Barbuda

Barbuda, the tranquil and far less-visited sister island of Antigua, is a pristine, wild escape of glorious emptiness. Low, flat and sparsely populated, it is ringed by some of the most beautiful and deserted beaches in the Caribbean, above all a legendary, seemingly endless stretch of soft, pink-tinged sand where you may not see another soul. Its vast Codrington Lagoon shelters one of the largest frigate bird colonies in the world, where thousands of the great seabirds nest, the males inflating their scarlet throat pouches, a spectacular sight reached by boat. Wild, unspoilt and utterly peaceful, Barbuda is a rare Caribbean idyll.

History

Hunter-gatherers who came by canoe settled the island around 3000 BC, leaving shell tools along the south-west coast, and they were followed by Arawaks from at least 1000 BC, who grew sweet potatoes, maize, cotton and tobacco, made Saladoid pottery with white-on-red designs and were most numerous between 1,500 and 800 years ago, and later by the Kalinago, who called the island Wa'omoni and came mostly to gather food. After early Spanish and then French settlement the English founded a colony in 1666, and in 1685 the island was leased to the brothers John and Christopher Codrington; in the early 1700s the Royal Navy had to defend Codrington against Kalinago raids, and slavery was abolished in 1834 (Wikipedia, Barbuda).

Highlights

• The pink-sand beaches - the endless, deserted pink shores.
• The frigate bird colony - the vast seabird colony in the lagoon.
• Codrington Lagoon - the tranquil lagoon and boat trips.
• The wild solitude - the empty, unspoilt island.

When to go

December to April, the dry season, for the best weather and calmest seas; Barbuda is reached by a boat or short flight from Antigua, ideally with an overnight to savour its solitude. The frigate bird colony is visited by boat, spectacular in the nesting season when the males display their scarlet pouches.

Things to know

Barbuda is genuinely remote and undeveloped, with very limited facilities and accommodation, made more so after severe hurricane damage in 2017 from which it is still recovering, so it suits those seeking wild, empty beaches and nature rather than any amenities or nightlife. For the reward of some of the most beautiful, deserted pink-sand beaches in the Caribbean and a spectacular frigate bird colony, in glorious peace and solitude, though, Barbuda is a rare and magical escape.

Nearby

The main island of Antigua is a boat or short flight away.

Key facts