Facts About Travel To Antigua
You want to travel to the beautiful island of Antigua! Or, to speak in words of the native inhabitants: ‘you want to travel to the beautiful Waladli/ Wadadli!’. ‘Waladli’ means about ‘our own’. And ‘Antigua’ comes from the Spanish word ‘ancient’. Named after an icon ‘Santa Maria de la Antigua’ in Seville Cathedral.
Antigua and Barbuda consists of two major inhabited islands: Antigua and Barbuda. And a number of smaller islands. Antigua is the main island and is located in the heart of the Caribbean. Its highest point is Mount Obama (formerly known as ‘Boggy Peak’). Barbuda lies 30 miles to the north.
In short, there is a mix of cultures with West African and British influences. They even play cricket there! The cuisine of Antigua and Barbuda is a mix pot with influences form West Africa, England and other Caribbean islands. The national dish is fungee and pepperpot. It’s a nutritious combination of carbohydrates and meat. The population is approximately 80,000, whereof 22,000 people live in the capital St. John’s. The capital has a deep harbour with many cruise ships.
When you travel to the beautiful island of Antigua, this is important to know:
- The official currency is the East Caribbean dollar (about US$1 = EC$2.7)
- English is the official language
- The time zone is UTC-4
- Driving side is left
- Calling code +268
- There is an International Airport in St. John’s called V.C. Bird International Airport
Best Time To Travel To Antigua
Antigua is the sunniest of the Eastern Caribbean Islands with averages of only 45 inches of rainfall a year! Temperatures generally range form the mid-seventies in the winter to the mid-eighties Fahrenheit in the summer. In addition the northeast winds are nearly constant.
Best visiting time is from January to April. It is not extremely hot. You have less chance of hurricanes and avoid the rainy season.
Cities Of Antigua
The major Antigua cities are:
- St. John’s is the capital, the commercial centre of the nation and the chief port of the island. You can visit the impressive St. John’s Cathedral.
- All Saints: open-air museum based on the large-scale sugarcane plantation ‘Betty’s Hope’. Also the area around All Saints is known for its traditional pottery
- the English Harbour is included in the Unesco World Heritage List; it is now a unique combination of a historic colonial past and a place where you can admire the modern yachts of the wealthy
- Long island is a small island you can visit by boat to spot turtles
- Escape to the beaches of Potters Village: Visit Dickenson Bay Beach or Jolly Beach
- Bolands is a centre of tourist activity
Attractions Of Antigua
Antigua has a lot of attractions! The most popular Antiguan attractions are:
- Discover the tropical beaches, as they say ‘for each day another beach’
- Museum of Antigua and Barbuda in St. John’s
- Fort James in St. John’s (begin 16th century) with a stunning view over the harbour and city!
- Betty’s Hope, the first large-scale sugrarcane plantation, and nowadays an open-air museum
- Devil’s Bridge National Park with a natural arch of a rock and the annual Kite Festival
- Half Moon Bay with a rough site for surfing and a more quite site for snorkeling
- Stroll through Nelson’s Dockyard National Park: naval dockyard museum, harbour, old buildings
- River Fort Martello Tower, a typical british small fort
- Antigua Sailing week, at the end of April and the beginning of May, an annual sailing competition brings a number of sailing vessels and sailors to the island to take part in sporting events
- Kitesurfing or kite-boarding is very popular at Jabbawock Beach
- Watch and admire fregat birds
A vacation in Antigua! Relax and enjoy in a beautiful setting!