Barbuda: pink sand and the frigate birds
Barbuda is Antigua’s wild, empty sister: pink-tinged beaches and one of the world’s great frigate bird colonies. How to plan it and where to start.
Barbuda is what the Caribbean looked like before the resorts: flat, remote, barely populated, and ringed with empty sand. Most people come over from Antigua for the day, for two things above all, the beaches and the birds.
What to do
The sand here has a genuine pink tint, from coral broken down along the shore, and it runs for miles with almost no one on it, reachable by boat. The other sight is the frigate bird sanctuary in the Codrington Lagoon, one of the largest colonies of the birds anywhere, thick with squawking nests and the males’ red inflated throat pouches in mating season, from about September to April. Most trips pair the two, the birds early and the beach after. Codrington is the one village, and there are old ruins and caves inland for the curious.
Where to start
Open 24 hoursLow Bay
Barbuda, Antigua & Barbuda
Open 24 hours11 Mile Beach
Codrington, Barbuda
Open 24 hoursFishing Creek Bay Beach
Codrington, Barbuda
Open 24 hoursTwo Foot Bay Cave & Historic Outpost
Codrington, Barbuda
Open 24 hoursPink Sand Beach
Codrington, Barbuda
Open 24 hoursPrincess Diana Beach
Codrington, Barbuda
Palaster Reef
Barbuda, Antigua & Barbuda
Before you go
Barbuda is reached by ferry or a short flight from Antigua, and the sanctuary and pink beach are boat trips worth arranging ahead. The number on each page is the operator’s own.