Active Pursuits

Golf

Open to all is the Tom Fazio 18-hole championship golf course of Sandy Lane Hotel, St. James (tel. 246/444-2000), on the west coast. Greens fees for 18 holes are US$235 (£118) for nonguests and US$200 (£100) for guests in winter, and US$185 (£93) for nonguests and US$160 (£80) for guests in summer. For its famed "Old Nine" holes, which wind through the estate grounds, cost is US$95 (£48) for nonguests and US$85 (£43) for guests year-round.

The Royal Westmoreland Golf and Country Club, Westmoreland, St. James (tel. 246/422-4653), is the island's premier golf course. Designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr., this 18-hole course is spread across 200 hectares (494 acres) overlooking the Gold Coast. It is part of a private residential community, but it's open for use by any nonmember who agrees to pay the requisite fees and who agrees to tee off any day between 10:20 and 11am. With rental of a golf cart included, the fee for 18 holes in winter is US$250 (£125) in winter, and US$150 (£75) in off season.

Barbados Golf Club, Durants, Christ Church (tel. 246/428-8463; fax 256/420-8205; www.barbadosgolfclub.com), on the south coast, opened as Barbados's first public championship golf course in 2000. The 6,800-yard, par-72 course, designed by Ron Kirby, hosted the PGA Seniors Tournament in 2003. Greens fees for 18 holes are US$135 (£68) in winter and US$104 (£52) off season. A 3-day unlimited golf pass during winter is US$335 (£168), and US$270 (£135) off season.

Hiking

The Barbados National Trust (tel. 246/426-2421) gives Sunday-morning hikes throughout the year. Led by young Bajans and members of the National Trust, the popular hikes cover a different area of the island each week. The guides give brief talks on subjects such as geography, history, geology, and agriculture. The hikes, free and open to all ages, are divided into fast, medium, and slow categories, with groups of no more than 10. Hikes leave promptly at 6am, and take about 3 hours to complete. There are also hikes at 3:30 and 5:30pm, the latter conducted only on moonlit nights. For more information, contact the Barbados National Trust.

The Arbib Nature & Heritage Trail explores the natural history and heritage of Speightstown, once a major sugar port and even today a fishing town with old houses and a bustling waterfront. The trail takes you through town, the mysterious gully known as "the Whim," and the surrounding districts. The first marked trail is an 8km (5-mile) trek, which begins outside St. Peter's Church in Speightstown, traverses the Whim, crosses one of the last working plantations in Barbados (Warleight), and leads to historic 18th-century Dover Fort, following along white-sand beaches at Heywoods before ending up back in town. For information and reservations, call the Barbados National Trust, and ask for a trail map at the tourist office.

The rugged, dramatic east coast stretches about 25km (15 miles) from the lighthouse at Ragged Point, the easternmost point of Barbados, north along the Atlantic coast to Bathsheba and Pico Teneriffe. This is the island's most panoramic hiking area. Some hardy souls do the entire coast; if your time is limited, try our favorite walk, the 6km (3.7-mile) stretch from Ragged Point to Consett Bay, along a rough, stony trail that requires only moderate endurance. Allow at least 2 1/2 hours. A small picnic facility just north of Bathsheba is a popular spot for Bajan families, especially on Sundays. As for information, you're pretty much on your own, although if you stick to the coastline, you won't get lost.

Horseback Riding

A different view of Barbados is provided by Caribbean International Riding Centre, St. Andrew, Sarely Hill (tel. 246/422-7433). With nearly 40 horses, it offers a variety of trail rides for all levels of experience, ranging from a 1 1/2-hour jaunt for US$70 (£35) to a 2 1/2-hour trek for US$100 (£50). You'll ride through some of the most panoramic parts of Barbados, including the hilly terrain of the Scotland district. Along the way, you can see wild ducks and water lilies, with the rhythm of the Atlantic as background music.

