The turquoise lagoon
Shallow, clear water.
Stefan Schäfer, Lich — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Igbgrant at English Wikipedia — CC BY 2.5 · cazah — CC BY 3.0 · David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada — CC BY 2.0 · FishSpeaker — CC BY 3.0 · FishSpeaker — CC BY 3.0
The Tobago Cays are five small uninhabited islands in the southern Grenadines, set in a shallow sandy lagoon ringed by coral reef. Clear water in every shade of turquoise, white sand, palms and anchored yachts make it one of the best-known views in the Caribbean. The five cays are Petit Rameau, Petit Bateau, Baradal, Petit Tabac and Jamesby. They are the heart of the government-owned Tobago Cays Marine Park, which takes in a lagoon of about 570 ha, the island of Mayreau and the 4 km Horseshoe Reef. Sea turtles feed in the seagrass around Baradal and nest on the beaches. You arrive by boat and anchor in the lagoon, then snorkel over coral and fish, and near turtles in the protected zone. You walk the sand of the little islands and climb a small hill to see the whole lagoon. Some cays have poisonous manchineel trees, so do not touch them or shelter under them in rain. The cays are 8.6 km north-east of Union Island, reached by boat from Union, Mayreau or Bequia. In 2023 the park set a fee of 15 per person for boat visitors, often included in the trip price. Do not touch the coral or the turtles.
Shallow, clear water.
Around Baradal.
A long coral reef.
Tobago Cays Marine Park, near Mayreau and Union Island, Grenadines
By boat from Union, Mayreau or Bequia.
Yes in the protected zone, without touching them.