The Atlantic Coast
A day is needed to explore the magnificent and windy east coast of the island, and also to spent a night in some of the old hotels, where the islanders use to go on vacations.

The landscape changes radically as you go forward by the east coast highway. You can verify how the plains full of pasture give way to a tropical forest. At once you’ll see the impressive entrance to Codrington College (open daily; entrance fee). A large entrance road, flanked by majestic palm streets, takes to this theological university, built with coral limestone, founded in 1702 by Christopher Codrington, that was General Governor of the Leeward Islands, apart from owner of Barbuda. The university campus has a fascinating path through a virgin forest.

Following to the north by the east coast highway, the waving sugar cane fields, soon give way to craggy hills that go down to the sea, and with bananas plantations. A detour to the right will take you to Bathseba and the Andromeda Botanical Gardens (open daily, close on national holidays, entrance fee), where you’ll find one of the best collections of Caribbean tropical plants and shrubs. In 1954, Iris Bannochie, an horticulture fan that died in 1988, designed such beautiful gardens over this rocky hill next to the sea, and later, extended her collection with all kinds of tropical and exotic plants, that she brought from her trips around the world. Next to the orchids and bromeliads collection, is a magnificent example of a bearded fig tree. The Barbados National Trust, manages these gardens of 2 has. that are crossed by a small river.

At Bathseba is the Atlantis Hotel, one of the oldest in the island, and where writer George Lamming goes each time he goes back to his native island. Its shape doesn’t draws attention, but it is compensated with the excellent food of its restaurant. At the Bathseba coast, each year, is celebrated the Soup Bowl, an international competition attracting surfers from all around the world.

If you want to go on by the coast, you should get into the inner lands, some few km. through a hill, and take a detour to Cattlewash. From this town the road runs parallel to a large golden sand beach, at the Atlantic shores. Is not much visited, specially in working days, but the strong currents of the Atlantic make swimming in these waters not recommendable. Nearby are two of the most traditional hotels in Barbados: the Edgewater Inn and the Kingsley Club. Both have excellent local food, and Sunday noon buffets are an institution among the islanders.

The Scotland District Hills
The British pioneers, nostalgic of their land, compared the exuberant landscapes of Barbados with those in England, and the strange rocky formations with those of the Scottish Highlands, so the island was given such nicknames as “little England” or the Scottish District. A tour inside the island, will take you through sugar cane fields with small peasant’s villages. Going out Bridgetown by the ABC highway, soon you’ll reach highway 3. Follow the signals to Gun Hill, an old military base were wounded soldiers went for convalescence, and currently hosting a small museum (open daily, entrance fee), and you’ll arrive to the Francia Plantation House (open from Monday to Friday; closed in national holidays; entrance fee), the mansion of an old plantation. Here lives the family of the first owner, who ordered to build it and furnish it in 1913. Many of its rooms are open to public.

Further north you’ll find Harrison’s Cave (open daily, entrance fee; phone no. 438-6640), huge caves formed by crystal limestone. Up in an electric streetcar you can go through, admiring the beauty of this underground world, where you can see throats, grottos, stalactites and stalagmites, apart from spectacular cascades and underground currents.

Going back to the surface, you can enjoy a more calm beauty, walking through the green of the jungle at Welchman Hall Gully (open daily, entrance fee). This cliff was formerly part of a series of caves, whose roofs fell down, that were connected to Harrison’ cave. Now, the Barbados National Trust, handles the conservation of more than 200 species of plants, flowers and trees growing in this place.

Not so far, to the north, is another botanic wonder, the Flower Forest (open daily, entrance fee). Here you can touch and smell a fantastic collection of tropical flowers and plants, having the east coast at the back.