Acono – Exploring The Bancal River

Maracas St Joesph

Maracas Saint Joseph:

The colloquial name used to distinguish the Maracas Valley above the town of Saint Joseph from Maracas Beach. Maracas Saint Joseph is one of the large valleys on the southern side of the Northern Range.

It is known for its scenic views and lush greenery. Many visit to view birds or hike to the Maracas Waterfall on a daily basis.

Lying north of the old capital of Spanish Trinidad (1592-1784), the valley was one of the first areas to be settled in Trinidad.

 

Acono village:

Part of the Maracas Saint Joseph Valley is a place worth exploring.

It is filled with numerous trails that connect to various places on the north coast.

Places like Yarra, Maracas Bay, La Fillette, and even Caura, can be reach by hiking.

Maracas St Joesph

Bancal Exploration:

Followed Bancal Road can take you out to Caura.

This road is not accessible by car, it would take less than hour walk from the top of the road through the lush hillside into Caura village.

A random Saturday we decide to take to a tributary for a little exploration along the Bancal Road hillside.

I have been to the river before to one of the pools, but today we decided to go up the river to see what other hidden goodies there are.

 

 

The river wasn’t much to talk about, there where some small pools, great for taking a splash, and the rock formations where excellent for sliding on the way back.

We walked up river for about thirty minutes before turning back, because we came upon a tank being filled by the river. This connected by pipes that ran along the riverbank seem to go down stream to someone’s house.

The water however was clean and cold, and some rocks where slippery, there was even bats sleeping in one of the caved rocks.

Looking forward to exploring more of Acono in the future to find more spots like these.

 

Google map showing trail and location.