Scuba Diving & Snorkeling

The clear waters off Barbados have a visibility of more than 30m (100 ft.) most of the year. More than 50 varieties of fish are found on the shallow inside reefs, and there's an unusually high concentration of hawksbill turtles. On night dives, you can spot sleeping fish, night anemones, lobsters, moray eels, and octopuses. Diving is concentrated on the leeward west and south coasts, where hard corals grow thick along the crest of the reef, and orange elephant ear, barrel sponge, and rope sponge cascade down the drop-off of the outer reef.

On a 2km-long (1 1/4-mile) coral reef 2 minutes by boat from Sandy Beach, sea fans, corals, gorgonians, and reef fish are plentiful. J.R., a dredge barge sunk as an artificial reef in 1983, is popular with beginners for its coral, fish life, and 6m (20-ft.) depth. The Berwyn, a coral-encrusted tugboat that sank in Carlisle Bay in 1916, attracts photographers for its variety of reef fish, shallow depth, good light, and visibility.

Asta Reef, with a drop of 24m (79 ft.), has coral, sea fans, and reef fish in abundance. It's the site of a Barbados wreck that was sunk in 1986 as an artificial reef. Dottins, the most beautiful reef on the west coast, stretches 8km (5 miles) from Holetown to Bridgetown and has numerous dive sites at an average depth of 12m (39 ft.) and drop-offs of 30m (100 ft.). The SS Stavronikita, a Greek freighter, is a popular site for advanced divers. Crippled by fire in 1976, the 354-ft. freighter was sunk .4km (1/4 mile) off the west coast to become an artificial reef in Folkestone Underwater Park, north of Holetown. The mast is at 12m (39 ft.), the deck at 24m (79 ft.), and the keel at 36m (118 ft.). While you explore the site, you might spot barracuda, moray eels, and a vibrant coat of bright yellow tube sponge, delicate pink rope sponge, and crimson encrusting sponge. The park has an underwater snorkel trail, plus glass-bottom boat rides, making it a family favorite.

The Dive Shop, Pebbles Beach, Aquatic Gap, St. Michael (tel. 246/426-9947), offers some of the best scuba diving on Barbados, charging US$55 (£28) for a one-tank dive and US$80 (£40) for a two-tank dive, including equipment. Every day, three dive trips go out to the nearby reefs and wrecks; snorkeling trips and equipment rentals are also available. Visitors with reasonable swimming skills who have never dived before can sign up for a resort course. Priced at US$70 (£35), these include pool training, safety instructions, and a one-tank open-water dive. The establishment is NAUI- and PADI-certified, and is open Sunday to Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm. Other dive shops in Barbados that rent or sell snorkeling equipment include Hazel's Water World, Bridgetown, St. Michael (tel. 246/426-4043).

Several companies also operate snorkeling cruises that take you to particularly picturesque areas.

Tennis

The big hotels have tennis courts that can be reserved even if you're not a guest. In Barbados, most tennis players still wear traditional whites. Folkestone Park, Holetown (tel. 246/422-2314), is a free public tennis court. Courts at the Barbados Squash Club, Marine Gardens, Hastings, St. Michael (tel. 246/427-7913), can be reserved for BD$40 (US$20/£10) for 45 minutes.

Windsurfing

Experts say the windsurfing off Barbados is as good as any this side of Hawaii, and has turned into a very big business between November and April, attracting windsurfers from as far away as Finland, Argentina, and Japan. The shifting of the trade winds between November and May and the shallow offshore reef of Silver Sands create unique conditions of wind and wave swells. This allows windsurfers to reach speeds of up to 50 knots and do complete loops off the waves. Silver Sands is rated the best spot in the Caribbean for advanced windsurfing (skill rating of 5-6).

Club Mistral Windsurfing Club, immediately adjacent to the Silver Sands Hotel, in Christ Church (tel. 246/428-6001) is Barbados' best bet for anyone with even a day or two's prior experience on a windboard (but frankly, if you've absolutely never tried the sport before, you might find the winds at this place too strong.) Vigorous but relatively constant winds and medium-size waves allow fit and in-shape surfers to combine aspects of windsurfing and conventional Hawaiian-style surfing. Boards and equipment are provided by the Germany-based Club Mistral. Equipment rents for US$60 (£30) per half-day or US$80 (£40) for a full day.