TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO HIKING Capriata Santa Cruz to Maracas Bay Circuit

Capriata Santa Cruz to Maracas Bay Circuit
Santa Cruz is a Spanish Word which means Holy Cross and it is the largest valley in the Northern Range. Its rich fertile soil and cool climate made it a favorable place for cocoa estates. The Cedula of 1783 granted land to eleven families of French descent to set up estates and develop the area. Some of the estates were La Pastora, Capriata, San Antonio, Cantaro, Gasparillo, Little Couroucaye and Grand Couroucaye. The rugged mountains that surrounded Santa Cruz made it a difficult place to get to and the only means of reaching there was by hiking over the mountains.
Villagers and estate workers would trek daily from Santa Cruz to the various estates situated along the Maracas North Coast Road. During this period, the preferred beaches were at Cyril Bay, Pichon Cove and Timberline. In 1941, during World War 11 the Americans constructed the North Coast World allowing easy access to Maracas Bay. One of the pathways used to reach the lower end of the Maracas Road was from Capriata in La Pastora Santa Cruz.
The journey starts from Capriata Road and the walk over the bushy and rugged terrain will take at least two hours to climb an altitude of 500 metres. The first part of the trek is a constant uphill to the crest of the mountain. The route passes along the high mountain tops of the North Coast Road and in some areas the sound of vehicles heard deep down in the valley.The trail descends from the mountains and ends on the road one mile from Maracas Bay. The rest of the trip is downward along the Maracas Road.The return route from Maracas Bay is over the Gasparillo Road Mountain to La Sagesse Village in Santa Cruz.