Distance: 5.5km | Type: Out and Back | Difficulty: Easy
Most of my other adventures are focused on hiking, but over the years going to the mud volcano in Los Iros, I've made this into a personal tour of sorts, so much so that I created a google maps route for myself with the key stops along the way, even if they do vary from time to time. Now when I say tour I mean it has all the elements you could want from a 12 hour day: breakfast, exercise, a natural wonder, a swim in the sea on the south coast of Trinidad, and a fantastic lunch (with a few beers thrown into the mix for hydration).
Normally when I go out on adventures, I take my like-minded friends that are ready for whatever the day throws at us; however, this was a special day. My sister is visiting us from England and I have a couple friends who have been working in Trinidad on contract and are approaching the end of their time here so we planned this trip to be both a family day and a final adventure for my friends before they leave.
This is a full day tour, so as usual push-off time was 6:30am. It was 17 of us this time around, so we made a convoy of 4 fully-loaded vehicles and made our way down the highway. The first stop for the day was Singh's Doubles in Debe which is a landmark for Trinidadian food tourism. While Singh's is not the only shop selling Indo-Trinidadian cuisine along S. S. Erin Road, it is the most iconic as it is the largest and is the only one with a proper covered area for enjoying your food.
When we arrived, we were greeted by the rich scent of spices wafting through the air as freshly fried Doubles, Saheena, Baiganee, Aloo pies, and Kachowrie were being brought out for sale - there is a big difference between a doubles out of a cooler and one that has just come out of the oil. At this point, everyone was starving and orders quickly stacked up as they all put in their orders to try one or two of the items. Well, everyone except James, who decided he had to try everything... but eventually found himself defeated by the time he had tried four out of the five options - I guess we will be going back for that aloo pie. My favourite has always been a freshly fried Saheena with channa, and as I don't find them as often now that I live in the north of the island, I took the opportunity to have two with everything, slight pepper.
With a large group, everything takes a little longer, but after about 40 minutes we were on the road to Los Iros once again. I am very health conscious and I believe it is very important that we make sure to keep hydrated when we are on active adventures, particularly those that involve a lot of sun; so when we were about half an hour from Los Iros we made a quick stop at a bar in Siparia to grab a round of beers for the adults and waters for the kids.
There were no patrons at the bar when we got there, only the woman behind the bar and a waitress/cleaning lady. It was nearly 9am and the music was already pumping, a sweet mix of old soca and calypso. We sat down at some tables just outside the bar to take in the morning and had a little impromtu dance session as the rhythm of the music took over. Seeing that there was a lotto booth, we all decided to try our luck at winning the TTD 12 million jackpot... unsuccessfully. Just as we were packing up to head out, the next group of patrons arrived, three gentlemen that had clearly been continuing a great time that started much earlier.
We finished the last half hour drive to Los Iros Beach and parked in the empty lot just behind the beach bar. As we began our final preparations our welcoming party arrived- a few small dogs and a beautiful and very friendly cow with a passion for mangoes stopped in to say hello.
As my father, mother, and one of my brothers were planning to stay clean for the day, we decided we would drive down the old road to the mud volcano and save ourselves the walk there.
Finally we arrived at our destination, the Los Iros Mud Volcano.
In the last few years some enterprising individuals have taken the initiative to create a formal wood railed path to the mud volcano which makes the approach easier than it once was. As we approached, smaller pockets of mud bubbled merrily along the side of the path welcoming us to the site. The children in the group, and some of the adults, could be heard making excited noises, and one of the biggest children, my brother Alec, ran up to the first mound he saw to put mud on his face (for context Alec is 46).
We arrived, and what began as cautious toe-dipping soon turned into full-fledged mud play. Adults and children alike jumped, slid, and fell into the mud pool and began splashing around. The sensation of being in the mud volcano is unlike any other, the mud is thin enough to dive into but thick enough that you can't sink and can float with your arms an legs above its liquid surface.
I as always dunked my whole head almost immediately and looked like a mud monster from a 70's B movie. Others in the group worked hard to keep their hair clean; or like James to keep his entire face mud free. My parents and my brother Anthony did not go in the mud at all. Dad was the designated photographer, and Anthony was on cooler duty, making sure that everyone including himself was well hydrated.
The Los Iros Mud Volcano, a marvel of nature, is a testament to the geothermal activity lurking just below the Earth's crust. Contrary to what its name might suggest, this mud volcano isn't a true volcanic formation spewing molten lava. Instead, it's a vent or fissure from which warm, gooey mud bubbles up due to the underground escape of natural gases. When these gases mix with salt water and the local clay-rich soil, the result is a rich, dense mud. The surrounding landscape showcases dried, cracked earth, contrasting the bubbling, wet center. Over time, the continuous expulsion of this mud has created a large, soft pool, surrounded by a clearing of trees, which stands as a testament to the Earth's dynamic, ever-changing processes.
