Discover Island Harbour

Island Harbour in Anguilla offers several points to consider when planning your trip: the sheltered bay with its colourful boats, the petroglyphs at Big Spring and the annual Festival del Mar, held over Easter weekend. Other highlights include the fishing pier towards Scilly Cay and Hibernia Restaurant. If you are looking for a hotel in Island Harbour, you might first consider whether you are especially interested in the harbour atmosphere, cultural history, an event, the boat connection or local cuisine.

Harbour and village character

Colourful boats lie at anchor in Island Harbour’s sheltered bay. This maritime setting is a distinct highlight alongside the cultural sites. Big Spring offers a different perspective, with its rock overhangs and petroglyphs taking centre stage. This means that harbour character and cultural history come together in the same destination.

Big Spring and Anguilla’s history

The rock overhangs at Big Spring contain more than 100 petroglyphs dating from 600 to 1200 AD. Petroglyphs are signs or depictions carved into rock. This period places the rock art within a longer span of Anguilla’s history, while the number of petroglyphs conveys the scale of the site. Big Spring is therefore a specific cultural and historical highlight in Island Harbour.

Big Spring is one of two known petroglyph sites on Anguilla; the other is Fountain Cavern. Big Spring is in Island Harbour, while the comparison between the two sites applies to Anguilla as a whole.

Big Spring is also one of Anguilla’s protected areas and was a place where Anguilla’s Amerindian people held celebrations. The combination of rock art, protected-area status and historical use gives the site several clearly distinct cultural and historical connections.

Festival del Mar over Easter weekend

Island Harbour hosts the annual Festival del Mar over Easter weekend. The festival includes a seafood festival, culinary competitions, swimming and fishing tournaments, music and boat races. The programme thus ranges from food and sporting competitions to music and boat races. If you would like to plan your trip around the festival, check the dates for the relevant edition. Future editions and their programmes may vary.

Scilly Cay and the fishing pier

Island Harbour’s fishing pier extends towards Scilly Cay. A dinghy takes people from the pier to the island. If you would like to include the crossing in your plans, confirm the current boat arrangements before your visit.

Hibernia Restaurant

Hibernia Restaurant in Island Harbour serves upscale cuisine, local seafood and dishes with Asian influences. It has been associated with Island Harbour since 1987. These features give an impression of the restaurant’s culinary focus. Confirm current opening arrangements and offerings before visiting.

Discover more destinations: West End Village, Blowing Point Village, Sandy Ground, South Hill Village, Shoal Bay Village, East End Village, Long Bay Village, The Valley.

For the main travel overview: Anguilla.