Barbados Activities

There are a number of activities for children of all ages to participate in. For animal lovers, there is an aquarium, zoo and wildlife reserve where as lovers of outdoors will love Harrison’s cave. For the older children, Bubble Adventures offers them the chance to learn to scuba dive in safe circumstances and the myriad of beaches offer the chance to sit and relax, play in the sand and sea and expel some cooped-up energy.

Barbados Wildlife Reserve
This reserve is filled with stunning mahogany trees and curious green monkeys. A day trip here offers everyone a fun-filled day of excitement and animal interaction. The Barbados Primate Research Center has imported a large number of green monkeys to this open-air zoo where they live among other animals such as deer, tortoises, a wide variety of tropical birds and countless peacocks and iguanas. The reserve can be found opposite the Farley Hill National Park which is great for picnics and exploring as well as being host to a number of musical and theatrical events throughout the year.

Beaches
Barbados is home to some outstanding beaches where children will be in their element. You will find family orientated beaches with beach games and shallow waters for the younger children to swim. With the year-round good weather, beach life will never get tiring for them and while they are running around and building sandcastles, you can relax with a good book and soak up the sun.

Bubble Adventures
Children aged eight or over are given the opportunity to learn the basics of scuba diving in a safe and controlled environment and under the close supervision of highly trained dive masters. A variety of courses are available and kids can even learn in the pools at their own holiday resort. This provides the young with a great introduction to the joys of diving. Phone: +1 246 436 7095; website: http://bubbleadventure.com.

Harrison’s Cave
Hailed as a unique phenomenon of nature, Harrison’s Cave provides visitors with a fascinating introduction to the marvel of natural rock formations with some examples dating back literally thousands of years. Electrically operated tram escort visitors through the caves giving them breathtaking views of stalagmites and stalactites as well as waterfalls and deep emerald pools. Kids simply love the caves and find the tram journey incredibly exciting. It is also a great geography lesson for them, although the kids won’t be stuck in a classroom wishing they were somewhere else.

Ocean Park
Ocean Park gives visitors young and old, the opportunity to get up close with a variety of species of marine life without ever getting wet. This unique aquarium facility is home to a large selection of sea creatures many of which can be viewed via a glass tunnel which gives visitors as sense of being ‘underwater’ with the creatures themselves. Staff at the park give talks about certain creatures at regular intervals throughout the day while the opportunity to witness feeding demonstrations is also available. Phone: +1 246 420 7405; website: oceanparkbarbados.com.

Oughterson House Zoo
Previously a working sugar cane factory, the Oughterson House Zoo is now home to a wide variety of birds and animals, many of which are from South America. The zoo makes use of remnants from the old factory for the purpose of housing the animals with the old syrup factory now a tropical fish aquarium. Among the animals available for viewing are Marmosets, Squirrel Monkeys, Capuchin Monkeys, Agoutis, Armadillos and Tapirs. The house which is suggested in the title is a grand building which features some grand antique furniture and is set in a scenic orchard with a large selection of tropical fruit trees. Phone: +1 246 423 6203.

The islands’ most popular beaches lend themselves well to the pursuit of water and beach sports with local business providing all the know-how and equipment necessary to get visitors set up for activities such as parasailing, wakeboarding, surfing, wind surfing, skiing, jet skiing, snorkelling and scuba diving. Local water sports operators provide visitors with everything they need to enjoy scuba diving in the crystal clears waters of the Caribbean seas. Novices can take the basic training courses and enjoy the shallower waters while accomplished divers will be taken out into the deeper areas to view their many wonders.

Fishing opportunities on the island are plentiful with a variety of local companies offering vessels for day or half-day charters. Drinks and bait and tackle are invariably included in the cost of the charter and assistance is generally available for novice fishers. Angling enthusiasts can expect to catch the likes of tuna, wahoo and barracuda among other species.

If you prefer to stay on dry land, year round good weather and lush green courses make Barbados the ideal location to enjoy either a golfing holiday or just a leisurely round one day when you’ve exhausted the sightseeing possibilities. The island has a variety of courses, some belonging exclusively to resorts and others operating independently.

For something a little more adventurous, the Highland Adventure Centre offers visitors the chance to get up in the saddle and take an exciting tour through the scenic Barbados countryside, taking in views of three beautiful coastlines and visiting tiny villages which are still untouched by the effects of tourism. Tours are suitable for horse riders of all abilities.

Mountain biking is a popular pursuit with the locals and can be enjoyed by visitors as there are a number of reputable establishments across the island offering bicycles for hire. A variety of excellent routes and tracks are available with some suitable for novices and others aimed more at accomplished riders. Alternatively, you can just stick to the roads and enjoy the fantastic scenery that the island affords.

The Barbados is a great place for ornithological enthusiasts to grab their binoculars and head off into the jungle in search of creatures of the winged variety. Enthusiasts can easily see some of the island’s most common indigenous species such as the Grackle and the Bajan but if they try a little harder they may be rewarded with sights of the hummingbirds, Cattle Egrets, Gray Kingbirds and Green Backed Herons.

Visitors to Barbados should not miss out on the chance to enjoy some of the island’s traditional cuisine which is a mix of colonial British dishes with influences provided by the western African slaves who were brought in to work the sugar plantations some centuries ago.

Fish features heavily in the local cuisine with the flying fish among the most popular, finding its way onto both the menus of reputable restaurants and into the snacks offered by beach side bamboo shacks. Other fish that are commonly eaten include tuna, mackerel, barracuda, mahi-mahi and lamprey. A species of fish called dolphin is also popular however don’t let the misnomer fool you as it’s a creature entirely unrelated to that of the porpoise family that we all know and love.

Other popular dishes include Jug-Jug, which is made from split peas and guinea flour; pepperpot, which is a spicy meat stew and Coo-Coo, which is made from cornmeal and okra. Dishes are traditionally flavoured with both chilli and thyme, giving them a fragrant taste with a definite kick that may have you feeling a little warm around the gills. The island is also abundant in fruit and visitors can enjoy the sweet delights of fresh papaya, pineapple, breadfruit and coconuts.

There’s no shortage of places to dine out while you are on holiday in Barbados with restaurants across the island offering a wide selection of tasty fare. Visitors can go traditional at restaurants within popular resorts or venture out and fine international cuisines in the city areas. Prices tend to be high across the board as Barbados is something of a playground for the affluent.

Barbados offers shopping lovers the opportunity to do some serious damage to their credit cards or cash supply with a variety of interesting shopping venues offering both traditionally made and internationally recognised products. The island’s capital, Bridgetown, is the best place to head to for a shopping excursion with Broad street offering a good selection of duty free shops, department stores and speciality retailers. Other shopping streets within the capital include Swan street, Roebuck street and Tudor street.

Pelican Village, which is situated on the city limits of the capital Bridgetown, is a modern shopping development where visitors can pick up a variety of local handicraft products as well as being offered the opportunity to see them being made. Products such as wall hangings, paintings, straw bags, batik and rum cakes are commonly available. Also close to Bridgetown is the Bayshore Complex where you’ll find designer boutiques alongside restaurant and pool facilities. Duty free shopping is especially popular in Barbados with prices up to 50 per cent cheaper than in Europe .