Batibou Beach

Batibou is a curve of golden sand between headlands on the north coast, backed by coconut palms with a river running out across it at one end, and it is the beach most often named when people say the island has no beaches worth the name. The water is protected by a reef at the mouth of the bay. Access is down a steep rough track that a normal car will struggle with, and there is a small bar on the sand and nothing else.

What you actually see

• The golden bay - a curve of sand between headlands, unusual on this coast.
• The palms - the coconut stand backing the whole length of the beach.
• The reef - the protection at the bay mouth that keeps the water usable.
• The river - the stream running out across the sand at one end.

When to go

December to April is dry and calmest. Atlantic swell in winter can still make it rough. The track is difficult after rain.

Honest expectations

The access track is genuinely rough and low cars should not attempt it. There is an access fee collected at the top. This is the Atlantic coast and currents can be strong.

Nearby

Red Rocks of Calibishie are east, and Hampstead Beach is west.