Tour Options in Antigua and Barbuda

Almost all taxi drivers double as guides, and you can arrange an island tour with one for about $25 an hour. Every major hotel has a cabbie on call and may be able to negotiate a discount, particularly off-season. Several operators specialize in off-road four-wheel-drive adventures that provide a taste of island history and topography. D&J Tours offers day-trippers the chance to experience Barbuda on a round-trip flight with a beach picnic and full tour for $120. Estate Safari Jeep Tours explores the interior, where there are few marked trails and roads are rough. The cost (about $90 per person) includes a visit to Betty's Hope, a hike to the summit of Monk's Hill (affording sensational near-360-degree panoramas of Montserrat, Guadeloupe, and English Harbour and Falmouth Harbour), a botanical walk through the rain forest, and lunch and snorkeling at a secluded beach. Four-wheel off-road adventures by Island Safaris (whose company also runs other land- and water-based excursions) enable you to fully appreciate the island's natural beauty, history, folklore, and cultural heritage as they zoom about the southwest part of Antigua. Hiking is involved, though it's not strenuous. Lunch and snorkeling are also included. Active adventurers will particularly enjoy the combo Land Rover/kayak outback ecotour. Prices start at $99 per person. Mountain to Sea Bike Adventure offers informative, fun, three-hour guided bicycle tours (transfers, equipment, and lunch included) and optional hikes in the Shirley Heights-English Harbour area; they also rent bikes and scooters. Suntours, by far the most professional outfit on Antigua, gives half- and full-day island tours that focus on such highlights as Shirley Heights and English Harbour. Suntours is also the island's American Express representative.

Information

D&J Tours (268/773-9766). Estate Safari Jeep Tours (268/463-4713 or 268/463-2061). Island Safaris (268/480-1225. www.tropicalad.com). Mountain to Sea Bike Adventure (268/721-7350 or 268/770-4837. www.mountaintoseabikeadventure.com). Suntours (Long and Thames Sts., St. John's. 268/462-4788).