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From Martinique we are flying to Trinidad because there are no direct flights to Georgetown in Guyana from Fort-De-France. We spend 3 nights in Port of Spain - a very unusual and rather dangerous city - and also manage to go on a really interesting boat trip through the Caroni Swamp Bird Sanctuary to see the famous red ibisses.
Our flight from Fort- De-France to Port of Spain is only 1 hour and 25 minutes but cost us 430 US$. Just before sunset we are up in the sky with very mixed feelings about our next destination.
When we booked this flight in October 2024 we had no idea that Trinidad might become a problem for us. Following a surge in violence, including over five murders committed in 48 hours, the government declared a three-month national state of emergency effective from 30 December until 30 March. The country recorded 623 murders in 2024, the highest in history, most of which are tied to organized crime.
Trinidad and Tobago with a population of 1.5 million, already has one of the highest murder rates in the Caribbean, along with Jamaica and Haiti, while violent deaths in the region are nearly three times the global average. A significant amount of the country's violent crime - such as murder, assault and kidnapping - is related to criminal gang activity and narcotics trafficking and tourists were warned not to travel to Trinidad & Tobago.
Well, we have no choice really. And we also have no clue how to get from the airport to our apartment in the city centre of Port of Spain. By the time we get to the airport it will be pitch dark outside.
But we are lucky to meet Brittany and Leeron on the plane. Both live in Port of Spain and just spent a week on a cruise ship going around the Caribbean islands. When we ask them about how to get from the airport to our apartment, they immediately want to know where we are staying. It turns out that Belmont is one of the worst suburbs in Port of Spain with one of the highest crime rates in the country. We can see by their shocked faces that we might have chosen the wrong place to stay.
Taxis are way cheaper when you book them via an app. There are two apps in Trinidad but they only work when you have a SIM card from the island which of course we don't have. So Leron calls the taxi driver they had used to get to the airport a week ago and asks Anthony to pick us up at the airport. Great! Both of them also suggest to buy some food at the airport because they strongly suggest that we do not go out at night to find food in Belmont. Boy, are we glad to get some help from them!
