Antigua - A Travel Guide
Last Updated: July 11, 2023
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ABOUT ANTIGUA | SHOULD I GO? | WHAT TO DO | WHERE TO STAY | WHERE TO EAT | WHERE TO PARTY
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A slice of paradise
Nestled deep in the south-easternmost edge of the tranquil West Indies, you will find a bank of small island forming the Lesser Antilles. Nestled deep in these islands you will find Antigua, basking in the Caribbean sun.
When coming in from the air and taking in the breathtaking views below, something makes you give pause. It takes a second to work out what it is: you can see the whole country. From a plane window. Without moving.
The whole country is smaller than the Isle of Wight (which is off the south coast of England, for those thinking "Uh, say where now?") at only 55 miles around, and you can see all of it as you come
You won't focus on that for long though, because the thing that sticks is the hyper-real colours. It's like they've been turned up to eleven. Piercing blue water cascades into the heavenly yellow sands, whilst rich, earthy browns and lush, leafy greens make up the inland hills and trees. I've never seen waters like it.
The buildings are vivid too, pastel oranges and pinks fading oh-so-slowly as they're pounded by the seemingly eternal sunshine. Turns out this isn't an illusion or a trick - it really looks like this from the ground too. The colours continue down on terra firma, from the beautiful murals in the airport to the vibrant clothes worn by the locals in St John's and beyond.
I was in love before the wheels touched the ground. Welcome to paradise.
The island has a mix of
And so life went on fairly harmoniously on this little sun-kissed
Columbus sailed past the island in 1493, pointed at it and declared, in a very authoritative voice, "Antigua!". And because no one had a better suggestion, and he was the one wearing the captain's hat, the name has kind of stuck since. Columbus never actually made landfall, and the island was left alone for another century or so.
Soon, demand for sugar in Europe led to the English pitching back up and fighting the Caribs a few times before, in 1632, forcing their way onto land and immediately establishing plantations for tobacco, sugar, ginger and indigo.
Slavery was the other big thing that was bought from Europe, and the natives were forced to work the crops for the colonists. The English soon realised that hard labour was killing the slaves at an unacceptable rate, one much faster than they were used to with their African slaves. Therefore, slaves were bought from Africa to Antigua and other Caribbean islands, as the Africans were 'sturdier' and could typically work harder for longer before they died. This was the now infamous Transatlantic Slave Trade triangle.
If you are uncomfortable with talking about this stuff, then please remember that it did happen and the seriousness of this still stands. The history is horrendous and should not be forgotten. You will see stark reminders of what happened when you arrive and need to be accepting that this is the case. You will see many relics of the past, from abandoned refineries to entire plantations, complete with plantation houses, scattered across the island, and it's humbling to see such vivid reminders of history still in place.
How I Fell In Love
As I mentioned above, I was in love with this place before the plane hit the runway. It's a picturesque island. It looks like paradise.
I ended up coming here because of my girlfriend. She is half-Antiguan and has a TON of family on the island, who invited me to come over and give me the tour.
This meant I had the traveller's best friend: locals to show me around! How could I refuse? So I booked the leave from the yacht and booked the flight. What could go wrong?
A lot, as it turned out. I was leaving in the middle of the 'Beast from the East', the snowstorm in 2018 that battered Europe. Flights were cancelled, and I ended up doing
I was treated over the next few weeks to an incredible display of sights, food and the legendary Caribbean hospitality! I was taken to secret beaches, shared a catamaran tour around the island, ate at restaurants both fancy and on someone's front porch, was taken to lookouts and beauty spots, jet-skied across the perfect blue water, and was invited to the absolute BEST family gathering I have ever had the privilege of being involved in.
The thing about this place is the lovely relaxed, bohemian lifestyle just slows you down and relaxes you. There's no pressure, life is taken down a gear and your days lazily blend into each other. It's the perfect place to recharge.
So Should I go there?
Well, that depends on what you like.
If you're after bustling cities, socialising with loads of other travellers and big nights on the town, then you want to head further west or south from here and hit up Central and South America.
However, if beach days, rum punch and some fascinating history is your idea of heaven, this is where you need to be, and you can recharge your batteries here to boot!
I'd go as far as saying that this is one of my favourite places on the surface of this beautiful earth, and I would go back again, and that's high praise. I rarely say I'd go back somewhere, just because I think there's so much of the world to see, why would you go somewhere you've already been? But at the same time, this island has at least one foot through the door of perfection, and as a place to go and experience bliss in the truest sense of the word, you want to come here.
Combined with the natural beauty is some of the generally kindest people I've met on my travels, and food that can whip your tastebuds into an onslaught of pleasure - and for the chili aficionados, the hot sauces here will have even the hardest chili-fiend sweating flames.
