Hidden Coastlines Under a Giant!
Chupara Bay is in my opinion, one of the best places to take in the ocean at sunset with its mountainous surroundings, beautiful cliffs and breath taking sea views. Trinidad's second highest mountain on the island called Mount El Tucuche is just above 3000 feet and towers over Chupara Bay and is quite the spectacle as the sun nears the horizon. I was quite lucky to be able to document all of this with aerial views! Today we explore what the bay has to offer including seldom seen caves and coastal features as well as rare views of the mountains and bay as the sun sets!
The nearby town of las cuevas is one of the few that you will find on the North Coast road that primarily are involved in fishing and hospitality industries for its location. There are many awesome places to stay that take advantage of the natural beauty of the area. The above image is a far out view from the coastline showing just how mountainous the location is and why there are a lot of cliffs and rocky coastlines.
In order to be able to fly the drone along the coastlines I would have liked to explore, I had to head to the nearby Fort Abercrombie and ascend the huge hill to the lookout there to get the best signal and vantage point. I needed the best response time as I would be flying extremely close to the cliffs and one small accident could be quite the inconvenience if you know what I mean.
The fort was quite dry due to lack of rainfall (it is dry season in Trinidad). We already covered the fort in another post but I had not ascended the hill to the lookouts because I could never make it up to the top and not many people do! I was quite determined this time as well as confident because I was working on my cardio recently.
The photos do no justice to convey just how steep this hill was. You can see Mount El Tucuche in the background of the second shot above by the way. It was only a few steps up and was already huffing and puffing quite ashamedly!
Despite the physically taxing hill that turned from stairs at to a raw untouched nature trail, the beauty and lighting of the setting sun along the way was quite beautiful. I just loved the trees and and palms that lined the way. This along with the fact that no one attempts to climb here meant that there was absolute peace and serenity, no noise at all! I quite enjoyed being alone with my thoughts for once.
After finally getting to the top marked by a plateau of sorts and the remnants of benches, there were many breathtaking views including the ocean below. I wasted no time in sending up the drone as the sun was setting quickly and valuable lighting was being lost! I must say though, that the tranquility up here was phenomenal, almost addicting!
The drone immediately revealed a breathtaking comprehensive top down view of where I was and what surrounded me, it was quite the sight! The hill I had just climbed is on the top left of the shots above while the fort is on the bottom right. You can see a stack/ island with a cove that forms a channel of water around it and the coastline which I wanted to explore as people seldom venture in there and it is quite turbulent and dangerous, perfect for the drone.
I descended and carefully flew through the channel, revealing rushing violent water with breathtaking vegetation on both sides. The fort is just around the corner and this side is never seen by visitors at all and it was thrilling to see and explore this.
On the corner itself, just before the sharp right to the area where the fort is, there is a cave that you can just barely see when on the fort itself that I always wanted to explore up close. As you can seem the ocean has been carving away at this for years revealing beautiful layers of rock with differing colors.
Turning the corner now, and following the channel around the stack/ island, we finally return to the fort where people climb down to see the stack. Now you get to see it from another perspective! There was a man and a woman already there taking the sights. You can see the makeshift stairs in the background that takes you up the main fort area where we just ascended the stairs.
Here is a view of the hill I climbed up with its awesome caves and arches. You can see why it was so physically taxing and how much of an actual cliff's edge I was standing on. I hope you understand why this was the best vantage point for the drone was well as the the coastal features I needed to document were just below!
The first inlet I found looked so shallow at first but upon further inspection on flying closer, the cave went very far in! This was highlighted by the turbulent foamy water reflecting light back out making it easy to see. This was the beginning of the formation of an arch which would eventually form a stack or small island with a channel like we saw at the fort just now.
Speaking of arches, lower down was a more progressed inlet that already formed one and it looked so amazingly cool, I could not get enough photos as the water rushed into and out of it with small drains and holes where and here, it was so fascinating to see. I really wanted to fly through the arch but I could risk losing signal immediately and I was not prepared to deal with that.
Just around the corner of the coastline, there was this colossal stack being carved out the from the coastline, almost like looking back in time at what happened with the stack at the fort! This one was still connected to the mainland and it was so fascinating to see. I cannot stress enought just how huge this was and it is probably very rarely seen!
Finally, as we were exploring the cliffs, the sun was setting and creating beautiful golden crepuscular rays on the giant El Tucuche. I just love it towers over the nearby bay and this was the first time I was seeing it as sunset like this, like the star of the show, stealing the spotlight! The indigenous people were quite enamored by this mountain and at sunset I can just about understand why!
There were some fishermen doing their thing as I tried to get the best angle for the mountain shots. It was the best thing as getting them against the backdrop of the mountain was actually the best angle, giving an amazing sense of scale for the bay as well as El Tucuche. I really loved this above shot as the guy saw the drone and gave one of the biggest waves to the camera I had ever seen!
Here is another shot of the hill I was on with a boat in the foreground as it raced past. The lighting was getting darker much faster now and the mood and tones of the shots I was getting were just too good!
That golden glow on the horizon with the mountains bathed in the setting sun was such a life changing view, almost a spiritual experience! The peaks themselves with their unique shapes and intricate valleys were so mesmerizing. I could not get enough of it and I was quite glad to have a drone to get these perspectives!
This last shot was the icing on the cake for me. I turned the drone just in time to get the sun nestled all comfortably amidst the mountains along the coastline stretching westwards. This was one the best experiences I've ever had exploring and Chupara Bay with the giant El Tucuche and the setting sun was a killer combination. I was glad to be able to document them at the right time!
