Awesome Activities Include Snorkeling, Sailing, Caving & More…
Antigua and Barbuda are a Caribbean nation in the eastern Caribbean sea (Leeward Islands), just north of Guadeloupe and east of St. Kitts. Known as the sailing capital of the English Caribbean, Antigua is famous for it’s 365 white sand beaches and excellent cuisine. That said, there are plenty of adventures to make you feel alive, both on land as well as in & on the water!
While vacationing in the Caribbean, it’s always great fun to get off the resort and really explore the island. Antigua and Barbuda adventures are waiting…
Surrounded by protective reefs and outer islands, Antigua & Barbuda offers some really good Caribbean snorkeling, diving, sailing, fishing and water sports. It’s also good to know that there’s plenty of action on the islands themselves as well. Here’s our recommendations for experiencing Caribbean adventures in Antigua and Barbuda…
Snorkel Antigua’s Coral Reefs
Practically surrounded by vibrant coral reefs, Antigua is a great place for Caribbean snorkeling. Explore Antigua’s clear multi-hued blue waters full of diverse sea-life, including colourful fish, coral and sponges! Discover an alien world that you just can’t experience on land…
Slip into the warm Caribbean Sea and snorkel right off the beach on the island’s west side at places like Hawksbill Bay and Darkwood Beach. There are also some sheltered bays on the east coast that are good for beach-goers to snorkel from.
Antigua’s well known and perhaps best snorkeling site, Cades Reef is just a short boat ride from the south-west coast – This 2 mile (3km) long barrier reef has snorkeling locations like Coral Gardens, School House, Passage and Aquarium. There are also good snorkeling locations in the popular English Harbour area – Here you’ll enjoy snorkeling in the shadow of the Pillars of Hercules, or perhaps over a shipwreck in the protection of Freeman’s Bay. There’s also a 3 mast shipwreck in the shallow waters of Deep Bay near St. John’s. Good snorkeling can also be found via a short boat ride to a few of the off-shore islands near the north-east coast of Antigua.
Of course, no trip to Antigua is complete without visiting Stingray City. While you can snorkel there, the main attraction is having Southern Stingrays swim around your legs. If you’re brave enough, you can even hold one of the gentle creatures – kind of a once in a lifetime experience! Antigua’s Stingray City is located about a mile (2km) from the coast, yet the man-made dock floats just 3 to 4 feet (1m) above the sandy ocean floor. The large 5 feet (1.5m) wide females are very sociable as they swim slowly around, while the smaller males dart swiftly around and through the crowd.
For more information on Antigua’s snorkeling sites, plus a listing of tour/boat operators, click on our Antigua & Barbuda Snorkeling page
Want to see more? Check out our Snorkel Antigua’s Great Bird Island, and Snorkel Antigua’s Long Bay videos on YouTube!
For a more colourful and detailed story on Stingray City, check out our personal experience by reading our Stingray City Antigua blog post.
Sail Around Antigua & Barbuda
Antigua has a long and storied sailing history that dates back way before Horatio Nelson’s famed stay on the island. Today, Antigua’s annual ‘Sailing Week’ attracts dozens of yachts and hundreds of visitors from around the world to Nelson’s Dockyard for the Caribbean’s top Regatta.
For visitors to the Caribbean islands, an Antigua & Barbuda sailing adventure provides an opportunity to experience the islands from a unique perspective. Cruise quietly along the coasts of Antigua & Barbuda with a refreshing cool wind at your back and delightful sights just glide by… See the mountainous south-west of Antigua, as well as the island’s many forts, bays and off-shore islands, across a stretch of gorgeous multi-hued blue waters!
Sailing excursions also provide plenty of opportunities to snorkel and dive along the way. If you’re up to the challenge, you can even join a crew for some races in English Harbour! Of course, watching the sun set from sea with someone special also has it’s charms.
For more information about sailing in Antigua, including boat operators and yacht charters (with or without a crew), click on our Antigua & Barbuda Sailing page
Explore Amazing Caves in Barbuda
Escape the ever-present sun by journeying underground to a world of natural subterranean limestone caverns and sea caves. It can be a bewildering experience venturing into sub-terrain grottoes to witness eerie stalagmites, stalactites and flow-stones up-close and personal. There may be bats in the caves, or even petroglyph paintings on the walls to examine!
Two Foot Bay Cave is a short walk from Barbuda’s pink sand beaches and is home to bats, crabs, iguanas and birds. Ancient petroglyphs can be seen on the cave walls – Amazing!
Journey out from Burbuda’s main town of Codrington to see the astonishing Darby Cave, a massive sinkhole with it’s own forest and plenty of long stalactites. You’ll be in awe.
Hike a couple of miles (3km) farther out and you’ll encounter an amazingly bizarre grotto called Dark Cave. It’s filled with water and you’re sure to see bats and maybe even some of the resident blind shrimp.
For more information about Antigua and Barbuda caves, plus tours operators to get you there, check out our Antigua & Barbuda Caving page
Dive Antigua’s Coral Reefs
Antigua and its neighbouring islands boast over 40 dive sites, some in relatively shallow water and others in the deeper more complex underwater terrain south of Antigua. If you’ve always wanted to try scuba diving, Antigua is a great place to get started – there is a dive school on the island along with several Dive Centres offering PADI certification.