Even the lack of infrastructure and solid roads is nice, as it shows just how little of the modern Western comforts you actually need to have a nice, meaningful life. And when you've got some of the most piercingly, achingly beautiful beaches a few minutes away, who really gives a shit what's on TV anyway?
What to do when Backpacking Antigua
The island is big enough that you wouldn't want to walk everywhere, but not so big that it's a pain to get to places. At 55 miles round, the ideal way to get around is by road. You have a few options, starting with buses. These run roughly between
Taxis are the next way around, and are affordable. They have fixed rates, not meters, and the rates should be on display inside the taxi by law. The taxi drivers are also often happy to act as tour guides and are a good source of information.
Finally, you can hire a car. I do recommend this if you can, because the flexibility it gives is just unbeatable (that said, I didn't hire a car and relied entirely on the kindness of locals to get to where I wanted to go, so I guess my best advice is actually to fall in love with an Antiguan and rely on the ultra-kind hospitality of their family when they invite you to see their country). If you do hire a car, you will also need to buy a temporary drivers licence (car hire places can hook you up here).
A quick note on the roads in Antigua - They drive on the left and the speed limit is 40mph across the island. The locals drive rather... exuberantly, shall we say, and the accident rate is quite high, so be cautious. The locals also have a rather endearing habit of just stopping in the road to speak to people they know out of the window, which is fine right until you're in a rush. Also, the roads can have large, car-killing potholes that the locals avoid out of habit, and to add to the peril drainage ditches fall off the sides of the road, and they're large enough that, particularly if you were driving a small car like a Mini or Smart, you'll just fall in and may well never be seen again. So be alert.
Anyway, once you've figured out how to get around, you'll want some places to go! I have you covered...
Hit the beach
Hey, it's a sun-kissed island in the Caribbean, what else would be first?
Famously, there are 365 beaches on Antigua, and every single one I saw was nicer than any beach I've been to in England. So just know pretty much every beach you go to will be a 9 out of 10 or better. You can't go too far wrong by just picking a direction and starting to walk until you reach water. You'll find something beautiful, guaranteed.
Learn from my mistakes: as idyllic as it may seem
All the beaches are fantastic for different reasons, and to pick a
Darkwood is on the southwestern edge of the island, and is a beautiful ribbon of sand, with shallow blue water running off into the distance. No obstructions to the view, nothing but crystal blue water running off into the distance, and palm trees at your back. It's incredible.
Long Bay is an often-deserted, curved bay. The magic with this one is the shallow water just goes on and on. You can walk all the way out to the coral reef that fringes the bay and
Finally, a shout out to Deep Bay - for me my favourite beach in Antigua. Tucked on the western coast, just past the capital of St Johns, it's a beauty. It's not as picturesque as the last two, but it is beautifully secluded (we were the only people on the entire beach) and exists on what is basically a massive sand bar - one end connects to the main island and the other has a large, rocky hill.
A rugged path runs up the hill, and at the top sits the beautifully preserved but totally abandoned Fort Barrington. Unlike the other forts on the island, this had no-one else there but
The fort is complete with tunnels, cannon platforms, powder magazine, and entire rooms still unchanged from when the current structure was built in 1779 (the original was built in the 1650s). You can explore at your leisure, and the old flagpole is still
Out of everything though, the views from the top are just something else. It is pretty near a
The Devil's Bridge
Very slightly further east from Long Bay lies the Devil's Bridge. This perhaps isn't something I'd suggest going to on its own, but as part of a day exploring the north east coast.
The bridge itself is a slim rock arch, no more than 15 metres long, running between two outcrops. The water sits a few metres underneath and had the heaviest waves I saw on the island, rushing in and filling the void with churning, frothing water. Falling in here would not be a good idea. The water is powerful and there is nowhere nearby that is easily climbable to get out. The waves would just keep smashing you against the rock.
Nevertheless, there is a strange temptation to walk across, like the devil himself is calling you. It's narrow, uneven, slippery and probably not a good idea. I was going to do it was pointed out to me that:
a) I am really damn clumsy,
b) I'm n
c) It would be fairly embarrassing for my girlfriend to be the one that invited the stupid white guy that died walking over something literally called the Devil's Bridge.
I'm not saying you should or shouldn't, just that I didn't and I'm still alive.
Shirley Heights
This is home to the most famous view in Antigua, and it is beautiful. That said, I suggest a slightly wider approach than just heading up to the viewpoint.
I recommend starting at the Dow's Hill Interpretation Centre, found on the approach as you head up from English Harbour to Shirley Heights. This small little centre has a multimedia presentation that talks about the history of the island, and in particular gives a very balanced and frank look at the island's history of slavery. It talks a lot about the heritage and culture of the
After that, head out and have a nose around the beautifully kept viewing area just outside, giving a glorious oversight of English Harbour from amongst old ruins and beautiful hedgerows and flowers. It's a very tranquil place.
