Antigua and Barbuda

My Antigua and Barbuda travel summary:

Visited: November 2017

Duration of visit: 3 days

Capital city: St. John’s

Population: 98.000 (2017)

Antigua and Barbuda travel blog reading time: 6 minutes

• Beautiful beaches and swimming in Dickenson Bay.
• Swimming with stingrays during Stingray City & Snorkeling Excursion.
• Transformation of John’s on a regular day and during the busy day with cruise ships in the harbor.

While the official name of the country is Antigua and Barbuda, the territory actually includes three islands: Antigua, Barbuda and a third island, Redonda, a rugged and uninhabited volcanic rock of just 1.3 square kilometers. The islands were a British colony and gained independence in the year 1981. I could can still find British influences clearly in the islands’ architecture, food, and culture.

The official language is English, but locals speak Patois, a dialect similar to Jamaican Creole.

I noticed that the entire island has no rivers or lakes. There are no snakes on the island, except for the harmless grey-brown Antiguan racer. This rare snake, one of the rarest in the world, lives only on Antigua’s Bird Island.

Antigua and Barbuda was part of my Caribbean Islands Trip in 2017.

Our plane of Caribbean Airline company Liat landed at St. John’s International Airport in mid-morning. I travelled by minivan to downtown. Everything was so relaxed. The driver was kindly picking up and dropping off the passengers. Colorful painted wooden houses, hardly any traffic, smiley faces. It felt exactly like I imagined Caribbean islands – people living in harmony with nature and music, moving with the flow without stress or rush.

“Life is a beach. Land of sea and sun. The land of 365 beaches,” are some of the slogans for Antigua and especially more remote Barbuda.

The coral island of Barbuda, which covers only 160 square kilometers, was the first to feel the force of Hurricane Irma in September 2017. On the night of 6^th September, it hit Barbuda at about 300 kilometers per hour. The hurricane damaged or destroyed nearly 90% of the island’s buildings, forcing everyone to evacuate to Antigua. Irma also damaged the roads and the electrical, communication, and water systems.

About half of the population lost their homes, and around 90% of all properties were damaged. The government evacuated everyone before the next hurricane, Jose, hit the island in October 2021.

When I visited Antigua, Bermuda was completely abandoned and had no infrastructure for visitors. It will take a few years for the island to fully recover, assuming no more hurricanes strike in the meantime.

Even in normal conditions, it’s hard to talk about special places to visit, landmarks, or things to do. In the post-hurricane period, the main focus was simply surviving and restoring basic infrastructure.

The main island of Antigua was spared and it wasn’t hit by any hurricane this year at all. However, there were hardly any visitors on the island. Only cruise ship passengers had started disembarking at the main port again.

I stayed in a simple guesthouse within walking distance of St. John’s town center.

The capital city reminded me more to an average size town. It is a typical Caribbean destination, showing two sides. Usually, the streets are calm, and people go about their daily routines.

When cruise ships dock, thousands of tourists flood the area for a few hours. This creates busy trade, loud conversations, logistical chaos, and a chance for locals to earn money. As soon as the tourists board the cruise ships, the town relaxes again. There’s no more pushing to buy, take photos, or visit shops.

The Anglican cathedral, the Government House, and the Botanic Station are the usual landmarks. But, for me, simply walking around and observing the colorful wooden buildings was even more enjoyable.

I decided to walk to Dickenson Bay, the closest beach to St. John’s. The beachfront was lined with restaurants, beach bars, and places to rent water sports equipment. Hotels, resorts and upscale guesthouses are only a few meters away from clear, blue sea.

Dickenson Bay is the embodiment of a perfect beach, showcasing its white sandy coastline, calm sea, and clear turquoise waters. It is a true paradise on earth.

It makes sense that Antigua and Barbuda rely heavily on tourism, which produces around 80% of their GDP. Banking and insurance for offshore companies is also important part of the economy. Antigua and Barbuda is listed as the sixth wealthiest country per capita in North and Central America. But from what I saw, this doesn’t reflect the quality of life that locals live on a day to day bases.

Most of the income and profits go to resort owners, offshore companies, and the banking sector. Locals get by on basic salaries, tourist tips, and the informal economy.

Majority of tourism is upscale, based on luxury resorts and cruise tourism. On a day when cruise ships arrive and thousands of tourists, mostly from the USA, rush to buy souvenirs, take photos or explore the island on an organized tour, the island transforms completely.

On such a day, it is fun to just watch all intruders and desperate locals who try to monetarize their activities. In a few hours they make more money than during the rest of the week or the whole month. Most tours are tourist traps that take you to important historic, cultural, or natural highlights. Crowds of visitors often overwhelm the places’ real beauty.

A must thing to do in Antigua, besides enjoying its beautiful sandy beaches, is the Stingray City & Snorkeling Excursion. I had read about it beforehand and chose to go on my own using local transport. I picked a day when no cruise ships were in town.

The official ad was promising the following:

“Your Stingray City Antigua Snorkeling Adventure will be the highlight of your vacation. An experience that will live with you forever. Our Southern Rays are the brightest rays in the Caribbean, very friendly and gentle. Come and enjoy interacting and feeding a Stingray, together with snorkeling amongst magnificent coral reefs and colorful tropical fish.”

I think it is not much to add or take. It was a special, unique experience, where I was able to approach these beautiful animals. I even touched them, took a selfie, snorkeled with them, and fed them. I wasn’t alone there, but by choosing the right day, it was completely manageable.

When we arrived to the platform in the shallow lagoon and our guides started to throw food in the water, more than ten stingrays came out of nowhere. They started to swim around us, touched us, played and cruised in the warm, clear water.

Standing in the water, I forgot that these calm, pancake-shaped animals actually have long barbed tails that can release venom dangerous to humans.

Apparently there have been zero casualties so far and everything turned out perfect during my tour as well.

Swimming with the stingrays was the highlight of my Antigua and Barbuda travel adventure.

It’s not easy to practice sports in a tropical climate with temptation of beaches, cold beer and music at every step. However, the most popular sport in Antigua and Barbuda is cricket, introduced and popularized by the British.

Antigua has produced some of the greatest names in the cricket world like Sir Vivian Richards, Andy Roberts and Riche Richardson. They have some beautiful cricket courts and cricket is as important as religion.

Unfortunately, during my trip, I couldn’t watch any of the games, but I visited the central stadium in St. John’s.

Antigua and Barbuda was one of the first stops during my Caribbean island hopping in 2017. When I visited it, I couldn’t yet compare it to any other islands. At the end of the trip I can confidently claim that the relaxing atmosphere of Antigua is one of the best in the region.

People were very easygoing and didn’t push or bother me once they realized I wasn’t a cruise ship visitor.

There is not much to do on the island, beside watersports and relaxing on the beach, sipping a cocktail or partying. Nevertheless, that’s exactly why I came to Antigua, isn’t it?