Located at 1,200 feet in the mountains of the Northern Range, seven miles north of the town of Arima, the Asa Wright Nature Centre (AWNC) is a world-class natural history destination for students of tropical ecology and is a place of particular interest to birdwatchers.

The AWNC is a “Not-for-Profit” Trust established in 1967 by a group of naturalist and birds watchers to “protect part of the Arima Valley in a natural state and to create conservation and study area for the protection of wildlife and for the enjoyment of all.” It was one of the first nature centres to be established in the Caribbean.

Comprising nearly 1,500 acres of mainly forested land in Arima and Aripo Valleys of the northern Range, the AWNC’s properties will be retained under forest cover in perpetuity, to protect the community watershed and provide important wildlife habitat.  The Centre’s main facilities are located on a former cocoa-coffee-citrus plantation, previously known as the Spring Hill Estate. This estate has now been partly reclaimed by secondary forest on the steeper slopes have a canopy of 100-150 feet. The whole effect is one of being deep in tropical rainforest.

A special attraction on the property is a breeding colony of the nocturnal Oilbird, or Guacharo (Steatornis caripensis). Located in Dunston Cave, a beautiful riparian grotto, it is perhaps the most easily accessible colony known for this remarkable species.

 Indeed, the World Wildlife Fund made a substantial contribution toward the establishment of the Centre in order to protect the colony. Under talented professional leadership from its volunteer international and locally based board of management, the AMNC has developed its efforts in there major area: Education, Conservation and Ecotourism.

It is now widely recognized as one of the most successful ecotourism stories in the world. Since its inception, the AWNC has been a leader in ecotourism. It remains a world-class leader in this field, unsurpassed not only in Trinidad and Tobago but across the Caribbean, and is a world renowned nature destination. In recognition of its contribution to conservation, the Nature Centre has been the recipient of several prestigious national, regional and international awards.