There is usually a bucket left in the pool which you can use to add fresh mud to the side of the hill to create a mud slide. The slide changes location visit to visit as guests change the path over time. It starts off a little rough but as each slider goes down the trail gets a little more slippery, a little smoother, and you can slide a little further down. When you have a group of kids and fun-loving adults, this can extend the entertainment for hours.
Everyone took turns sliding down the hill on repeat with each successive slide going a little further as we bucketed liquid mud onto the track and sliders spread it on their way down the hill.
While every stop on this trip was memorable, this was the real highlight of the day. Those of you who have played J'ouvert or Mud Mas on Carnival Monday morning or gone to a J'ouvert party may be familiar with the feeling of the mud on your skin (mud volcanoes are indeed the source for the mud used in most J'ouvert bands) but being submerged is a completely different experience. A great time was had by all and there were smiles on every face.
With the sun approaching midday, it was time to get ready to head off to the beach to cool off. We gathered for one last group photo as we packed up to head out. We loaded the cars up and those who had not gone into the mud drove back while those who had participated in the mud mas began their slow walk back. A few of the kids were loaded into the backs of cars lined with plastic which then followed the walkers.
The walk back to Los Iros Beach was as interesting as always; the liquid mud slowly dries on your body, then it begins to crack up and flake off. As the mud dries, it changes from a dark grey to almost white and the cool sensation of the liquid coating of mud changes into a hard shell and begins to warm in the sunshine. When we got to the beach the first stop was to run into the sea to start washing off. The waves welcomed us, quickly washing off the dried mud.
It comes off much easier than you'd expect but you do have a little rubbing and washing to get it out of your hair and clothes. After about 15 minutes in the sea you are all clean. Faster if its not in your hair. For me, I swam away from the group and took off my pants to clean it off properly. The water was just a little cloudy which was the perfect cover.
The beach served as a perfect spot to relax and rejuvenate. We sat on the beach, the gentle breeze whispering with the sounds of the ocean, our hearts light and content and had another beer while my mother brought out a tray of cookies. Those nice ones from Pricesmart that come with all of the different flavours, including my favourite oatmeal raisin which always seem to outlast their chocolate chip counterparts.
As the noon sun hovered above, the relaxed chatter among our group signaled that our beach retreat was drawing to a close. The scent of salt in the air and the rhythmic waves had been our backdrop, but the early signs of hunger started building anticipation for the next part of our journey. We brushed off the sand, took one last appreciative look at the sea, and set our course for Palkis, with appetites and spirits high.
The drive back up from Los Iros to Chaguanas was fairly uneventful but as we drew closer to our destination the weather changed from the brilliant blue skies that accompanied us through the day to heavy greys, storm clouds and pouring rain.
We arrived at Palki's at 2:30pm (literally on the minute!) in the pouring rain and, as always on my outings, there has to be some last minute adjustments: The restaurant has a private room for large groups which they planned to give us as we were 17 people but, while we were on the way there, they discovered that their air conditioner wasn't working so they moved us to the main restaurant. The tables weren't exactly laid out to keep the group together, but after some minor rearrangement of the restaurant we managed to get everyone to fit, and created a faux-extra long table with a corridor running through the center. A big thank you to the team at Palki's for allowing us to move around their tables.
The menu consists of authentic Indian and Hakka dishes which give you quite the range of options. Our lunch was incredible and with the size of the group we were able to try a wide range of dishes: samosas, spicy wantons, veggie rolls as appetizers; tandoori chicken, coconut fish, palak paneer, manchurian gobi, vegetable biryani, hakka fried rice, lamb rogen josh, and all types of naan: plain, garlic, and butter. The kids tried our food and had fries, and lollypop chicken which is a sweet and sour chicken with the base of the bone shaved.
After all of that you'd think we couldn't eat anymore but my nephew Emilio decided he had space for a slice of chocolate cake. That boy can eat, but he gets the sweet tooth from his mother, Deborah, who always says she has a second stomach for dessert.
At the end of the meal we settled up and made our way back home. The rain continued through the entirety of the meal and by the time we got into the cars, the roads in Chaguanas had started to flood which made for an eventful end of trip. We made it home at about 6:30 at the end (after a little traffic redirection around St. James due to the Hosay flag night festival).
Despite unexpected rain and road floods, our 12-hour adventure was filled with joy, camaraderie, and scrumptious food. Whether it was gliding down the mud slide, savoring street food in Debe, or enjoying the lavish spread at Palki's, the day was a beautiful blend of natural exploration and cultural indulgence.
Unlike my typical adventures, this trip wasn't about the hiking gear or rigorous exercise; it was about connection, fun, and the simple pleasure of being together with my family and friends who each added their unique flavour to the experience.
The drive from where we started in the north-west of Trinidad to Los Iros beach is about 2 hours without any additional stops of which about an hour of that is heading down the highway to the first stop in Debe. So if you ever want to do this yourself, just figure out how long it will take you to get to Debe and then add an hour of driving onto that plus stoppage time.
A truly exciting experience.. Definitely one for the books!