Antigua and Barbuda
Barbuda
Thousands of frigatebirds, miles of pink-tinged sand and almost nobody else: about as empty as a Caribbean beach island gets.
Barbuda is Antigua's flat, thinly peopled sister island, a coral platform ringed by near-empty beaches with one village, Codrington, and barely any traffic. Its icon is the Frigate Bird Sanctuary in Codrington Lagoon, one of the largest frigatebird colonies in the Caribbean, where boats nose up to mangroves full of nesting birds. Around it run miles of pale pink-tinged sand, including the long barrier strand of Seventeen Mile Beach, plus limestone caves with Amerindian petroglyphs. Hurricane Irma emptied the island in 2017, and it is still rebuilding at its own slow pace.
Suggested stay
2–4 days
Language
English
Currency
XCD
Timezone
UTC-4
Why you'll love Barbuda
The frigatebirds a short boat ride across the lagoon puts you beside mangroves crowded with nesting birds and fluffy white chicks
Empty sand Seventeen Mile Beach and the south-west coast are long enough that you can walk for an hour and see no one
Pink beaches crushed shell tints the sand a soft pink, strongest along the south-west shore
Village pace one small village, dirt roads, wandering donkeys and lobster grilled on the beach
Best time to visit
Nov-Sep
27-30° days
17.615° N, 61.854° W
UTC-4 · America/Antigua
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Weather & when to go to Barbuda
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Nov-Sep
Watch for Jun-Nov cyclones & hurricanes risk
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Barbuda
October is the one month outside the good window, at the wet, storm-prone heart of the hurricane season that runs June to November; Irma showed in 2017 what a direct hit means here, so insure any trip in those months. The real limits are year-round: few places to stay or eat, and a ferry crossing that can be rough.
Top things to do in Barbuda
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Frigate Bird Sanctuary - boat into the Codrington Lagoon colony
nature wildlife 👍 PopularLocal boatmen run from the Codrington jetty across the lagoon to the mangroves, idling a few metres from thousands of magnificent frigatebirds. In the breeding season the males inflate scarlet throat pouches to court females, and chicks sit in the nests for months after.
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Seventeen Mile Beach - the Low Bay barrier strand
nature wildlife ⭐ Highly recommendedThe narrow strip of sand between Codrington Lagoon and the open sea on the west coast, lagoon on one side and surf on the other, with nothing built along most of it. Most visitors reach it by boat, often combined with the sanctuary.
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Pink sand beaches - Palmetto Point to Coco Point
nature wildlife 👍 PopularThe south-west shore has the island's softest, pinkest sand, tinted by crushed shell, and calm water for swimming. One stretch is now called Princess Diana Beach after the princess, who holidayed on this coast.
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Two Foot Bay and Indian Cave - petroglyphs in the Highlands cliffs
history adventure 👍 PopularOn the wild east coast the low limestone Highlands break into cliffs riddled with caves. Indian Cave holds Amerindian petroglyphs, and in a neighbouring cave you can climb up through a hole in the roof to a view over the Atlantic shore.
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Darby's Sink Cave - a sinkhole full of rainforest
nature wildlifeA huge collapsed sinkhole in the Highlands, its sheer walls hung with lianas and its floor grown into a cool pocket of palms and ferns, startlingly green on a dry, scrubby island. Go with a guide, as the track is unmarked.
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Highland House - the Codrington great house ruins
historyCrumbling stone walls of the eighteenth-century house the Codrington family built on the island's highest ground, with a view back over the scrub to the lagoon and the sea.
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River Fort and the Martello Tower
historyA round stone tower on the south coast near the River landing, built to guard the island's approach, standing alone above the beach. A quick stop on the way between the ferry and Codrington.
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Spanish Point and Palaster Reef - snorkel the south-east tip
nature wildlifeA rough track runs to the sandy spit at Spanish Point, where calm shallows face the protected Palaster Reef. Reef and wreck snorkelling is the draw; bring your own gear, as there is little to rent.
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Barbuda lobster - eaten on the beach
foodSpiny lobster is the island's signature catch, grilled at beach shacks and guesthouses or served at a picnic on the sand during boat tours. Order ahead, as most kitchens cook to numbers.
Best areas to stay in Barbuda
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Codrington
Practical base $The island's only village, lagoonside and low-key
Explore hotels in Codrington →
Palmetto Point
Beach couples $$Beach cottages on the pink west-coast sand
Explore hotels in Palmetto Point →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Barbuda
Getting to & around Barbuda
Getting there
Fly into Antigua (ANU), then take the ferry from St John's or a short small-plane hop north to Codrington
Flight
V.C. Bird International (ANU)
From V.C. Bird, a short taxi ride reaches the St John's ferry dock for the roughly 90 min crossing, or small charter planes fly on to Codrington's airstrip in about 20 min.
