Barbuda Day Trip

Barbuda, Antigua's low-lying sister island about 30 miles to the north, feels like a different world: flat, scrubby, almost empty, and fringed by some of the most extraordinary beaches in the Caribbean. A day trip is the classic way to sample it. You can cross on a fast catamaran ferry from St. John's (roughly 90 minutes) or on a short scheduled flight, and a local guide usually handles transport on the island itself. The destination overview is the Barbuda guide.

The headline sight is the Pink Sand Beach, a famous stretch on the southwest coast where crushed coral and shell tint the sand a soft rose. It runs for many miles, often with barely another soul in sight. Most trips also take a boat into the lagoon to the Frigate Bird Sanctuary, one of the largest colonies of magnificent frigate birds in the world, where thousands of birds nest and the males inflate scarlet throat pouches in breeding season.

Lunch is usually fresh Barbudan lobster or fish at a simple local spot in the village of Codrington. Bring cash, sun protection, water and reef-safe sunscreen, as services on the island are limited.

Barbuda is wild and undeveloped, so manage expectations on amenities and book through an established operator. For visitors who want the most remote, unspoilt corner of the nation, no Antigua activity delivers it more completely.