Classroom lesson · Argyle Falls · 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago

Argyle Falls

Tobago's tallest waterfall, hidden in a lush rainforest

Photo · Wikimedia Commons

What is it?

Argyle Falls is the tallest waterfall in Tobago, tumbling down three tiers of mossy rocks through a thick rainforest. To reach it, you walk along a trail beside a cool mountain river, crossing small stepping-stone bridges and listening to the forest all around you.

Tell me more

The walk to Argyle Falls takes about 20 to 30 minutes through beautiful tropical forest. Along the way, guides point out orchids, giant ferns, and sometimes small river fish darting through the clear water. The air gets cooler and the sound of rushing water gets louder as you get closer.

When you arrive, the waterfall drops in three separate cascades over smooth rocks before landing in a natural pool at the bottom. Visitors can swim in the pool and even stand under the lower tiers of the falls, feeling the cool water rushing over them like a very enthusiastic shower.

The rocks around the falls are covered in bright green moss, and the spray from the water keeps everything damp and cool. Tree ferns — which look like palm trees but are actually giant ferns — tower above the pools, giving the whole scene a prehistoric, jungle feel.

Local guides know the falls well and love sharing stories about the birds and plants along the trail. They can identify the calls of different birds just by listening, and some know where to find tiny tree frogs hiding on leaves beside the path.

In the classroom

Walk your class through this in 15 minutes.

Talk together

Discussion prompts

  1. 01Argyle Falls drops in three tiers, one after another. What do you think makes a multi-tiered waterfall look different from a single drop?
  2. 02If you could only take one item with you on a walk through a tropical rainforest, what would you choose and why?
  3. 03Guides learn the forest by listening as well as looking. What sounds might tell you about the animals living there?
Try this

Classroom activity

Write and illustrate a short field journal entry as if you have just finished hiking to Argyle Falls. Describe: what you saw on the trail, how the waterfall looked, felt, and sounded when you arrived, and one plant or animal you noticed. Include a small sketch of the falls.