North Point and River Bay
The island's northern tip, where the Atlantic has undercut the coral into blowholes, arches and a river-fed inlet.
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The northern tip of Barbados takes the Atlantic full on, and the coral limestone there has been cut into a landscape of undercut ledges, blowholes and sea arches, with spray coming up through holes in the rock some distance inland. The Animal Flower Cave sits at the very point, a sea cave with pools you can swim in and openings looking out at the ocean. A few minutes east, River Bay is a small inlet where a gully meets the sea, with a grass picnic area above it that Barbadians have used for generations and a rocky beach where the water surges in and out.
What you actually see
- The undercut coast - ledges, blowholes and arches along the point.
- Animal Flower Cave - a sea cave with pools and ocean windows.
- River Bay - the inlet and picnic ground east of the point.
- The Atlantic - open ocean with nothing between here and Africa.
When to go
December to April is the dry season, though winter Atlantic swell is largest then, which makes the blowholes dramatic and the rocks dangerous. Animal Flower Cave closes when the sea is up. Weekends bring Barbadian families to River Bay.
Honest expectations
The rocks here are undercut, sharp and slippery, and the Atlantic sweeps them without warning; people have been washed off. Animal Flower Cave closes in swell and the pools are not always accessible. There is no swimming at River Bay in any sea. Facilities beyond the cave are minimal.
Nearby
Speightstown is 25 minutes south; Cherry Tree Hill is southeast.
What to pack for North Point and River Bay
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
