Barbuda is Antigua’s sister island, 40 km north and a world away: 160 square kilometres of flat limestone and scrub, one village, around 1,500 people, and a west coast that is a single unbroken beach for seventeen miles. It is the sort of place people describe with numbers because the description otherwise sounds like an advertisement.
The sand is genuinely pink in places — a pale rose where the pulverised shells of pink-tinged coral and foraminifera mix into the white. The colour is strongest in the morning and after rain, and it is most obvious where the waterline meets dry sand. Behind the beach sits Codrington Lagoon, and in its mangroves is the largest colony of magnificent frigate birds in the Western Hemisphere.
Hurricane Irma passed directly over Barbuda in September 2017 and damaged or destroyed almost every building on the island. Recovery has been slow and contested, and visitor infrastructure remains thin. Come knowing that, plan around the ferry, and you get one of the most extraordinary beaches in the Caribbean nearly to yourself.
Top things to do at Barbuda’s Pink Sand Beach
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Walk the beach
Seventeen miles is not a figure you will test, but an hour in either direction will very likely put you out of sight of another person. Bring water; there is no shade at all.
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Visit the frigate bird sanctuary
Small boats run from Codrington across the lagoon to the mangrove colony, where thousands of frigate birds nest and the males inflate scarlet throat pouches during the winter breeding season. It is one of the great wildlife sights of the region.
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Snorkel the reefs
Barbuda is ringed by shallow reef and littered with wrecks — the island’s low profile made it notorious for shipwrecks for three centuries. The water is calm and clear on the western side.
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See the caves and Highlands
The eastern side rises to a whole 38 m at the Highlands, where limestone caves hold Amerindian petroglyphs and the view takes in the entire island at once.
How to get to Barbuda’s Pink Sand Beach
- By ferry: the Barbuda Express catamaran runs from St John’s in about 90 minutes on most days, but not daily and not in rough weather. Book ahead and confirm the schedule the day before.
- By air: light aircraft take about 15 minutes from V.C. Bird International Airport. It costs considerably more and is far more reliable.
Insider tips
- Day trips work but are tight. Two nights lets you see the lagoon, the caves and the beach without watching the clock.
- Cash matters. Card acceptance is patchy and ATMs are limited to Codrington.
- There is essentially no public transport. Arrange a driver or a guide in advance — a guided day tour handles all of this for you.
