The Real Pirate's Bay

Some beach goers around the pirates flag, native to the bay

Pirate's Bay in Tobago is one of the hardest beaches to get to in my opinion but the end result is very much worth it! The bay itself is at at the bottom on a steep mountain drop off and requires a bit of a hike after parking your car. You can take a boat from the nearby bay that is around the peninsula but that is much longer and requires expenses too. Where is the fun in that? During the hike down to the bay, there is a large staircase that appears in all the instagram posts about the location and it really is something to look at!

The stairway has a HUGE drop off after what you are seeing in the photo above all the way down to the level of the bay.

We drove the car up a steep mountain side along a dirt road which felt like it may give away any second, carrying us to a quick death below. It was narrow and we pressed on determined to get to this bay we had never been to before. There was part of the way where there was no more road and just dirt that was much wider. Here we saw other cars parked and so decided to do the same. It was a great decision as we found out later on that the start of the trail was right there.

Here is a view at the bottom of the stairway after descent to give an idea of how steep it was, still, the camera does not do justice!

It was a short trek through a dirt trail before getting to the famous stairs that lead to the way down to the Pirate's Bay. On both sides there were palm trees to decorate the way. The steepness of the gradient of the stairway was scary. The photos do no justice to convey how steep it was! It was tolerable walking down but I wondered how I would walk back up! Spoiler, I had to take many breaks!

A view of the pathway after the stairway before the reveal of the ocean.

At the end of the stairway which was a nice showcase of Tobago's flora and fauna during the descent, there was a paved path though some bushes and bamboo that lead to the beach in a reveal of sorts. It was as such; the bushes gave way to the ocean in a fashion that made me feel like I was some conquistador exploring the new world and finding myself upon an unknown beach!

The first thing that we saw was a huge pirate's flag planted in the sand right on theme! I didn't expect it but I also was not surprised as the Tobagonian people are like that! The bay felt secluded and out of the way as it was engulfed on both side by tall cliff like peninsulas and had views of distant mountains. It truly felt like we were pirates in a Caribbean island not that familiar, like something out of a movie even though I had lived on a nearby larger island all my life!

The weather was a little rainy but that did not stop anyone! There were people arriving by boat on the western side of the bay in a consistent manner and same for those leaving. The waters were relatively calm and the temperature was warm for such inclement weather.

There were little pools and streams left by the tides and the waves which people were playing in. There were also a lot of children playing football and so on near the flag. There was even a dog that participated in the activity, seeming to be even more happy and excited to be there than the others!

I decided to explore the eastern side of the bay and take some more pictures. This side had rocks that gave an even more old timey feel to the beach. There was one solitary yacht in the distance that I could not help but line up between two rocks and take a shot. The waves managed to be crashing upon the shores at the same time to give way to brilliant shot!

From this side you could also see a larger view of the bay in its entirety. It definitely looked a lot more unorthodox than all the beaches I had ever visited and I live on an island with a lot of beaches! It was definitely worth the hike even through the dirt and the horrifically steep stairway! I survived the way up by the way but it took me longer than the rest! Thanks for coming along! Cheers!