Trinidad and Tobago

Is Trinidad and Tobago safe to visit?

Tobago, yes, with ordinary care. Trinidad needs more planning. Police counted 369 killings in 2025, down 41% from a record 624 in 2024, but that still works out at about 27 per 100,000 people, above Jamaica's rate of about 24. The US State Department has kept the country at Level 3, "reconsider travel", citing crime, health and terrorism, while neighbouring Barbados sits at Level 1.

Most visitors come for business in Port of Spain, for Carnival or for Tobago's beaches and diving, and most leave without trouble. The violence is mostly between gangs in specific parts of Trinidad, and the US advisoryUS travel advisoryThe US State Department's rating of each country from Level 1 (exercise normal precautions) to Level 4 (do not travel).More in the glossary says crime is lower in Tobago. We score the country 58.

Where the crime is

The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary calls the level of violent crime high, with gang shootings, homicides and armed robbery common. It names downtown Port of Spain (east of Charlotte Street, south and west of Piccadilly Street and north of Independence Square), Carenage, Sea Lots, Belmont, Laventille, Morvant, Beetham, Barataria and Cocorite, and the interior of Queen's Park Savannah.

The US rules for its own staff are stricter and a good guide for visitors. They may not go to Laventille, Beetham, Sea Lots, Cocorite, Piccadilly and Besson Streets or the southern end of Charlotte Street at any time, and must stay out of downtown Port of Spain, Fort George, the Savannah and Port of Spain's beaches at night.

Kidnapping for ransom happens, mostly of local business people, and the FCDO lists it alongside rape and murder. Robbers are often armed. If you are held up, hand everything over.

Villas are a weak point on both islands. Rent only places with external lights, window grilles and an overnight guard, and do not post your location on social media while you are there; the FCDO says criminals watch it.

The state of emergency

The government declared a nationwide state of emergency on 2 March 2026 after a spike in violent crime, the latest of several since late 2024. Police and soldiers could arrest on suspicion and search without a warrant, and bail was suspended; there were no curfews. The prime minister said more than 5,800 people had been arrested since March, about 2,250 of them uncharged, and lawyers criticised the treatment of detainees.

On 17 September 2026 the prime minister told parliament it would not be extended, and the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary removed its emergency notice a few days later. Killings were running only slightly below 2025 in mid-September (255 against 268 for the same period), so the big drop came in 2025. The government says it wants a permanent legal framework for anti-gang operations instead, which may bring back some of the same powers.

Terrorism and unrest

The US advisoryUS travel advisoryThe US State Department's rating of each country from Level 1 (exercise normal precautions) to Level 4 (do not travel).More in the glossary names terrorism as one reason for its Level 3 rating. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says there is no recent history of terrorism but attacks cannot be ruled out. The Global Peace IndexGlobal Peace IndexAn annual ranking of 163 countries by how peaceful they are, based on conflict, crime, militarisation and political instability.More in the glossary 2026 ranks the country 79th of 163, behind Jamaica (70th). For visitors, gang violence matters far more than terrorism.

Roads, health and the weather

WHO estimatesWHO road-death estimateThe World Health Organization's estimate of road traffic deaths per 100,000 people in a country, adjusted for deaths that police statistics miss.More in the glossary 5.0 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2021, but police counts are higher: 109 road deaths in 2025, down from 124 in 2024, about 8 per 100,000 people, and early 2026 was lower again. The risk is concentrated on the fast highways in Trinidad. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary warns of drink-driving crashes on the Beetham and Churchill Roosevelt Highway, the road from Piarco airport. Pedestrians walk in the road, many rural roads are unlit, and higher traffic fines took effect in January 2026.

Health care is good for routine problems at private clinics in Port of Spain, but limited in rural Trinidad and on Tobago, which is why the US lists health as a risk. Serious injuries may need evacuation to the US, so buy insurance that covers it. Dengue is present, and TravelHealthPro advises the yellow fever vaccine for some trips to Trinidad.

Natural hazards are milder than elsewhere in the Caribbean. The islands sit south of the usual hurricane track, though tropical storms bring flash floods and landslides. Earthquakes are possible; the last serious one, in 2018, damaged buildings.

How to stay safe in Trinidad and Tobago

• Book taxis through your hotel or an established firm, and be wary of lifts in private cars or "maxi taxis".
• Keep car windows up and doors locked; bags on the passenger seat get snatched through windows.
• Use ATMs inside malls or hotels by day and take out small amounts.
• Do not hike, walk or visit beaches alone, especially on quiet stretches of the north coast.
• Watch your drink in bars and at Carnival fetes, and be careful meeting people from dating apps.
• Emergency numbers: police 999, ambulance 811, fire 990.

How we scored it

Road safety (82) and natural hazards (78) are the strongest factors; the road score uses WHO's 2021 estimate of 5.0 deaths per 100,000, lowered a little because police count about 8. Violent crime (32) is the weakest: even after the 2025 fall, about 27 homicides per 100,000Homicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary is well inside our lowest band. Conflict (60) reflects the Level 3 advisory with its terrorism warning and the repeated states of emergency, and petty crime (48) the armed robberies that start as simple theft.