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 he
new United States wasn't even a decade old when a British warship sailed
into the waters off Antigua. The largest of the British Leeward Islands
had warm, steady winds, a complex coastline of safe harbors, and a protective,
nearly unbroken wall of coral reef. It would make a perfect place to hide
a fleet. And so in 1784 the legendary Admiral Horatio Nelson sailed to
Antigua and established Great Britain's most important Caribbean base. |
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Little did he know that more
than over 200 years later, these same unique characteristics would transform
Antigua and Barbuda in one of the Caribbean's premier tourist destinations.
The signs are still there; they just point to different things. |
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The Trade Winds that once
blew British men-of-war safely into English Harbour now fuel one of the
world's foremost maritime events, Sailing Week. The expansive, winding
coastline that made Antigua difficult for outsiders to navigate is where
today's trekkers encounter a tremendous wealth of secluded, powdery soft
beaches. The coral reefs, once the bane of marauding enemy ships, now attract
snorkelers and scuba divers from all over the world. |
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| The fascinating little island
of Barbuda - once a scavenger's paradise because so many ships were wrecked
on its reefs - is now home to one of the region's most important wildlife
reserves. The sanctuary contains over 170 species of birds and is home
to over 5,000 frigate birds. |
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| There are 365 beaches on
Antigua, one for each day of the year. The great majority are inside calm,
protected waters on the island's Caribbean side. Antigua's Carnival is
celebrated each year during the last week of July, a 10-day festival of
pageantry, music, mas and revelry. Antigua's Carnival is a "not-to-be-missed"
event! |
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