Bajnath Estate Hummingbird Sanctuary

If you’re looking for a fresh day trip idea for yourself, friends or family, make the easy drive to Bajanth Estate Hummingbird Sanctuary, located inside the Rio Seco nature reserve. Tucked away near the upper end of the reserve’s road, there is parking at road level or directly on the property for more rugged vehicles. As you enter the property you are immediately drawn into the natural oasis of Bajnath Estate. Located so high up and surrounded by diverse fauna, you lose sight of the road and your grip on distracting thoughts as you take in the Hummer's Lane before you. Yes, it’s an official lane, lined on both sides with feeders that ensure constant activity from thirteen species of hummingbirds. That includes the elusive Tufted Coquette, a favourite in the bird-watching community. 

You may be surprised to learn that bullies exist in the hummingbird world - the Copper Rumped hummingbird is savagely territorial, chasing others off their preferred feeder, even if they aren’t using it. I was also surprised by the deep and even ominous sound of the birds’’hum’ so close to my head. The friendly host, Josh Bajnath, is a self-taught naturalist and can identify all the visiting species and give you first-hand insight into these flying gems and their behaviour. Although there were quite a lot when we visited in February 2023, we were told that from around October to December, the population explodes to the point where you can’t even hear yourself talk!

Birder Bonus: the Piping Guan, locally known as the Pawi, is sometimes spotted on tours of the estate or the waterfall trail. The Bajnath Estate supports education and conservation efforts to bring the Piping Guan back from the brink of extinction.

We chose to head to the river next via a clear and easy path cut through the forest. The Bajnath Estate caters to newcomers by making the trail as easy as possible; cutting in steps where necessary and building simple but sturdy railings where needed. My estimation? If you can walk from Park Street to Independence Square, you can definitely make the walk from the main property to the river without any problems.

Once you get to the river bank, you are met by what the locals call a ‘pool’ - a relatively deep and wide section of the river. We visited in the dry season, so there was no current and the water flowed clean. It also looked cold, which makes sense as the canopy on both sides only allows a small window of sunlight sometime around midday. I lingered on a conveniently lodged tree truck brought down by the last time the river ‘came down’, told myself that cold plunges were good for me and let myself fall in. Eventually, I  got used to the cold, proving Josh and Nike right -  just do it! 

The river pool is by no means olympic sized - it’s good for a few strokes and at 9ft. at the deepest point, safe enough for shallow dives (off the same convenient tree trunk I mentioned earlier). The pool is bookended by rocky shallows that non-swimmers can stick to and explore.

Once I started to feel the cold again, we decided to head back to the main property. Josh sent my group ahead as he took over another group coming down the path, telling us that we’d be able to get some traditional hot chocolate from Mrs. Bajnath (mother). While she started preparing the ingredients, I had a look around the back end of the property, which extended for about 400ft and tapered off into the forest. There was a bed frame, a couple of homemade swings hanging off trees, and even a bathtub. When I asked Mrs. Bajnath the reason for this odd collection, she let me know that they were props. Photographers can book Bajnath Estate for shoots or workshops and these are available for use, not to mention the lush forest as a backdrop. The bathtub overlooks the lower canopy you would pass through to get to the river. 

The main property has a two-storey, wooden house as its base, the Sapodilla Lodge. Sturdy, clean and comfortable, Mrs. Bajnath put the finishing touches on our hot chocolate (and bonus coconut drops!) in the open-air kitchen. The rest of the downstairs area, similarly unenclosed, had a selection of hammocks, benches and cushions on which to make yourself comfortable. You can also take a walk upstairs to the wide balcony to get a little closer to the tree tops.

We chose to end where we began though, on Hummer's Lane, eating our restorative nibbles while the birds got in their last feeding for the day. 

Unfortunately, Bajnath Estate is only open to day visits at this time, though they are working on introducing overnight stays, so keep an eye on their Instagram for the latest updates. They also facilitate tours to the Rio Seco waterfall and their booking information can be found here. 

I absolutely recommend a day trip to the Bajnath Estate Hummingbird Sanctuary for a forest getaway. Mobile service is extremely limited, so it’s perfect for completely switching off and connecting with some of Trinidad's natural treasures.

Thanks for reading and let me know if you check out Bajnath Estate and what your stay was like. Cheers!