Adventure Tours -- Eco-tourism is all the rage. The best and most thrilling eco-adventure in Antigua is the Rainforest Canopy Tour, headquartered at Fig Tree Drive in Wallings (tel. 268/562-6363; www.antiguarainforest.com). Think Tarzan in a harness in a high-altitude, vertigo- challenged transit on an interconnected series of twin cables high above the island's treetops. The tour is recommended only for the physically fit and those with no undue fear of heights. The shortest of the nine cables stretches for 91m (299 ft.), the longest for 107m (351 ft.) above a gorge. Four options range in price from $30 to $110, timed at 30 minutes to 2 1/2 hours. The most popular costs $80, lasting 90 minutes. At the end, you have to climb 170 steps to your original point of departure. Monday to Saturday departures are at 9am, 10am, 11am, 1pm, and 3pm; call for a reservation.
In a less daunting adventure, you can take an Antigua Adventures tour (tel. 268/726-6355; www.antiguaadventures.com). The cost is $90 per person. The tour takes you around the lush island in air-conditioned comfort, visiting a sugar mill, national parks, Nelson's Dockyard, Falmouth Harbour, and Shirley Heights, among other attractions.
Boating & Yacht Charters -- If you're contemplating serious yachting around Antigua, as many well-heeled visitors do, make arrangements through Nicholson Yacht Charters (tel. 305/433-5533 in the U.S. and Canada, or 268/460-1530; www.nicholson-charters.com) well in advance of your trip. It offers boats of all sizes. Once on Antigua, if you plan only minor sailing such as in a Sunfish or small catamaran like Hobie Waves, or windsurfing, contact Sea Sports, on the beach in front of the Rex Halcyon Cove Beach Resort at Dickenson Bay (tel. 268/462-3355).
Cruises -- All the major hotel desks can book boat cruises, the most popular and most frequently patronized of which is Pirates of Antigua (tel. 268/562-7946; www.piratesofantigua.com). Departing daily at 9am and 1pm aboard a romanticized replica of a pirate ship (the fact that it's motorized isn't immediately obvious), it simultaneously sails the water and plies its participants with rum-based drinks so strong that after two or three of them, you'll be hallucinating. The cost is $60 for adults, $30 for ages 5 to 12, and free for those 4 and under. There are Saturday night sails from 8pm to midnight at a cost of $90 per passenger. You can also call Tropical Adventures (tel. 268/480-1225; www.tropicalad.com), which offers day trips to neighboring Barbuda aboard a motorized catamaran, the Excellence, that's suitable for up to 70 passengers at a time. Departures are every Saturday at 9:30am, returning the same day around 4:30pm. The price is $150 ($120 for teenagers 13-16; $90 for children 4-12, free for children 3 and under), which includes lunch, use of snorkeling equipment, and a visit to Barbuda's bird sanctuary. Barbuda-bound cruises depart from Tony's Water Sports at Dickenson Bay (tel. 268/462-6326; fax 268/462-2065).
Fishing -- Many anglers visit Antigua just for the big game fishing offshore, where wahoo, tuna, and marlin abound. The best deep-sea fishing charter is Overdraft (tel. 268/464-4954; www.antiguafishing.com), a large 12m (39-ft.) fiberglass boat that goes in hunt of dolphin (the fish), shark, barracuda, wahoo, and other creatures of the deep. Captain Frank Hart knows his fishing grounds. Up to six fishermen are accommodated at one time; a 4-hour charter costs $495, and an 8-hour charter goes for $790.
Golf -- Antigua's golf facilities are not on par with some of the other islands', but its foremost and most popular course, the 18-hole, par-70 Cedar Valley Golf Club, Friar's Hill Road (tel. 268/462-0161; www.cedarvalleygolf.ag), is good. This course was designed by the late Richard Aldridge and is 5km (3 miles) east of St. John's, near the airport. It has panoramic views of Antigua's northern coast. Daily greens fees are $49 for 18 holes, with cart rentals going for $42.
Another course worth playing is the Jolly Harbour Golf Course at Jolly Harbour (tel. 268/462-3085), though we prefer this less than Cedar Valley. Jolly Harbour is a par-71, 6,000-yard, 18-hole course plotted by golf designer Karl Litten on a hilly, tropically landscaped setting. The maintenance of the course is not always the best, however. Greens fees are $23 for 9 holes, or $46 for 18 holes.
Parasailing -- Parasailing is gaining popularity on Antigua. Facilities are available during the day, Monday to Saturday, on the beach at Dickenson Bay.
Scuba Diving, Snorkeling & Other Watersports -- The reefs that fringe Antigua are home to beautiful, brilliantly colored fish. Many of the island's beaches have clear, pure, calm waters that make for great snorkeling. The most popular, such as Dickenson Bay, have concessions where you can rent snorkel gear and other equipment if it isn't available from your hotel.
Scuba diving is best arranged through Jolly Dive Center, Jolly Harbour (tel. 268/462-8305). A single-tank dive costs $85, including all equipment except wet suit, with a two-tank dive going for $120. Dive packages are also available, with two-tank deals going for $325.
Splish Splash (tel. 268/462-3483) regularly conducts 2-hour snorkeling jaunts over to Paradise Reef for $40 per person. Departures are daily at 11am and again at 1pm.
Tennis -- Well-off tennis buffs check into Curtain Bluff. Its courts, rivaled by the nine courts at Carlisle Bay, are the finest on the island. Most of the major hotels have courts as well, and some are lit for night games. (We don't recommend playing tennis at midday -- it's just too hot!) Hotel guests usually play for free; if you're not a guest, you'll have to book a court and pay charges that vary from place to place.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
