Getting to Barbuda
My friend and I went to Antigua and Barbuda in April. We stayed in Antigua for about 4 days, and decided to spend one of those days visiting Barbuda. How can we not visit Barbuda?
So the day that we were planning to go, the ferry was leaving at 7am. We got to the ferry around 6:15am, where we bought our round-trip ticket ($100 each). The process of paying for the ferry tickets and getting on the ferry was pretty quick. The ferry has an lower deck and an upper deck. We decided to sit on the upper deck because the lower deck looked full. The ferry ride from Antigua to Barbuda was about 90 minutes and it was pretty relaxing.
Arriving in Barbuda
Our plan was to take the ferry to Barbuda, spend time at pink sand beach, enjoy the water, relax, get something to eat from a nearby restaurant and then maybe walk around a little bit. We were wrong. When we got off of the ferry, that’s when reality hit us. Everyone that exited the ferry, were going to vehicles that were on the dock. We then realized by the signs and by asking people, that those vehicles were for people that booked tours. We didn’t book a tour so we thought maybe we can just walk to the city from the dock. We were wrong about that too. We asked one of the drivers and was told that it takes about an hour to walk to the city but because of the roads it will be hard and advised us to take a taxi.
We were able to get into one of the vehicles that still had room, but we had to book the tour with him, which was $75 (USD). We didn’t really have a choice, so we agreed. Our tour consisted of going to Two Foot Bay Cave, the Frigate Bird Sanctuary, Pink Sand Beach and then lunch.
Once we got into the car and started heading to the city, we realized immediately what the driver was talking about regarding the roads. The roads were all dirt roads with no side walks; it felt a little like we were in the dessert. There was no wifi at some point, and animals like horses, cows and goats were roaming around. In my opinion, we would’ve gotten lost if we weren’t with a tour guide.
Two Foot Bay Cave
We started off at the Two Foot Bay Cave. It’s a small cave, where you can hike to the top. We weren’t prepared to hike because we weren’t originally planning to hike. I was wearing a dress, with a bathing suit underneath, with sandals. But since the plan was changed, I was up for the challenge. I hiked to the top, and I’m super happy I did because the view from the top was beautiful.
Frigate Bird Sanctuary
After hiking back down, we headed to a boat to take us to the Frigate Bird Sanctuary. The fact that we needed to take a boat there was pretty interesting to me. After about 15 minutes of traveling in the boat, I saw birds flying around. I took some photos and videos, but didn’t think much of it. Then I found out that was the bird sanctuary. As we got closer, there were birds everywhere, flying high in the sky, flying low close to the water, and relaxing in the trees.
Pink Sand Beach
After leaving the Frigate Bird Sanctuary, we headed straight to Pink Sand Beach. Beautiful is an understatement. Our group were the only people on the beach when we got there, so that was great as well. It felt like we had our own private beach. The only downside is, we only had about twenty minutes to enjoy the beach.
Lunch at Uncle Roddy’s Beach Bar & Grill
After looking at many restaurant menus, we decided to try Uncle Roddy’s Beach Bar & Grill because they have a variety of options when it comes to food and drinks. They also have vegetarian and vegan options, which I was happy about. I decided to get the Penne Alfredo with no cheese and the spring rolls. They both were good and fulfilling.
Back to Antigua
After eating lunch, our tour guide drove us back to the dock, which was pretty close to the restaurant. We had to give the guy at the desk our names, and once he confirmed, we were able to get on the ferry. Then back to Antigua we went.
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