stages. This brand uses quality ingredients and best of all, is dairy-free! They also gave out cocoa tea, which I couldn’t partake in as it contained dairy, but everyone said it was delicious. I left the factory with several of the chocolate bars that were available for sale and some beautiful flowers that a woman picked to share with us! With such amazing hospitality and warmth, this was the icing on the already beautiful day. On the way back, we stopped to enjoy the beautiful view at a lookout called ‘The Clouds’ and bought fruit and sauces from a family who was vending at the lookout.
I got home tired but full of stories of a day well spent! I recommend going on one of the National Trust tours! Check out their website (www.nationaltrust.tt.com) to see what they have coming up next!