Ferry
River landing
A fast passenger ferry crosses from St John's on most days, landing on Barbuda's south coast where taxis and tour guides meet the boat; open water makes it choppy, so the seasick-prone may prefer to fly.
Getting around
Taxi and guide
Local drivers double as guides and are how most visitors see the caves, beaches and ruins; arrange one before you arrive, as there is no rank to wait at.
TBC
Rental car
A handful are available through guesthouses; roads beyond Codrington are mostly rough and unsigned, so a high-clearance vehicle helps.
TBC
Boat
Small boats from the Codrington jetty are the way to the sanctuary and the far side of the lagoon to Seventeen Mile Beach.
TBC
Walking
Codrington is a few streets end to end; everything else is too far and too hot on foot.
Free
Day trips from Barbuda
Frigate Bird Sanctuary and Low Bay
Half dayLagoon bird colony
Idle beside the mangrove colony, then cross the rest of the lagoon to swim and walk on the empty barrier strand of Seventeen Mile Beach. The defining Barbuda outing, and the core of most day tours from Antigua.
Getting there
tour
About 20 min by boat from the Codrington jetty
Two Foot Bay and the Highlands
Half dayCaves and ruins
Loop the low limestone plateau on the east side: the petroglyphs at Indian Cave, the roof-hole climb at Two Foot Bay, the green sinkhole of Darby's Sink Cave and the Highland House ruins.
Getting there
car | tour
About 20 min by car from Codrington, with a guide
Spanish Point
Half dayReef and beach spit
The island's south-eastern tip, a sandy spit with calm water facing Palaster Reef, a marine reserve good for snorkelling. Bring water, shade and your own gear; there is nothing out here.
Getting there
car
About 30 min by car from Codrington on rough track
A little history of Barbuda
Amerindian peoples fished and lived on Barbuda long before Europeans arrived, leaving shell tools and the petroglyphs at Indian Cave. Early English settlement struggled, and in 1685 the Crown leased the whole island to the Codrington family, famously for a nominal rent. They never ran it as a sugar island: Barbuda raised livestock, provisions and timber for their Antigua plantations, worked by enslaved Africans, and the village took the family's name.
After emancipation and the end of the lease, Barbudans stayed on and long held the land in common, a tradition central to the island's identity. Barbuda was joined to Antigua in 1860 and became part of the independent state in 1981. In 2017 Hurricane Irma destroyed most buildings and the whole population was evacuated to Antigua for the first time in centuries.
The Crown leases Barbuda to Christopher and John Codrington
Slavery is abolished across the British colonies, including Barbuda
Barbuda is formally annexed to Antigua
The Codrington family's lease on the island comes to an end
Antigua and Barbuda becomes an independent state
Hurricane Irma devastates the island and its entire population is evacuated to Antigua
Know before you go
Payment
Cards & cash mixed
English
Everywhere
Wifi
Limited
Power
Type A / B
110/220 V, 60 Hz
Dialing
+1-268
Cyclones & hurricanes risk in this window; check current conditions before you go.
FAQs about Barbuda
▸ When is the best time to visit Barbuda?
Every month except October falls in the good-weather window: warm, breezy and mostly dry. October is the wettest, most storm-prone month. Hurricane season runs June to November, so insure any trip in those months, and the frigatebird courtship display is a reason to favour the cooler months.
▸ When can you see the frigatebirds displaying?
The colony is occupied year-round, but the courtship display, with males inflating their red throat pouches, belongs to the breeding season through the cooler months, roughly late summer into the following spring. Chicks stay in the nests for months, so there is something to see whenever you go.
▸ Can you visit Barbuda as a day trip from Antigua?
Yes, and many people do, by ferry or small plane with a tour covering the sanctuary, a beach and lunch. It works, but the crossing eats into the day; one or two nights lets you have the beaches in the early morning and evening, when they are at their best.
▸ Has Barbuda recovered from Hurricane Irma?
Residents returned after the 2017 evacuation and rebuilding has taken years. Expect fewer places to stay and eat than the beaches suggest, and confirm accommodation, boats and guides directly before you travel.
▸ Is Barbuda expensive?
It ranges widely. The village guesthouses are simple and modest, while the south-west coast holds some of the most exclusive stays in the Caribbean. Boat trips and guided drives are the costs that add up, since there is little you can do independently.