Barbados – Nation of Great Natural Beauty

Barbados, located in the Caribbean Sea, is blessed with beautiful beaches, breathtaking natural beauty and extremely friendly inhabitants.

History
Barbados’ history goes back to 400 B.C when it was inhabited by the Amerindians. During the 8th century, the Arawaks arrived here from South America followed by the Cribs in 13th century. Barbados was under the rule of the Portuguese between mid 1500s and 1600s. Later, Barbados was under British control from 1627 to its independence in 1966 but it did enjoy considerable local autonomy all this while.

Popular Places and Attractions
Nature lovers will garner a lot of good times in Barbados. Andromeda Botanical Gardens, the Orchid World and Flower Forest are known for their collection of tropical flowers and rare trees. They are surrounded by beautiful views of countryside and crashing ocean. There are several caves as well such as Harrison Limestone caves and Animal Flower cave. These caves are full of interesting formations of rocks and also rivers and waterfalls. The Harrison caves contain huge caverns and majestic stalagmites and stalactites.

Bridgetown, the capital of Barbados is also its tourism capital. Its major attractions include Fountain Garden, National Heroes Square, Independence Square, Montefiore Fountain, Independence Arch, St. Mary’s Anglican Church and Saint Michaels Cathedral Church. Some other popular Barbados attractions are George Washington House, Parliament Building, Barbados Museum and miles of sandy beaches and warm waters.

Getting Around
Buses, minivans, taxis, rented cars, bikes and mopeds are the various modes of transport available for getting around Barbados, it’s a good guide to have some change handy to pay for your fares.

Places for Entertainment
Beachfront bars, nightclubs, live music venues and restaurants are the usual places for entertainment in Barbados. Tours of rum distilleries (such as the one organised by Mount Gay which is the world’s oldest rum refinery), romantic cruises and arts display in studios, workshops and galleries are also great places to go out. One thing to note here is that most of these hangouts might remain closed at weekends.

Quad biking, horseback riding, island safaris, snorkelling over shipwrecks and coral reefs, diving, windsurfing, kite boarding, surfing, sailing on catamaran and swimming in the company of turtles are some of the enticing adventure entertainment avenues available in Barbados. Water sport facilities are especially great along the north and east coast beaches. Boarding a Concorde aircraft at Grantlley Adams International Airport’s Barbados Concorde Experience and the Atlantis Submarine 45 minute tour are two other entertaining possibilities.

Accommodation
Guesthouses, B&Bs (bed and breakfast), apartments, youth hostels, budget hotels, island inns, hotels, vacation rentals and villas are available for tourist accommodation in Barbados.

Currency
The official currency of Barbados is the Barbados Dollar (BBD). Currency can be exchanged in banks with the current exchange rate being 2 BBDs for 1 USD, check the news and internet for the latest exchange rates. Traveller’s cheques and credit cards are also widely accepted.

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