Barbados was visited by both the Spanish and Portuguese, but claimed as a colony by Britain in 1625. Trinidad, as well as Tobago and other smaller islands, became part of the Spanish empire. Large numbers of English settlers arrived in Barbados in the 17th century to farm tobacco and cotton. The introduction of sugar cultivation from the middle of the century led to the importation of thousands of slaves from Africa to work in the plantations.
Large-scale agriculture developed more slowly in Trinidad, boosted by the arrival of French-speaking sugar planters from the island of Martinique during the Napoleonic Wars, during which era Trinidad also became a colony of the British crown. Slavery was abolished in the British Empire in 1834, and in the second half of the 19th century large numbers of Indians arrived in Trinidad to work on the sugar plantations, together with a smaller number of Chinese immigrants.
Both Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago gained full independence from Britain in the 1960s, following the failure of the proposed West Indies Federation.
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.