Barbuda lies 27 miles to the North of Antigua and is its lovely, quiet sister island famed for its pink sand beaches and colonies of Frigate Birds. You can get there from Antigua on the Barbuda Express, a catamaran service which operates seven days a week and takes just 90 minutes and you can visit for the day returning to Antigua in the afternoon. An alternative service uses the Excellence, a luxury class catamaran, or you could fly there from VC Bird Airport in St John's.
Barbuda is a flat island so if you are arriving by boat you won't see anything until you are almost there. The beaches are composed of tiny pink shells and the water is perfectly clear and sparkling blue. There is very little shade on the beaches however so take care and wear plenty of sun block and a hat!
The Frigate Bird Sanctuary is well worth a visit, especially during the breeding season as the fluffy, white young are a wonderful sight sitting on their nests, in marked contrast to the darker adults. Adult females have a white underbelly but the males have a distinctive red pouch at the throat that is inflated to attract the females in the mating season. Females lay only one egg each year and the length of time that the parents care for the young is longer than any other bird. T
he adults also have the largest wing span to weight of body ratio of any bird and consequently have difficulty walking. They spend most of their time in the air, only landing on cliffs and trees to roost or breed. Barbuda is also famous for its succulent lobsters and other wildlife includes tortoises, Fallow Deer, boar and the inevitable donkey!
Huge caves dot Barbuda especially at Two Foot Bay. Ancient cave drawings can be seen in one cave and Derby cave is famous for the Sink Hole, a vertical sided hole that is around 350ft in diameter. Lush vegetation grows in the cave, tall Palmetto Palms and lianas grow over the edge. Ferns grow in the damp earth and there are many birds. the tropical forest atmosphere in in marked contrast to the surrounding land which is very dry. There are also huge stalagmites that are formed by water dripping from the overhanging cliff. One is eight feet tall and at least two feet in diameter with a greenish white color.
If you would like to stay on Barbuda there are some wonderful hotels including Coco Point Lodge, located on a beautiful, pristine beach where you can enjoy windsurfing, deepsea fishing or waterskiing and North Beach which is a short boat ride from Codrington. North Beach has been described as 'mind numbingly beautiful' by a recent guest and is quiet and exclusive. However these wonderful hotels are not for the budget traveller!
There are also a few guest houses, mostly located in Codrington, such as the The Beach House, Palm Tree Guest House and Nedd's Guesthouse. Although not located on a beach they are reasonably priced and run by friendly Barbudans.
You can book a tour with the Barbuda Express to visit the Frigate Bird Sanctuary, the caves and enjoy a lobster lunch on the beach.
Images by xstevex1 (the pink sand beach) and The Tardigrade (the magnificent Frigate Bird)
