What lies beyond the beach in Antigua & Barbuda?

Antigua & Barbuda has developed such a strong marketing position and earned a reputation for it's stunning beaches (all 365 of them, but who's counting?) that some of our sailing guests forget to explore beyond the beach when they come cruising these Caribbean islands.  If you've never sailed these waters, you might want to dip into a brief summary here.

So, what lies beyond?

What I personally love about living and sailing in Antigua is the wildlife and the rich heritage of these Caribbean islands.  The wildlife in particular is simply wonderful.  I've lost track of the number of pictures of hummingbirds I've taken in 9 years but I think this one below if my favorite.  This chap comes along every sunset when I get home in the evening to enjoy some sugar water - a bit like a hummingbird Happy Hour in Antigua!  You can buy hummingbird feeders right here in the Marina, so perhaps take one with you next time you are sailing Antigua.  You can pick one up with your provisioning when you're at the market here.

Hummingbird Happy Hour in Antigua

When I leave Jolly Harbour Marina to run errands in town, it's always rewarding seeing a farmer galloping along at speed on his preferred mode of transport - the Antiguan donkey.  I have a particular fondness for donkey's as a lovely lady I know in Australia used to breed them and had her own sanctuary.  We also have a donkey sanctuary right here in Antigua that is definitely worth a visit if you have enough time; especially great if you have kids on your sailing trip and they may not want to sail every day.  This picture below was actually taken in Nelson's Dockyard during the Antigua Yacht Charter Show last December.  Not sure of the relevance of a donkey at a Boat Show but it added some authenticity to the event!  He/She seemed totally ambivalent to the millions of dollars tied up on the dock.

Happy donkey ambivalent to the mega yachts around him.

If I photograph hummingbirds like they're going out of fashion, then lizards come a close second in my photograph albums.  What I like about lizards is that they eat mosquito's which makes them heroes in my book.  When you're sailing the Caribbean - in particular Antigua & Barbuda with its laid back charm - it's nice to step away from the computer, laptop, DVD, iPad and just watch nature at its best. If you're now tempted to explore sailing Antigua & Barbuda, do check our special offers from time to time as we quite often have some great last minute deals.  

Lizard keeping the mosquito population down in Antigua.

For my next blog, I'm going to share with you some of my "heritage-rich" photographs that I've taken around Antigua & Barbuda.  The heritage experience here is not like the States or the UK that is super polished; here you can be hiking on a trail and stumble upon an old sugar mill, or an old school dating back to 1879.

In Antigua & Barbuda, you don't have to step very far off the beach to enjoy wonderful wildlife and enjoy an experience that is uniquely Antigua.  Take a look at some of our sample sailing itineraries right here.