Next, head on over to the Blockhouse, the old 18th century officer's quarters, tucked alongside one of the old gun placements, with the old cannons still there. It's another little glimpse of history, and a well-preserved site. Also, you can see Eric Clapton's mansion on the water's edge from here, if that's of interest.
Also, on the run-up to the Blockhouse entrance, there's a small graveyard running down the hill, with a gnarled old tree in it. I don't have much to say, but it's ruggedly picturesque and I found it just a really nice place to be for a few minutes.
Finally, head on up to Shirley Heights and the lookout point. Prepare for the tourism hit to the middle of the face as you approach: the sides of the road start to get thick with market stalls, and the entrance is full of tour buses and old American tourists in socks and sandals, dressed all in khaki and clutching DSLRs that have never been taken off Auto mode, waddling round before heading back to their all-inclusive hotel, grateful for the opportunity to see the "real Antigua". For an island that is 95% black or mixed race population, it is rammed with pasty white folks. For me, having been privileged enough to stay with locals and not having seen a white face for a few days by this point, I really noticed it and felt a bit of a sheep.
The Antiguan economy relies immensely on tourism though, so I shouldn't bitch about it. The lookout is another old fort, and looks over English Harbour. Inside the boundary is a ring of stalls, selling locally-made, vividly-coloured artworks and trinkets, and is a good place to pick up a souvenir.
The centrepiece, though, is the viewing platform over the harbour. The exquisite water is hugged by mountains and fringed by angelic white strips of sand. Dark blue morphs to teal as the water
Sample the local produce
I'm talking ripe, juicy mangoes and pineapples.
Seriously, this was one of the highlights for me. We stopped at a roadside market stall and the guy there could actually point out the tree where the fruit had come from. We bought two mangoes and a pineapple, and headed to the beach.
Now, these mangoes were seriously ripe. The only safe way to eat this little nugget of perfection was to strip shirtless and head out into the beautifully still water, and just go to town. I started tearing into this beauty like Bear Grylls tucks into a dead zebra after not eating for 2 days, and have never tasted anything like it. It was luxuriously soft and sweet, and the juice was almost syrupy. It was absolutely divine.
The reason for heading into the sea became clear after the first mouthful, and the juice ran down our faces and into the crystal clear water. This attracted a small horde of vibrant tropical fish to come and nibble at any scraps that fell down.
I realised right then that life doesn't get much better than this. It was one of the 'paradise moments' that we talk about on Far Out a lot, a perfect moment in time where everything has aligned: the sun, the sea, being surrounded by these beautiful fish with sweet mouthfuls of fresh fruit in my mouth, and sharing this moment with someone I love. That's why I travel, for these moments.
Boat Tour!
Pretty much everyone loves a boat tour, right?
It turned out that my girlfriend's family had a long-standing relationship with the absolute legends that work at Wadadli Cats, and they sorted us out with an absolutely incredible private charter around half the island and back, with a few stops to swim and explore the amazing Deep Bay.
You contact them and arrange the tour, and either start from their base in St Johns or they can come and pick you up straight from the beach. A single ticket for a day tour will set you back around 100 USD, and covers you for lunch on board as well. I didn't have to pay for their absolutely banging rum punch either, although I don't know if that's the same on standard tours or because we were on a private charter. Either way, I drank a LOT of punch.
Once the tour is underway, you'll be skimming past the beautiful coast, soaking in the sun and Caribbean tunes pumping from the speakers. There's pretty much no waves most of the time apparently, so it really is plain sailing. Lying on the nets at the front of the boat, relaxing and watching the island drift past is one of the better ways in this life to spend a day. On top of this, the crew at Wadadli Cats was faultless, don't look any further.
Stingray City
For me, this was a tick off my bucket list that I didn't even know I wanted - swimming with wild stingrays.
When I say wild, I mean wild. This isn't a 'come and swim with rays in a tank' job, this is legit. No cages, nothing. A truly wild encounter.
You arrive at the site on the North East of the island (not far from Long Bay and Devil's Bridge, you could comfortably fit all three into a day), and head down to the little hut that runs it all. Here, you pay up around $50 USD and you're on board.
Next is the safety briefing, a real laid back deal where they talk about the rays, how they are wild and do have a stinging barb. They also tell you how to feed them: you hold a squid in a fist, with most of it popping out of the top. The ray then swims over and kind of sucks it out of your hand. They can leave a little red 'love bite' when doing this apparently, but it wasn't an issue any of us had.
