Tobago Basics

ESSENTIALS

CURRENCY TT Dollars: US$1 = TT$6

LAT/LONG 11o10'N 60o50'W

CAPITAL Scarborough

LANGUAGE English

POPULATION 55,000

LAND MASS 26 miles long by 7 miles wide. It is 116 sq. miles (300 sq. km) in area.

HIGHEST POINT Pigeon Peak 560m/1,860ft

ELECTRICITY 115 volts/60Hz/2-3 pin. 220 volts is also available in some places.

TIME ZONE Atlantic Standard Time Zone (AST), +1 hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time (EST) and -4 hours behind GMT. Tobago does not operate daylight saving.

OPENING HOURS

Shops are generally open from 8am-5pm Monday to Saturday (except public holidays). Larger shops and mini-markets will generally have longer opening hours. The Gulf City Mall in Lowlands is open 7 days a week from 10am – 7pm.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

Tobago has many public holidays, more so than many other Caribbean islands. Below is a list for 2011.

New Year's Day January 1

Carnival Monday March 7

Carnival Tuesday March 8

Shouter Baptist Liberation Day March 30

Good Friday April 22

Easter Monday April 25

Arrival Day May 30

Labour Day June 19

Corpus Christi June 23

Emancipation Day August 1

Independence Day August 31

Republic Day September 24

Diwali As Decreed

Eid-ul-Fitr As Decreed

Christmas Day December 25

Boxing Day December 26

MONEY AND BANKING

Tobago's currency is the Trinidad and Tobago dollar. The TT$ is a floating currency but is effectively pegged to the dollar at a rate of US$1-TT$6 (cash) and US$1-TT$6.3 (credit/debit card transactions). The exchange rate to Sterling and the Euro is more varied but is usually in the range of £1-TT$10 and €1-TT$8.3. The main banks in Tobago are RBTT, Republic Bank, First Citizens Bank and Scotiabank. ATM machines are available in Scarborough, the Crown Point area, Charlottleville and Roxbrough. Most shops will accept Credit/Debit Cards. Banks are usually open from 8am – 2pm Monday to Thursday and 8am – 1pm & 3pm - 5pm on Fridays. They are closed on weekends and Bank Holidays.

COMMUNICATION

The country code for Tobago is 868. The ‘868’ should be omitted when calling within Tobago. 0 is directory assistance – local and international. 211 is Tobago's helpline number for Government information and departments. To call North America and other Caribbean Islands dial 1 + country code + number. To call the rest of the world dial 011 + country code + number (omitting the leading area code zero). There are 2 mobile telephone service providers – Digicel and TSTT (B Mobile) – and overseas phones should be able to roam automatically. Public telephones are not widely available.

The main VHF channel is 6.

Internet services and WI-FI is available from Store Bay Marine Services (open 8am-6pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 6pm Saturday and Sunday). Costs are some of the lowest on the island at TT$8 for 20 minutes and TT$18 for one hour. WI-FI internet packages are also available at TT$75 for three days and TT$150 for a week. WI-FI is available on the anchorage off Cable Beach.

The main post office is located in Scarborough on Carrington Street close to the cruise ship terminal. If you are picking up a parcel you will need your passport as a form of ID. It is open Monday to Friday.

GETTING AROUND

FLIGHTS

Three airlines operate direct flights to Tobago from the UK - British Airways, Monarch and Virgin Atlantic. From Europe, Condor operates regular flights.

There are no direct flights from North America to Tobago. Air Canada, American Airlines (AA), Caribbean Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Airlines, Skyservice, Travelspan and US Airways all operate flights to Trinidad. There are regular flights from Trinidad to Tobago with Caribbean Airlines.

FERRY

There is a ferry service between Tobago and Trinidad. The ferry leaves from Scarborough and docks in Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad. There are two types of ferry - the fast ferry, which takes around two and a half hours and the convential ferry which takes five and a half hours.

Tickets must be brought in advance from the Tobago Terminal Office in Scarborough. A return trip on the fast ferry costs TT$100 per adult. On the conventional ferry it is TT$75.

TAXIS

Most people get around in route taxis which are normal cars, or maxi taxis which are mini buses. Both have licence plates beginning with H or P. You flag them down by sticking out your hand and normally ride with other people. Make sure you agree a fare before setting off.

Generally it should cost no more than TT$3 per person from Store Bay to Penny Saver's supermarket in Canaan and TT$6 per person to Scarborough. Tourist taxis operate from Crown Point Airport. There are fixed prices for routes (information available from the Tourist Information Centre at the airport). More information from Tobago Taxi Cab Co-op Society, Milford Road, Canaan. Tel: (+1) 868 639 2707

BUSES

Tobago has a national bus system which runs all over the island. The main bus terminal is in Scarborough, near the market. Passengers must buy bus tickets in advance. Buses will not stop at designated stops unless you stick out your hand

RENTAL CARS

Rental cars are available and you can drive on a UK, USA or International licence. Driving is on the left.

EMERGENCY CONTACTS

The main hospital is located next to Fort King George in Scarborough. At the time of writing plans for a new hospital are being drawn up. All complex medical cases are transferred to Trinidad.

Ambulance services on Tobago are limited, with an ambulance service depot at Scarborough servicing the south and centre of the island and a depot at Roxborough servicing the north of the island. Travel/health insurance is strongly recommended.

CONTACT NUMBERS

Ambulance 990

Fire 990

Police 555/999

Coastguard 634-4439 or 634-4440

Hospital 639-2551/2/3/4/5/6

Telephone Operator 0

DOCTORS

Dr Carol Jageeo (Bon Accord) (868) 639-0580

Dr Denise Angus Omada Center, E&M Building, 2nd Floor, Wilson Rd, Scarborough (868) 635-1145

Dr Maria Dillon-Remy Triangle Building, Scarborough (868) 639-1115

Dr Francis Jacob 9 Young Street, Scarborough (868) 639-5727

Dr Kumar Rocky Vale, Scarborough (868) 639-3157

Dr Mentor Melville Milford Court, Bon Accord (868) 639-1722

Dr Mohamed Aquatech Plaza, Carnbee (868) 631-0533

Dr Amar Singh Main Street, Scarborough (868) 631-0533

Dr Gillian Wheeler Triangle Building, Scarborough (868) 639-1115

Dr Victor Wheeler Triangle Building, Scarborough (868) 660-7382

DENTISTS

Niles Patricia Aqui Doctor 34 Carrington Street, Scarborough, Tobago - (868) 639-6000

Oracare Dental Centre 32 Wilson Road, Scarborough, Tobago - (868) 660-6725

Steel Warren Doctor Tateco House Wilson Road, Scarborough, Tobago - (868) 660-6725