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Home >> Antigua >> Read about >> Aside from the beach loungers: The greatest tours, the best boat trips, the hottest events
Antigua
Aside from the beach loungers: The greatest tours, the best boat trips, the hottest events
“The beach is only the beginning” is the official motto of the tourist advertisements for Antigua and Barbuda. What does the two-island nation offer in terms of experiences, apart from the more than 350 beaches? - We’ll tell you what’s really worth vacating your beach lounger for a few hours.
By Bernhard Grdseloff
Cuddly toys: swimming with rays in Antigua
For some serious fun and excitement
Swimming with rays: Stingray City, 4 times a day (9/11/13/15h), departure from base in Seatons on the east coast. Duration approx. 11/2 hours, US$ 50 + transfers, ph. 562 7297.
Historical tour of the island: 6-hour round-trip with a German guide, 15 min. slide/theatre show of the island’s history. US$ 85, ph.
772 1705.
Sailing trip around the island: every Tuesday and Saturday, incl. snorkelling stop on Green Island. US$ 95 incl. open bar, lunch, snorkelling gear. Ph. 462 4792.
Caribbean Party: every Sunday from 5 p.m. on Shirley Heights above English Harbour, featuring live steel pan and reggae bands.
Eco adventure: into the mangrove wilderness of North Sound by boat, the habitat of turtles, white-tailed eagles, pelicans. US$100 incl. drinks, snacks. Ph. 726 6355.
Boat trip to Barbuda: endless pink beaches and the Frigate Bird Sanctuary, Fri. and Sun., US$ 135, incl. lunch.
Helicopter trip over Montserrat: the active volcano from a bird’s perspective. US$ 220, ph. 460 5900.
The roof of the jungle: through tree tops over rope bridges, 2- 3 hours US$ 85. Ph. 562 6363.
Swimming with rays: Stingray City, 4 times a day (9/11/13/15h), departure from base in Seatons on the east coast. Duration approx. 11/2 hours, US$ 50 + transfers, ph. 562 7297.
Historical tour of the island: 6-hour round-trip with a German guide, 15 min. slide/theatre show of the island’s history. US$ 85, ph.
772 1705.
Sailing trip around the island: every Tuesday and Saturday, incl. snorkelling stop on Green Island. US$ 95 incl. open bar, lunch, snorkelling gear. Ph. 462 4792.
Caribbean Party: every Sunday from 5 p.m. on Shirley Heights above English Harbour, featuring live steel pan and reggae bands.
Eco adventure: into the mangrove wilderness of North Sound by boat, the habitat of turtles, white-tailed eagles, pelicans. US$100 incl. drinks, snacks. Ph. 726 6355.
Boat trip to Barbuda: endless pink beaches and the Frigate Bird Sanctuary, Fri. and Sun., US$ 135, incl. lunch.
Helicopter trip over Montserrat: the active volcano from a bird’s perspective. US$ 220, ph. 460 5900.
The roof of the jungle: through tree tops over rope bridges, 2- 3 hours US$ 85. Ph. 562 6363.
“My darling’s name is Queen”, confesses Goldwin Prince. “There’s a kind of bond between us.” Affectionately he fondles the flat creature with water wings which is just under one meter long. The tame lady ray belongs to the approximately 50 inhabitants of Stingray City that Prince is in charge of.
Dozens of visitors cavort on the flat sandbank 4 km off the coast, wading through the crystal clear water, side by side with tame rays. “It feels so soft, so gentle,” an excited boy calls out to his mother. “We’re getting the animals used to humans slowly; we feed them 30 kg of squid each day,” is how the manager explains the animals’ tameness.
Swimming with rays is one of Antigua’s special attractions. But the former bastion of the British fleet in the West Indies also boasts a number of cultural sights including centuries-old fortifications and dockyards. “The historical tour of the island is a real hit with visitors,” says tour guide Erika Scherping.
Second on the popularity scale comes a sailing tour of the island including snorkelling stops at offshore islands – followed by the Sunday Caribbean party on Shirley Heights.
Depending on what you’re interested in, there are other activities as well (see box): nature fans will get their money’s worth on the eco adventure boat trip or on the sailing trip to Barbuda, and English people love the helicopter roundtrip over the active volcano on close-by Montserrat island. “You should also come and see some of our 365 beaches, though,” Scherping says. “Best by rental car.”
Dozens of visitors cavort on the flat sandbank 4 km off the coast, wading through the crystal clear water, side by side with tame rays. “It feels so soft, so gentle,” an excited boy calls out to his mother. “We’re getting the animals used to humans slowly; we feed them 30 kg of squid each day,” is how the manager explains the animals’ tameness.
Swimming with rays is one of Antigua’s special attractions. But the former bastion of the British fleet in the West Indies also boasts a number of cultural sights including centuries-old fortifications and dockyards. “The historical tour of the island is a real hit with visitors,” says tour guide Erika Scherping.
Second on the popularity scale comes a sailing tour of the island including snorkelling stops at offshore islands – followed by the Sunday Caribbean party on Shirley Heights.
Depending on what you’re interested in, there are other activities as well (see box): nature fans will get their money’s worth on the eco adventure boat trip or on the sailing trip to Barbuda, and English people love the helicopter roundtrip over the active volcano on close-by Montserrat island. “You should also come and see some of our 365 beaches, though,” Scherping says. “Best by rental car.”