Long before the word "eco-tourism" became a mantra for conservationists, Trinidad and Tobago's Asa Wright Nature Centre and Lodge already had fine-tuned the formula that married tourism with nature.

The 720-acre nature centre, nestled on the slopes of the Northern Range of the island of Trinidad, quietly has been carving a name for itself over the past 31 years.

And, for its success in protecting the area and teaching locals and visitors to appreciate the diversity of the island's flora and fauna, the nature centre recently was given the 1998 Islands Magazine Eco-tourism Award.

 "Asa Wright began providing an eco-tourism experience for visitors years before this kind of tourism had a label," says Joan Tapper, editor of Islands Magazine. "It has conserved this beautiful valley…[and] its role as mentor is certainly what made this project stand out among this year's 86 nominees."

 Receiving an eco-tourism award is a coup for the nature centre and another feather in the cap of Trinidad and Tobago. The tiny twin-island nation of 1.3 million people just off the coast of Venezuela probably is best known in tourism circles for the revelry and splendor of its annual Carnival celebration. But splendor of a natural sort can be found at nearly every turn.

 Trinidad, the larger island at roughly 1,800 square miles, has about 2,300 species of flowering plants, more than 600 varieties of butterflies and 430 species of birds. Not surprisingly, it has become a haven for bird-watchers and naturalist filmmakers such as Sir David Attenborough. And Asa Wright, a bird-watcher's paradise, is a prime place to become immersed in tropical flora and fauna.

 About 1,300 feet up the slopes of the Northern Range Mountains, Asa Wright overlooks the steep valley of the Arima River. At the base of the valley, about 10 miles away, is the historic town of Arima - a 90-minute scenic drive from the nation's capital, Port of Spain.

 The wildlife sanctuary boast that on the verandah of the main lodge a visitor likely will see 25 to 30 species of birds before breakfast.

 The first sounds overnight visitors hear each day are the raucous chatter of the crested oropendola and the anvil-like chorus of the bearded bill bird. When they step out the door, tourists enter a garden of birds and butterflies.

 A typical day at the lodge begins on the verandah at 6 am with freshly brewed "Lodge coffee" made from coffee beans grown in the area, homemade breads and pastries, and jams and jellies.

 Eco-tourists usually get an early start to observe as many birds, animals and plants as possible. With the assistance of guides, hikers search for swallow-tailed kites, ornate hawk eagles and the notorious bat falcon.

 During the middle of the day, guests can relax at the lodge. Most will head back out in the evening for a night walk to look for owls and view the breeding colony of the nocturnal oilbird.

 Expert guides at Asa Wright can identify each type of bird by sight or sound. Jogi, for instance, who has been guiding birders for 50 years, sometimes tape-records a bird's call and then attracts more birds by playing the recording.

 Although exploring the countryside is part of the lure of eco-tourism, even visitors who choose to loll on the lodge's verandah will feel as if they are within arm's reach of hundreds of birds. Just below the wooden veranda is an array of feeders that the centre's guides fill with fruit each morning.

 You can sit for hours with a pair of binoculars and be overwhelmed by the sheer diversity and colour of birds that sit on branches just a few feet away. Hummingbirds, honeycreepers, cocoa thrushes, woodpeckers, motmots, oropendolas, tanagers and manakins buzz the area in a blur of colour.

 Developing Asa Wright was not easy, says Ian Lambie, president and CEO of the centre. To endure the nature centre's financial stability, the directors had to convert a 90-year-old great house (or estate) on the property into guest housing.

 Today, the main lodge also has a magnificent dining room and a gift shop. A few cottages up and down the slope from the lodge provide additional accommodations.

 The nature centre takes its name from a woman named Asa Wright who came to Trinidad from Iceland during the early 1900s and married a plantation owner.

 The plantation, call Spring Hill at that time, was a cocoa and coffee growing property renowned for its abundant and varies bird life.

 The plantation was purchased for Wright by area naturalists and conservationists, and the Asa Wright Nature Centre was established in October 1967. Wright, who died in 1971, continued to be active in efforts to preserve the plantation and its population of birds, animals and plants.

 Lambie says he is surprised the centre was given the eco-tourism award because it maintains a low profile. Although it has a Web site and does a smattering of advertising, Asa Wright depends mainly on work-of-mouth to recruit visitors, Lambie says.

 "The centre was well ahead of its time when it first started," said Lambie. "Many eco-lodges the world over are now following in Asa Wright's footsteps."