Helicopter Island Tour

A helicopter flight turns Antigua's much-quoted claim of a beach for every day of the year into something you can actually see. From a few hundred feet up, the island's scalloped coastline, turquoise reef shallows, sailing harbours and green interior lay themselves out beneath you in a way no ground tour can match. Flights depart from near the airport, a short drive from the capital, St. John's.

Operators offer a few formats. A short island flight loops the coast over highlights such as English Harbour, the famous beaches of the west, and the rugged Atlantic east coast. The longer, signature trip flies south to Montserrat, the neighbouring island whose Soufrière Hills volcano buried the former capital of Plymouth in the 1990s and still steams today, an extraordinary aerial sight over the exclusion zone.

Cabins are small, so seating is intimate and every passenger gets a window. Flights are weather-dependent and run in clear, calmer conditions. Bring a charged camera or phone, avoid loose hats on the helipad, and follow the crew's safety briefing closely.

It makes a memorable splurge to bookend a holiday otherwise spent at sea level, whether you have been sailing, diving or simply working through those 365 beaches.