Antigua and Barbuda Activity Planner

Opening days shape an Antigua week more than anything else. Several of the best activities run only on set days, so it pays to place those first and use the gaps for beach time. Most operators quote in US dollars. The Eastern Caribbean dollar (EC$) is pegged at EC$2.70 to US$1, and US dollars are taken widely across the island.

Sunday: the Shirley Heights party

The lookout above English Harbour keeps its longest hours on Sunday, from 9am to 9:30pm. From about 4pm a steel pan band plays, and a live band takes the stage afterwards. Entry is around US$10 a head, and the barbecue and rum punch are paid for separately. A smaller Thursday barbecue called Reggae Heights runs at the same lookout. Nothing happens on Monday, when the lookout is closed.

Monday to Saturday: the rainforest canopy tour

The Antigua Rainforest Canopy Tour sits on Fig Tree Drive, just past John Hughes village. Groups leave at 9am, 10am and 11am. The course combines zip lines, suspension bridges and rope obstacles. Reseller listings run from about US$99 to about US$158, depending on the package. To check a departure, email inquiries@antiguarainforest.com or call 268 562 6363.

Tuesday to Saturday: Antigua Donkey Sanctuary

In Bethesda, the Antigua and Barbuda Humane Society looks after about 150 donkeys. There is no entry fee, and donations are welcome. Visitors come between 10am and 3pm. A quick call to 268 461 4957 before the drive saves a wasted trip.

Any morning: ranger-led trails at Wallings

The reserve lies near John Hughes village in St. Mary’s, a short way from the canopy tour, so the two fit into one inland morning. Every trail needs a ranger. Adult and child prices per person are in US dollars:

  • Button Pond, easy, 3 miles, about 1 hour: US$25 and US$15.
  • Signal Hill, medium, 5 miles, about 2.5 hours: US$30 and US$20.
  • Rendezvous Bay, hard, 14 miles, about 5 hours: US$50 and US$30.

The picnic area costs US$4 (EC$10). To book a ranger, call 268 727 0218.

Boat days on the north-east coast

Stingray City Antigua is a boat-led sandbar tour from Seatons Village. Guests stand in waist-deep water while the guides feed squid to the rays. Handling is done the guides’ way, and a ray is never lifted out of the water. Resellers list it at about US$100 to US$150 with a transfer, and about US$150 when it is combined with Laviscount Island, the home of Aldabra tortoises.

Eli’s Original Eco Tour, run by Adventure Antigua, lasts five to six hours. It makes two snorkel stops and finishes with a beach stop at Great Bird Island. Resellers list it at about US$125.

Wind sports

Kitesurfers head for Jabberwock Beach on the north-east side and for Nonsuch Bay, usually between November and April. The 40Knots school at Nonsuch Bay teaches kite and wing foil, so ask about lessons before you arrive. Dickenson Bay has flat, sheltered water and is not a kiting or surfing beach.

Sea, sun and storms

Beaches on the west and south-west coasts face the Caribbean and are calmer. The Atlantic side to the east has heavy surf. No beach can be counted on for lifeguards or flags. Hurricane season ends on 30 November, and the busiest weeks fall between mid-December and mid-April.

Read more: Day trips by ferry, plane and small boat . A 3-day Antigua and Barbuda itinerary shows how these pieces can be combined.

Ranger trail details are published by Wallings Nature Reserve , and the Sunday and Thursday nights are described at Shirley Heights Lookout . Zip line departures are posted by Antigua Rainforest . To compare boat tours, search GetYourGuide .