Explore And Discover Barbados Island
Departing from the pier area, your Barbados tour begins with a drive over to the East Coast of Barbados. Our first stop will be Cherry Tree Hill, situated 850 feet above sea-level. This spot offers an excellent view of the "Scotland District" which covers the parish of St. Andrew and is named after the Patron Saint of Scotland. The road to Cherry Hill is lined with mahogany trees, which were introduced into Barbados after the Treaty of Paris in 1763. From there we will make our way to Morgan Lewis Windmill. The windmill is on the top 100 endangered historical sites in the world.
As we come down onto the coastline we will travel through Cattle Wash and make a stop in Bathsheba, named for its great beauty and home of the Soup Bowl, a favorite stop for surfers in Barbados. