CaribbeanTravel.com Directory - (Page 6) ANTIGUA & BARBUDA beaches are just THE BEGINNING O nce a hiding place for pirates and the stronghold of the British Navy, the cove-scalloped island of Antigua now harbors friendly, intimate luxury resorts. Today’s visitors come mostly for the 365 white- and pink-sand beaches and the reef-sheltered waters. Each beach has its own personality. Among the liveliest are Dickenson Bay, Runaway and Pigeon’s Point. Fort Bay Beach is a great place to join a game of beach volleyball or cricket. For calm waters, families often head for Half Moon Bay (a National Park) and Long Bay. Land sports range from golf, tennis and horseback riding to world-class bird watching and even a zip-line canopy adventure. Historic sites, low-key casinos and a reputation for top-notch service also help Antigua, and its barely developed sister island Barbuda, appeal to a wide array of interests. DIVING AND ECO-ADVENTURES Shipwrecks, coral reefs, shelves, ledges and walls, plus underwater visibility to 140 feet, provide excellent conditions for diving and snorkeling around Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua eco-adventures also include kayaking through mangroves, swimming with rays, turtle watching and exploring Indian Town National Park — thought to be a former Arawak site and home to Devil’s Bridge, a natural limestone arch carved by the sea. Uninhabited satellite isles such as Great Bird Island offer the chance to see endangered species, including West Indian whistling ducks, red-billed tropicbirds and the Antiguan racer snake, found only here. Birders also can sail to the Frigate Bird Sanctuary on Barbuda to see how many of the 170-plus species they can spot. Barbuda also offers licensed hunting of deer, boar and various game fowl. Near constant trade winds create ideal conditions for yachting and all types of sailing and windsurfing. Antigua hosts one of the world’s premier sailing regattas; during ANTIGUA & BARBUDA GEOGRAPHY: Antigua is 108 square miles with low undulating hills rising slightly in the south. The heavily indented coastline provides many bays and harbors. Highest point is Boggy Peak, 1,319 feet high. Barbuda is a 62-squaremile coral island 28 miles northeast of Antigua. Its highest point, Highland Hills, is 125 feet above sea level. LANGUAGE: English. POPULATION: Antigua 70,000. Barbuda 1,500. CLIMATE: Average temperatures High/Low: Summer 85ºF/77ºF. Winter 82ºF/75ºF. Average annual rainfall: 45 inches. TIME: EST +1. GMT -4. 6 www.caribbeantravel .c om http://www.caribbeantravel.com
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.