From there, it's onto the barge (it feels a bit generous to call it a boat, but it did the job), and out onto the open water. After 10 minutes or so, you see a little platform way out in the sea but on a shallow sand bar, about 4 feet deep. Then it's out onto the platform to collect snorkels and goggles, and into the water.
The rays pile in as soon as they hear the engines, and there's a LOT of them. I didn't really know what to expect, but they're pretty massive and so damn friendly! They swim past, brushing against your legs just enough for you to feel how powerful they are. You're free to join in with the stuff the crew has organised, such as feeding them and holding them, or you can just head off on your own for a bit of one on one time. There's plenty of time to do both, I reckon you have about half an hour in the water with them before they start to leave again, and the crew call time and head back.
Being surrounded by this exotic wildlife, in clear, serene water with the sun shining bright and strong overhead is a majestic experience. Being so close with these gorgeous, inquisitive rays, as well as all the tropical fish that swarm to join in and pick up the scraps, is one of my best travel experiences.
Where to Stay Whilst Backpacking Antigua
Again, my top pick here is to fall crazy in love with someone who has family here and come stay with them, because you'll be able to rest easy in the legendary Caribbean hospitality. I do appreciate that this may not be an option for some (I'm sick of your excuses!), so from some research and knowledge I can give this advice:
Probably the hardest bit of travelling here is sorting out where to stay, particularly if trying to do it
The locals tend to be incredibly friendly and hospitable, so a bit of networking and making some friends will go a long way. Antiguans typically love their country and are proud to show it off, and who better than a local to show you around? Maybe through a bit of
If money is less of a concern, then I'd go for a sweet Airbnb personally. There are some truly amazing paradise homes on here for all budgets, and you can often book t
Where to Eat When Backpacking Antigua
Roti
A wrap roti, usually just called a roti, is a flatbread filled with a Caribbean-flavoured curry/stew and cooked. It's an absolute banger of a meal, and I recommend it slathered in hot sauce
There's one place
Soon, this massive slab of flatbread is served up, and as soon as you put your knife through it the seal is broken and the most incredible smell comes pouring out and fills your nose. It's the smell of rich spices and slow-cooked meat and it's intoxicating.
There's also a selection of hot sauces available, some of which are homemade, and they range from 'hot' to 'Devil's-piss hot'. They don't mess around with hot sauce in Antigua, and I was sweating hard by the time I finished. It was fantastic, dirt cheap and
Jerk
Another case of 'When in Rome', jerk is something you have to get stuck into whilst here.
The good stuff is usually served as street food at the roadside, and because they move around I can't even tell you exactly where to find the guy I went to, but he was on the outskirts of St Johns and the stall was called 'Jerkmaster', and its epic.
There's usually a selection of meats (can't remember if many places did veggie options), and you get a few options with the trimmings, but I'd recommend the jerk pork with rice and peas, salad and some banging fried plantain (basically a non-sweet banana). It's a damn good sized portion, served in one of those takeaway-style polystyrene boxes, and again there's a few hot sauces and stuff to choose from.
There's not really much more to say, it's rich, flavourful food that perfectly matches the Antigua sunshine.
South Point
Now we're getting fancy.
South Point is a hotel found on English Harbour, towards the
They do, however, have an absolutely fantastic open restaurant on the water's edge, with the open-plan dining area heading out on stilts over the water. There is a cocktail bar serving pretty much everything you could dream of, including some beautiful house cocktails (none of which can I remember the name of, which is a sign they were pretty damn good), and some heavenly, not outrageously expensive fine dining.
I had the Barbudan spiny lobster, and it's ruined lobster for me since. It was so exquisitely, delicately prepared, served and flavoured that I didn't know if I wanted to just demolish the lot or cry with happiness between every mouthful. This was about $40 USD, which isn't obscene for the setting or the quality of food.
The staff are attentive, the atmosphere is semi-formal but also distinctly laid back and
It feels like paradise
Where to Drink and Party when Backpacking Antigua
I have a lot less to recommend here, as I didn't really go out to paint the town whilst I was on the island.
I would suggest South Point for some classy evening cocktails, but beyond that most beach bars will serve you a great rum punch, and that's what I mostly lived on.
From the locals though, I have heard that the Carnival that takes place from the end of July and into August is an absolute riot of colour, dancing and drinking. It's a celebration of the abolition of slavery in Antigua and is apparently quite the event!
Sadly, beyond that, there isn't much more I can give you. many of the beaches have a solid beach bar for a bit of daytime relaxation, and most of the evening partying seems like it'd be in St Johns, but I have no first-hand experience to say where.
What you'll need to blend in
- A pair of sunnies
- A relaxed attitude
- Some brightly coloured clothes
- A few friends on the island so you can stop your car in the middle of the road for a chat