By far one of the most interesting and varied islands in the West Indies, Antigua's volcanic southern hills and rolling limestone plains are surrounded by a convoluted shoreline hiding spectacular white sand beaches.

Its natural harbours are unparalleled in the islands, a fact not wasted on the British Navy who fortified several of them to protect their sugar interests in the 17 and 1800's.Their silent cannon now decorate restored forts at Nelsons Dockyard, Shirley's Heights and other commanding points as yachts of all descriptions sail the same waters as the old-time aggressors. Almost any type of sailing is available in Antigua, from windsurfing to dinghy sailing to crewed or bareboat charters. An often exercised option is a day sail on one of the local catamarans.

Now a world class yachting destination, Antigua is home to one of the largest and best known regattas in the world, Antigua Sailing Week which takes place in late April each year and brings together over 200 boats of many nationalities for a week of racing. Antigua Classic Regatta occurs the week before Sailing week and has built a reputation as one of the finest annual gatherings of classic yachts.

If you want to sail here, Sunsail and Sun Yacht offer bareboat charters out of Falmouth and English Harbour. Windsurfing Antigua at Dutchman'sbay near the airport caters to all levels of windsurfers, from beginners to expert bumpy water sailors. Wadadli Cats, Kokomo Cat and Treasure Island Cruises offer day charter catamaran cruises to a variety of destinations including circumnavigations of the Island.

A look at the map reveals countless embayments, harbors and islands - one of the most complex coastlines in the West Indies with everything from sheer cliffs to pure white sand beaches to mangrove wetlands which host thousands of migrant birds each winter. Antigua is one of those places where you will see more shades of blue, green and in-between than you thought possible. The ocean has provided for generations of Antiguan fishermen and several dive operators now share its richness with visitors. Antiguan sites are concentrated in the West and South. Southern sites include steep rock walls with submerged boulders and coral encrustation rather than true reef, whereas the Western sites include wrecks and coral knolls rising from the sandy bottom.

Excursions
When sugar production finally ceased in the early 1980's unused land was overtaken by a species of thorny African Acacia locally known as 'cassie'. The National Park land in the dramatic Southern hills mostly escaped the 'cassie' and is the largest area of reasonably untouched forest. This area receives more rain than anywhere else on the relatively dry island and small fruit farms abound in the green hills.

Practically all of the flat land was cleared of its original forest to make way for sugar production and scores of stone windmill towers remain, Betty's Hope being a fully restored example. Several companies guide jeep and hiking tours Fig Tree Drive and to other areas of the Island. Tropikelly Trails, BoTours, Estate Safari offer such tours of the interior. XO Tours arranges custom excursions including day trips to Barbuda. Adventure Antigua offers eco-tours by sea.

Other parts of Antigua worth seeing includes St Johns which offers excellent shopping, a museum, restaurants and cafes. Other Antigua activities include offshore fishing, horseback riding, birdwatching and watersports including parasailing, waterskiing, jet skiing and paddle boating.

Not the least attractive of Antigua's sights is our sister Island Barbuda. If you appreciate unspoiled natural settings and having deserted beaches to yourself, then Barbuda should not be missed. It is a low lying coral and sand island 27 miles due North of Antigua - that's ten minutes by air or one to three hours by boat. Home to 1200 people, Barbuda boasts an unbroken 20 mile pink sand beach, the largest nesting colony of Magnificent Frigate Birds in the world, a wild population of Scottish Fallow deer as well as an estimated 200 shipwrecks on her reefs and Shoals.