Check out the best of Tours and Activities in Antigua. From Dive Spots and Snorkeling to the inside info on Tours and Activities...
Check here for the best Tours and Activities in Antigua
Events...
Coming in July 2005...
CARIBBEAN COMEDY FESTIVAL
HOLY FAMILY CATHOLIC PARISH BAZAAR & FOOD FAIR -
Annual event held at the Michael's Mount in St. John's. International food, culture, games and competitions for a good family day out .
ANTIGUA YACHT CLUB – GREEN ISLAND WEEKEND
16 |
FIELD TRIP organized by the Environmental Awareness Group. |
23 |
48th ANTIGUA CARNIVAL |
Antigua & Barbuda
News
Tipping/Gratuities:
Same as in the US; 10-15% depending on the service. Some restaurants & hotels will automatically add a 10% gratuity. If in doubt, just ask. Give porters and bellhops 50 cents per bag, taxi drivers 10-15% of the fare.
Telephones:
Calling the U.S. is easy from Antigua and Barbuda. Most hotels offer USA Direct calling service, or can connect you with a U.S. operator for calling home.
Taxes:
Antigua & Barbuda has a US$20.00 airport departure tax, a room tax of 8.5% and service charge of 10% (in lieu of tipping).
Currency/Money:
Official currency is the Eastern Caribbean dollar, which is fixed to the US dollar. Recent exchange rate was US$1.00 = EC$2.65. US currency, traveler's checks and major credit cards are welcome everywhere.
Medical Facilities:
There are several general practitioners and specialists on the island, a hospital and a private clinic. No vaccinations are required unless the visitor is arriving from an endemic area. Recompression chambers are available by air ambulance at nearby Saba and in St. Thomas. Pharmaceutical services are widely available.
Passports & Immigration:
U.S., Canadian and U.K. nationals require proof of citizenship--a valid passport, original or certified birth certificate. U.S. residents and others should contact the nearest tourist office for entry requirements.
Traveling with Pets
The following guidelines must be followed when importing any animal into Antigua & Barbuda:
Antigua and Barbuda...The Caribbean as you have always imagined 
| Diving and Snorkeling...Antigua & Barbuda has hundreds of wrecks to explore and good shelf diving. They also offer some of the most unique marinelife in the Caribbean. |
Walking and Hiking: Hiking has been slowly developed as an organized activity, although Antigua has many trails and tracks that are well suited to it. Most of the popular hikes lead to one or another of the island's many hilltop fortifications: Fort George sits atop Monk's Hill, and Fort Barrington (captured by the French in 1666) is on the promontory at Deep Bay. The Historical and Archaeological Society frequently arranges group hikes.
Golfing: There are two golf courses on the Antigua: an 18-hole, 70-par course at the Cedar Valley Golf Club and another at Jolly Harbour. The K-Club on Barbuda also has its own 9-hole.
Adventure Antigua: Eco Tour
Take the opportunity to explore the wild side of Antigua and Barbuda. Mangrove swamps, bird watching and reef snorkelling are available on the island.
This tour takes small groups of people to areas off the beaten track. Islands Magazine recommends this tour these tours in Antigua.
Enchanting 'Stingray City' Antigua, fringed and protected by its own reef is where the delightfully calm, crystal-clear waters make possible an actual swim with the rays. The unbeatable scenery and pristine coral reef encircling the area enhance this amazing experience, second to none in the world.
Sportfishing, bonefish in Barbuda's Codrington Lagoon, hunting of deer, boar, various gamefowl on Barbuda. Licenses and gun permits must be obtained in Codrington Village. The Antigua and Barbuda Annual Sport Fishing Tournament is held in May of each year.
Yachting
Sailing is Antigua's blood, and has been a central part of The Island's culture for centuries, ever since the British under Horatio Nelson made English Harbour their Caribbean base to fight the French. More peaceful marine battles are staged today, with the international racing boats, recreational yachts, and classic sailboats of Antigua's annual Sailing Week. If you are not into competitive sailing however, most hotels have Sunfish or Sailfish, and a number of companies hire yachts for you to sail skippered or self sail around the Island.
There are 365 beaches on Antigua, one for each day of the year. The great majority rest inside the calm, protected waters of the island's Caribbean side. All are open to the public.
Dickenson Bay and Runaway Bay, located along the island's developed northwestern coast, are the place to go for those who want the fully-loaded resort beach experience.
The beaches of the hilly southwest corner of Antigua
are especially quiet beaches worth the rough travel necessary to reach them.
On the southeast corner of the island is Half Moon Bay, now a National Park and a good choice for a family outing. Long Bay, on the easternmost point of the island, is another good choice for families, as it is completely protected by its reef.
Barbuda's smooth coastline is edged with long pink and white sand beaches protected by barrier reefs. The pristine pink beaches of the southwestern shore stretch as far as ten miles without interruption.Is so nice!
From the Heights one can look far out over English Harbour, and on Sunday afternoons the view is accompanied by barbecue, rum punch, and the plangent strains of steel band and reggae music. The site is named for General Shirley, Governor of the Leeward Islands when the area was fortified in the late eighteenth century. Close by is the cemetery, in which stands an obelisk erected in honour of the soldiers of the 54th regiment.
Antigua and Barbuda are almost completely surrounded by well-preserved coral reefs, walls, and shipwrecks. The southern and eastern coasts of Antigua and virtually the entire coast of Barbuda are surrounded by shelfs, providing excellent conditions for spectacular shallow diving and snorkeling.The southern and eastern coasts are considered to offer the most consistent diving; for more advanced divers, the ledge of Sunken Rock on the south coast is a popular site. Dive depths generally range from 25 to 80 feet and can reach 180 feet; distances from shore to site are in some cases no more than five minutes and at most 40 minutes away.Barbuda's encircling reefs contain an enormous number of wrecks, most of which are yet to be explored.
As an island composed of limestone,
Barbuda has many caves to explore. There are two main sites at Castle Hill and Two Foot Bay. The road to Two Foot Bay is more accessible to visitors so these are most commonly visited, Castle Hill is a long and bumpy ride. The caves at Two Foot Bay range from small crawl-in holes to huge cavernous areas, complete with stalactites and stalagmites and many fossils.