Antigua Attractions – Devil’s Bridge National Park
Not one for the beach, I’m always looking for something to do while vacationing in the Caribbean. While staying in Antigua we visited a natural attraction on the east coast of the island known as Devil’s Bridge – Don’t worry, it sounds a lot more ominous and scarier than it really is 😉
Devil’s Bridge is a natural rock formation created over time by the power of the sea. A bird-eye view of the area reveals a land mass that juts out into the rough Atlantic Ocean with the sea forming the shape of a can-opener. Right at the pointy end, the water is forced into a cul-de-sac, where the water has nowhere to go… but up! Years and years of relentless waves crashing against the limestone cliffs have eroded the lower sections resulting in a stone structure bridging over the water. Not only does this rock platform span over the sea, it is also partially separated from the shore’s cliff. If you time your visit just right at high-tide, you’ll be able to witness the waves being forced under the bridge and shooting up in the air from the blow-hole created by the gap between the bridge and the mainland.
Finding this natural attraction among all the many small peninsulas along the jagged Antigua coastline is easier than it sounds. You can find it in the coastal township of Willikies, in Saint Philip Parish. Devil’s Bridge is actually designated as an Antigua National Park (formerly known as Indian Town Point National Park), although you would never know it if it wasn’t for the unassuming sign on the road. The sign marks the spot to turn off the road that travels to the Pineapple Beach Club and Verandah Resort. Instead, turn off and venture down the dirt/gravel road that takes you to the tip of the peninsula that is Indian Town Point.
We happened to be staying practically right next door, so we decided to walk over to Devil’s Bridge. We hiked for a little over half an hour to cover the 1.25 mile (2 km) distance to reach the end of the peninsula. While it doesn’t sound that far, hiking under that relentless Antiguan sun made it kind of feel a little longer. That said, we enjoyed the quiet desert like environment and took the opportunity to appreciate the flora along both shorelines of Indian Town Point. There is plenty of low scrub and cactus for sure, although we really enjoyed several magnificent coastal views of turquoise water along the way. Except for the occasional tour operator mini van and construction truck (on it’s way to the new resort being built), there was not another soul in sight on the long dusty road to Devil’s Bridge.
As we neared the end of the peninsula, we could see some local vendors had displays set-up to sell their wares – They face tough competition from the natural spectacle everyone has come to see. Once we got closer we could feel the wind picking up and we could hear the waves pounding against the seaside cliffs. Ahhhh… the main attraction came into view…
The natural bridge looks to have cracked away from the mainland leaving a gap of a foot or two before widening to a mini-chasm several foot across. This is where the action is – We watched as waves crashed into the tight opening and the water had nowhere to go but up! We did not experience the action at high tide, however I understand the right wave will shoot pretty high into the air – Not a time to be standing out on the bridge, as you wouldn’t want to get washed over the side and get thrown against the jagged cliffs. After observing the crashing waves for a while, I decided to venture out on the bridge for a brief moment.
It’s always fascinating to experience the force of nature in action. After a few seconds I returned to the safety of the mainland, just a little damp from the near-constant spray and mist in the air.
As amazing as the bridge is, the sea also leaves behind more subtle reminders of it’s ever presence. The rocky ground is bumpy and pitted everywhere. Most of the pits and holes near the shoreline are constantly filling with up with sea water only to evaporate under the blazing sun. This perpetual process eventually leaves many of the pits filled with a solid mass of salt crystalline. Having just left a cold and snow covered landscape behind up north, the opaque substance filling the holes at first looked like ice, however my thoughts soon turned to wax – It was a really cool site I’ve never witnessed before on this scale. Bending down closer to examine the phenomenon, the texture of the salty material appears soft but is actually quite hard, definitely more like hard wax.
We wandered around for a while, also taking in the view of Devil’s Bridge from the other side of the water-filled opening. The rocky surface of the shore seems like something you would see on the moon – Whiter in colour and again covered in bumpy pits. A sure reflection of it’s creation from a tortured past.
While we took the long road route to reach Devil’s Bridge, we found a short-cut along a small beach for our return journey. What a great way to spend a couple of hours on this Caribbean paradise.
FYI – The annual Antigua & Barbuda International Kite Festival is held at Devil’s Bridge – With all that wind, it must be a spectacular sight to see hundreds of kites dancing away in the sky!
Devil’s Bridge is a fairly popular tourist attraction on the island, so there’s many options for tour operators who will bring you there. Here’s a link to our list of tour operators that can show you this and other attractions on the island – Antigua Land Excursions
ACT Staff
Want to see more? Check out our Antigua’s Devil’s Bridge video on YouTube!
For other popular Tourist Attractions on the island, check out our Things to Do in Antigua and Barbuda blog
For the cycling enthusiast, this area is a good place to explore on two wheels! For more info on biking the island, check out our Antigua Cycling page.
For an overview of the “land of sun and sea”, feel free to check-out our Antigua & Barbuda Vacations page.