Antigua diving provides opportunities to view a diverse collection of coral, sponges, sea fans and other interesting marine life. The island’s reefs are also home to schools of colourful fish as well as eels, lobsters and crabs. Antigua’s south-west coast offers some good coral covered ledges and deep plunging walls to explore along with crystal-clear dive sites in and around the popular Cades Reef area. The English Harbour area has plenty of sunken boulders, rocks and wrecks providing more diverse and exciting places to examine.
For more information on the islands’ dive sites, along with a listing of dive centres and boat operators, click on our Antigua & Barbuda Diving page
Fish the Turquoise Waters of Antigua & Barbuda
Head out from Antigua for some serious Atlantic Ocean ‘deep sea’ fishing to bring in some big game sport fish like Marlin, Wahoo, Mahi Mahi, Tuna, Kingfish and Sailfish. For the competitor fisherman in you, you can join the annual Antigua & Barbuda Sport Fishing Tournament.
Barbuda has some more great fishing options closer to shore. Fish in the shallows for good eating fish like Bass, Grouper and Snapper. If fly-fishing is more your thing, settle down near Barbuda’s Codrington Lagoon and bring in some Bone fish, Tarpon, Snook and Barracuda.
For more Antigua & Barbuda fishing information, including a list of boat operators to get you out there, click on our Antigua & Barbuda Fishing page
Hike Under the Sun in Antigua
A great way to experience the natural beauty of Antigua is by hiking one of it’s surprisingly enjoyable trails. The island offers some easy coastal sight-seeing walking trails as well as some more challenging hilly trails. The best thing is… Most Antigua hiking trails offer rewarding picturesque views of the island and Caribbean Sea from hill-tops or coastal vantage points.
There are several popular Antigua hiking trails located near Nelson’s Dockyard National Park, most of which lead to Shirley Heights, one of the best places in Antigua for taking pictures of iconic English Harbour. They include the Carpenters Rock Trail, which passes the remains of Fort Charlotte, as well as the steeper Lookout Trail.
Monks Hill Trail, with its spectacular view of Falmouth Harbour, as well as Middle Ground Trail which crosses the small peninsula between English and Falmouth Harbours ending at historic Fort Berkeley, are also in the area.
Not to be missed, there are a number of remote trails amid the rolling hills and volcanic features of the rain-forest area called the “Green Corridor” – This quiet area includes the Wallings Nature Reserve, Christian Valley, as well as the ultimate Antigua hiking trail, Mount Obama – The island’s highest peak at 1,330 feet (405m) above sea level.
For more detailed descriptions of our favourite Antigua Hiking Trails, click on our Antigua’s Best Hiking blog post.
For a more complete list of Antigua & Barbuda hiking trails, as well as a listing of hiking guides, check out our Antigua & Barbuda Hiking page
Get On the Waters of Antigua & Barbuda
With plenty of healthy mangroves and numerous beaches, bays and inlets along 100 miles (160km) of coastline, Antigua & Barbuda are ideal for enjoying Caribbean Water Sports. All in the comfortable warmth of the Caribbean sun!
There’s some great kayaking available in Antigua’s North Sound Marine Park and the mangrove forests of the nearby off-shore islands. There’s more mangroves to explore by kayak on the south-west coast of the island as well. Probing the island’s tranquil mangrove inlets and lagoons is the perfect speed for sightseeing wildlife and enjoying nature in shallow calm waters. A local guide can show you some native marine life, including sea-grasses, mysterious sea cucumbers, jellyfish and spectacular starfish.
If you have a need for more speed… Antigua’s east coast trade-winds are ideal for surfing, windsurfing and kite-surfing. Same thing holds for Barbuda’s remote crowd-less beaches. You can partake in the action yourself, or just hang around and check out “the scene”.
For a more colourful story about our personal water sports experience, check out our Antigua kayaking-snorkelling-hiking blog
For more information on the islands’ water-sports options, including a list of tours, lessons and equipment rentals, click on our Antigua & Barbuda Water Sports page
Get to Know Antigua by Bike
Get some fresh air and exercise while getting to know Antigua better. Antigua cycling provides great views of the Caribbean Sea and on a clear day, even some neighbouring islands. Ride on Antigua’s scenic coastal roads or cross-country routes, some of which even include some nice hilly terrain. Take an excursion with a local cycling tour operator who knows the island well or even rent a bike and venture out on your own.
Popular regions to cycle on Antigua include areas near the capital St. John’s as well as less busy areas like Devil’s Bridge & Long Bay, Half Moon Bay, Falmouth Harbour, Rendezvous Bay, Darkwood Beach and Jolly Harbour. There’s also the hilly road to Shirley Heights as well as more challenging routes to Mount Obama, Fort George and McNish Mountain.
For more Antigua cycling information, including a list of cycling tours and bike rentals, click on our Antigua & Barbuda Cycling page
Have fun out there!
ACT Staff
Once you’ve had your fill of action and want to slow-it-down a bit, check out our recommended Things To Do in Antigua & Barbuda
For an overview of the “land of sun and sea”, take a look at our Antigua & Barbuda Vacations page
