Barbuda
An island some fifty kilometres north of Antigua, with one village, a lagoon full of frigatebirds and a pink-tinged beach that runs for miles.
- Arrival
- Barbuda Burton-Nibbs International · BBQ
- To the island
- About 10 minutes by helicopter from Antigua
- Private jets
- BBQ, 1,859 m runway, daylight, no fuel
- Best time
- December to July
The city
One village, one lagoon, a long shore.
Barbuda covers some 160 square kilometres, and nearly all of its two thousand or so people live in Codrington, beside the lagoon on the west side. Hurricane Irma flattened most of the island in September 2017 and everyone was evacuated to Antigua; by early 2019 most had come home, and the population is now larger than before the storm.
Frigatebirds breed in the mangroves of the lagoon, one beach of pink-tinged sand runs for eleven miles, and new building is kept to a low density. The drier months are December to July; rain climbs from August and peaks at about 135 mm in October.
- Codrington Lagoon The largest frigatebird colony in the western hemisphere, on Man of War Island, reached by small boat.
- Martello Tower A fort of the nineteenth century, still standing on the island.
- Highland House The ruins of an eighteenth-century house of the Codrington family, known locally as Willybob.
Arriving
A new runway on a flat island.
Burton-Nibbs International opened in October 2024 east of Codrington, replacing the old airstrip, with a runway of 1,859 metres. Most travellers still land on Antigua first.
- San Juan 55 min
- Punta Cana 1 h 15
- New York 4 h 00
- Atlanta 4 h 05
- Istanbul 11 h 35 long-range jet
When to go
December to July.
Tropical, with a dry season in winter. February is the driest month at about 40 mm, and afternoons stay at 28 to 31 °C all year. From August to November rain passes 100 mm a month and the storm risk is highest.
- 28° J 61 26°
- 28° F 41 26°
- 29° M 51 26°
- 29° A 61 27°
- 30° M 94 27°
- 30° J 53 28°
- 31° J 71 28°
- 31° A 104 28°
- 31° S 130 29°
- 30° O 135 29°
- 30° N 130 28°
- 29° D 94 27°
Where to stay
Eight bungalows on the sand.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
Where to dine
Dinner by the lagoon.
No MICHELIN Guide covers Barbuda. The one table we list is the restaurant of Barbuda Belle, with prices at the top of the island’s range.
- The Mangrove Signature restaurant, Barbuda Belle French, local produce $$$ Barbuda Belle, Cedar Tree Point
Elsewhere in Antigua and Barbuda
More reasons to come.
Flying to Barbuda?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.