# Day trips from Antigua & Barbuda

> Day-trip range here means short inter-island hops, not a land border: SVG/BMN Air or the Barbuda Express ferry to Barbuda (same country, but a separate trip); the new LIAT Air nonstop to Guadeloupe (20 min, launched May 2026); scheduled flights to St Kitts (55 min) with an onward ferry to Nevis (30-45 min) for Nevis's two big summer festivals; and Winair's 3x-weekly hop to Montserrat (30 min) for its Calabash/Cudjoe Head season. All routes run from V.C. Bird International (ANU) except the Barbuda ferry, which leaves from Jolly Harbour.

Canonical: https://rockhopping.com/antigua-and-barbuda/day-trips  
Source: Rockhopping (rockhopping.com) — a what’s-on guide for 55 island and low-tax jurisdictions.

- **Nevis Mango Festival** — Charlestown, Nevis, KN · 2026-07-02 to 2026-07-05 · ~2h door-to-door including the ferry connection each way
  Four days of mango-driven Caribbean cuisine this year fronted by Food Network chef Eric Adjepong - 44 mango varieties, tastings and masterclasses
  Getting there: Fly ANU-SKB (St Kitts) ~55 min on BA/Caribbean Airlines/LIAT20/Sunrise Airways, then ferry Basseterre-Charlestown ~30-45 min (multiple daily sailings, e.g. Sea Bridge, Mark Twain, Caribe Xpress)
  https://www.caribjournal.com/2026/04/28/nevis-mango-festival-returning/
- **Nevis Culturama 52** — Charlestown, Nevis, KN · 2026-07-23 to 2026-08-04 · ~2h door-to-door each way
  Nevis's flagship 52nd-anniversary cultural showcase - troupes, calypso, string bands and J'ouvert - the kind of full-immersion island carnival Antigua's own Carnival (same window) can't offer twice
  Getting there: Fly ANU-SKB ~55 min, then ferry Basseterre-Charlestown ~30-45 min
  https://sknnews.com/featured/nevis-culturama-festival-2026-motto-unveiled-434725606
- **Montserrat Calabash Festival** — Little Bay / Salem, Montserrat, MS · 2026-07-18 to 2026-07-26 · ~30 min flight each way
  Nine days of music, craft, food and community events across the volcano-shadowed 'exclusion zone' island - a completely different Caribbean mood half an hour from Antigua
  Getting there: Winair ANU-MNI, ~30 min flight, operating Tue/Fri/Sun only
  https://discovermni.com/2026/06/25/calabash-festival-2026-promises-nine-days-of-culture-cuisine-and-community/
- **Cudjoe Head Day Festival** — Cudjoe Head village, Montserrat, MS · 2026-07-31 to 2026-08-01 · ~30 min flight each way
  A whole village given over to music, food stalls and heritage celebration - small-scale and local in a way Antigua's own big Carnival isn't
  Getting there: Winair ANU-MNI, ~30 min flight (Friday 31 Jul is a scheduled flying day)
  https://discovermni.com/2026/05/31/why-summer-is-one-of-the-best-times-to-visit-montserrat/
- **Fête des Cuisinières (110th edition)** — Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, GP · 2026-08-08 (best estimate - official date not yet published) · ~20 min flight each way
  Guadeloupe's most photographed tradition - hundreds of women cooks in madras dress parade Creole dishes for blessing, then the whole town parties; now a genuine 20-minute hop rather than the multi-stop ferry-only trip it used to be
  Getting there: New LIAT Air nonstop ANU-PTP, ~20 min flight (up to 4x/week from July 2026)
  https://www.lesilesdeguadeloupe.com/en/festival-event/cooks-festival/