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Antigua & Barbuda
Antigua's corrugated coasts cradle hundreds of perfect little coves lapped by beguiling enamel-blue water, while the sheltered bays have provided refuge for everyone from Admiral Nelson to buccaneers and yachties. If you can tear yourself away from that towel, you'll discover that there’s a distinct English accent to this island. You'll find it in the bustling capital of St John's, in salty-glamorous English Harbour, and in the historical forts and other vestiges of the colonial past. Yet, Antigua is also quintessential Caribbean, full of candy-colored villages, a rum-infused mellowness and engaging locals who'll greet you with wide smiles.
Antigua's smaller sister island Barbuda was devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017 and is still busy rebuilding, though its extraordinary beaches were unaffected, meaning that travelers wanting to lounge on white sand, snorkel around pristine reefs and watch the famous frigate birds nesting should not hesitate to make the journey here.
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Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Antigua & Barbuda.
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Frigate Bird Sanctuary
Codrington Lagoon National Park protects a vast estuary that supports one of the world's largest colonies of frigate birds. More than 2500 of these black-feathered critters roost amid the scrubby mangroves. The birds’ nesting sites are abuzz with squawking, and the sight of all those blood-red inflating throat pouches is mesmerizing. The lagoon can only be visited by licensed sea taxi from the Codrington jetty. Make arrangements at least a day in advance through the tourist office.
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Rendezvous Bay
After a 90-minute walk through the rainforest (or by a far shorter stony path from Springhill Riding Stables in Falmouth) you'll arrive at one of Antigua's loveliest beaches. Because of its remoteness, you'll usually be alone here, or sharing with a couple of other adventurous romantics. The rainforest path starts near the Wallings Reservoir off Fig Tree Dr but is not signposted, so ask for directions locally. From Falmouth, follow the road past the stables uphill and just keep going.
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Nelson’s Dockyard National Park
Continuously in operation since 1745, this extensively restored Georgian-era marina is Antigua's top sightseeing draw and was made a Unesco World Heritage site in 2016. Today its restored buildings house restaurants, hotels and businesses, the most important of which is the Dockyard Museum, which features information on Antigua's history, the dockyard and life at the forts. Among the many trinkets on display is a telescope once used by Nelson himself.
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Half Moon Bay
Water the color of blue curaçao laps this white crescent in the remote southeast. Bodysurfers head to the south end, snorkelers to the calm waters north, and everyone meets at the two beach bars for grilled-fish lunches and rum cocktails. A new resort being built on the hillside above the south end of the beach may change it forever, though.
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Shirley Heights
This restored military lookout and gun battery was named after Sir Thomas Shirley (1727–1800), who became the first Governor of the Leeward Islands in 1781. Get some historical background at the small interpretive center, then head uphill to explore the grounds for crumbling ruins and enjoy sweeping views. Admission includes entry to Nelson's Dockyard and the Dow's Hill Interpretation Centre.
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Princess Diana Beach
This sublime southwest-facing beach is home to several ultra-exclusive resorts and housing developments under construction, but anyone is free to enjoy the often footprint-free sands lapped by the crystal-clear sea. Previously known as Coco Point Beach, it was renamed in honor of Princess Diana, who loved vacationing here, to mark what would have been her 50th birthday in 2011.
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Mt Obama
Antigua's 'Everest' rises a modest 1319ft in the island's southwestern corner as part of the Shekerley mountain range. Known as Boggy Peak until 2009 (Mt Obama is definitely an improvement), the mountain is crowned by dense trees and locked up telecommunications towers. This makes views only so-so unless you can get inside the compound.
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Wallings Dam & Reservoir
Built by the British around 1900, this Victorian-style dam originally created a reservoir holding 13 million gallons of water and supplied it to surrounding villages. In 1912, after three years of drought, it was drained and the area was reforested; it's now teeming with mahoe, ironwood, locust, mango, white cedar and other tree species.
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Betty's Hope
Ponder Antigua's colonial past while poking around a restored stone windmill, as well as remnants of the Great House, the distillery and other buildings of the island's first sugar plantation, established in 1674 by Christopher Codrington and named for his daughter. An interpretive center demystifies the sugar-making process and provides glimpses into the hardship of daily life on the plantation, which had around 400 slaves at its peak.
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