Walking on pitch
A surface that gives underfoot.
Grueslayer — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Grueslayer — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Martina Jackson — CC BY-SA 3.0 · CarlUngewitter — CC BY-SA 3.0 · CarlUngewitter — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Grueslayer — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Pitch Lake at La Brea, in south-west Trinidad, is the largest natural deposit of asphalt in the world. Its grey-black surface is almost solid, about 40 ha across, broken by small pools of water and plants. It is thought to hold 10 million tonnes of pitch and to be 76 m deep. The explorer Walter Raleigh reached the lake in 1595 and used the pitch to seal his ship. A legend of the native people says a tribe ate the sacred hummingbird to celebrate a victory, so their god punished them by having the earth swallow the village and the lake appear in its place. In the 1840s Abraham Gesner first made kerosene from a sample of its pitch. A local company still mines asphalt here. The visit starts at the visitor centre, which has a small museum, and you then walk with an official guide on the lake surface itself. You feel the pitch give a little underfoot and see the pools and cracks. Always follow the guide, as some spots are soft. The lake is 50 km in a straight line south of Port of Spain. Ask for a licensed guide at the visitor centre, as unlicensed guides charge more. One visitor reports paying TT$50, and a tip is customary. The sun is hot and the surface open, so bring a hat and water.
A surface that gives underfoot.
Water among the pitch.
Lake and mining history.
La Brea, south-west Trinidad
Yes, with an official guide only, as some spots are soft.
Shoes you do not mind dirtying, and a hat.