"We live it, you'll love it, visit Barbuda"

Barbuda is to be found some twenty-five miles north of its sister island Antigua. With a population of under two thousand people, its 62 square miles forms one of the most beautiful, unspoiled and peaceful islands in the Caribbean. Famous for its rich marine life, endless white and pink sand beaches, and home to one of the largest colonies of frigate birds in the region, the island’s uniqueness and beauty has attracted many discerning visitors, including the late Princess Diana of Wales. The islanders even named a beach after her in memory of her love for the island where she was able to find the seclusion and privacy she craved.

The capital, Codrington, affectionately referred to as “the village” by the inhabitants, was named after the island’s most prominent family. Barbuda’s fascinating social and political history begins with the first people who travelled there in canoes thousands of years ago. More recent history includes the Codrington family years with its notorious slave trade to the devastating encounter with Hurricane Irma in 2017. Showing typical Barbudan grit, demonstrated throughout the years, the inhabitants and its stakeholders are working to return the island to its resilient and laid-back roots.

It’s believed that Barbuda’s history began about 3,000 to 4,000 years ago. The Arawaks arrived from what is today known as Guyana and Venezuela, between 500 to 280 BC. Naming the island Waladli, they were prodigious farmers who left behind a legacy of sophisticated pottery and ceramic. They were replaced by the Caribs, originally from Dominica and St. Vincent, who were known as being warriors, but ended up being only seasonal inhabitants of Barbuda, or as they called it then, Wa’omoni.

The Caribs faced seafarers from Europe who at that time were settling in many of the newly discovered Caribbean islands. Unfamiliar conditions such as the hot climate, perilous hurricanes, not to mention threats from pirates presented the Dutch, Spanish, French, Portuguese and English sailors with huge challenges and they were largely unsuccessful during that period.

In the 17th century, finally Britain annexed and settled in Barbuda and until its independence in 1981, the island was ruled by the British except for a brief interlude by the French in 1666. A few years after the annexation, King Charles II handed control of Barbuda to the brothers, John and Christopher Codrington, who held the island for 200 years until it was annexed to Antigua.

The Codrington’s Caribbean adventure started in Barbados in the 1630s when the father of the brothers, English aristocrat Christopher Codrington, moved there. They subsequently settled their sights on Antigua where they established the 850-acre Betty’s Hope sugar-cane plantation, one of the largest in the region and with over 300 slaves. For more than four generations, the Codrington family cemented their reputation as important plantation owners and slave traders. Profits generated by their plantations brought them wealth and power both in the Caribbean and in England. During this period, Barbuda was established as a provisioning station, growing crops and providing most of the supplies for the Codrington estates in Antigua and Barbados. In the Letter and Memorandum Book of Sir William Codrington 1715–1790, the very first written record of the early inhabitants of Barbuda can be found.

The first sign of the legacy of the resilience and strength of Barbudans was demonstrated in the 18th and early 19th centuries through a series of slave rebellions, culminating in the emancipation of 500 slaves after the 1834 insurrection. Having been omitted from the British Slavery Emancipation Act of the same year, they managed to free themselves from the tyranny of slavery though a general revolt. It was only in 1981 that Barbuda finally gained independence from Britain as an integral part of Antigua & Barbuda, and became part of the Commonwealth of Nations.

As a low-lying island, with the highest point only being 125 feet above sea level, natural disasters are not unfamiliar to the island. Unfortunately, as the most powerful hurricane to have ever been experienced in the Atlantic, Irma caused catastrophic damage to Barbuda in 2017. However, true to the resilience of the islanders and the huge makeover being carried out, officials are optimistic that Barbuda will be back in business for the coming tourist season.

Barbuda is a true undiscovered treasure waiting to be explored, offering stunning beaches and calm anchorages protected by a barrier reef. History buffs can uncover Amerindian sites and ruins, as well as remnants of 18th century buildings left by the Codrington family. With caves and sink holes to discover and world-class dive sites to enjoy, adventure lovers are more than catered for. Ornithologists can search for the Barbuda warbler, one of the rarest small birds on the planet and observe the renowned frigate bird colony. As Sherien Griffen, Barbudan tourism motto winner, so succinctly puts it “We live it, you’ll love it, visit Barbuda”.

Barbuda is serviced by regular daily flights from Antigua as well as by the Barbuda Express, the high-speed ferry from Antigua’s capital, St John’s.