ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA TRAVEL REPORT.

 

 

Punctual as never before leaves from Robert L Bradshaw Airport in Basseterre (St Kitts) at 08.35 my plane n. 527 of the LIAT Airline Company in the direction of Vc Bird Int'l Airport in Antigua, (ticket price including taxes: USD 123.75).

 

Free drinks and snacks are not served on the plane.

 

I therefore arrive at 09.05 am, at Vc Bird Int'l Airport in Antigua, located about 4 km east of St. John's, the capital of Antigua. There are 5 hours of time zone, compared to Italy.

 

A visa is not required to enter Antigua and Barbuda for tourism purposes and for a period not exceeding 90 days. It is sufficient to be in possession of a passport, with at least 6 months of residual validity at the time of entry into the country. Sometimes you will be asked for a return or onward flight ticket and a hotel reservation.

 

It is necessary to fill out a form to be delivered to customs, part of which must be returned when leaving the country.

 

There is no bank to change money at the airport, but you can withdraw cash with an ATM or credit card.

 

The currency of Antigua and Barbuda is the Eastern Caribbean Dollar (EC $), but American Dollars (USD) are accepted everywhere (Hotels, Buses, taxis, Shops, Restaurants, Supermarkets, Ferries, etc.), even if using this The latter are considered with the following value 1 USD = 2.5 EC $ instead of the official rate which is 1 USD = 2.7 EC $.

 

In Antigua and Barbuda, the official language is English.

 

In Antigua and Barbuda, driving is on the left and is driven by Minivans, which have written on the windshield containing the route number and the final destination, from 6.00 to 19.00. On the other hand, the service is absent in Barbuda where you travel only by taxi. You pay the driver before getting off.

 In Antigua I slept in the cheapest accommodation on the island, the Media Luna Apartments Complex, located in Hatton New Exstension, on the western outskirts of the capital, about 2 km west of the center of the same, at a cost of 45 USD per night. an apartment consisting of 2 double bedrooms, a bathroom, living room and kitchen (booking via the booking.com website). To reach it by public transport it is necessary to walk for less than 1 km outside the airport, until you reach the main road and take the Minivan n. 42 direct to West Bus Station (4 EC $). From there take minivan n. 61 directed to Five Island Village and get off after about 2 km abundantly at Blue container Supermarket (2.5 EC $) and walk in the adjacent road for almost 1 km, until you find the complex on the right after a supermarket.

 

Antigua is a mountainous island and therefore the roads are often winding and challenging climbs are frequent and therefore for those who have it it is nice to ride a bicycle. To this end, Bike Plus rents mountain bikes for USD 20 per day. Mandatory security deposit to be left in cash of USD 225 only. The shop is open from Monday to Friday from 8.00 to 17.00. It is located in the southeastern suburb of St. John's, on Independencies Drive Street, not far from the hospital. For information, please call 2684622453/6050.

 

In Antigua the most important site to see is "Nelson's Dockyard", protected by Unesco and located in English Harbor, in the southern part of the island. It is open every day from 9am to 5pm. In theory you should pay 18 EC $, even though I arrived by bike and they allowed me to ride my bike for free even though I didn't understand why.

 

If you want to visit wild Barbuda, keep in mind that there are no scheduled ferries, but the Barbuda Express company offers transport with a fast Catamaran, which leaves from St John's ferry pier on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 9.00 and returns the same day leaving Barbuda at 16.00. On Sunday it leaves at 12.00 and always returns at 16.00. Tickets are purchased from one hour before the ride up to 5 minutes before. The cost for the return ticket is 85 USD or 225 EC $. The company also offers several tours in Barbuda, for example the one to the Frigate Bird Sanctuary costs 150 USD, including the catamaran trip described above. Payment can also be made in Euros. The journey takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes and depending on the sea conditions it can become very busy due to the waves.

 

In Barbuda the catamaran docks in the southwestern part of the island, where there is not even a structure to shelter, but there are taxis waiting to take you to Codrington, the capital of Barbuta, 5km further north. for the price of 20 EC $. From there, you can take water taxis to go to Palm Beach or Frigate Bird Sanctuary. For the rest it is difficult to move alone in this wild island unless you borrow a bicycle from one of the country. I opted for this second solution which cost me 10 USD.

 

In Barbuda there are a few kilometers of paved road. There are no roads on the east coast. You can only go as far as Two Foot Bay in the north - east or Coco Point in the south - east.

 

Back in Antigua, having the Flight at 6.00 in the morning, as there was no Minivan in service at that time, I had to take a private taxi which took me from my Hotel in St John's to Vc Bird Int'l Airport in Antigua, located approx. 4 km east of the capital for the price of 20 USD.

My complete travel report with map, photographs and videos is available at this link:

http://vivendosalendo.blogspot.com/2017/11/traversata-dei-caraibi-da-nord-sud.html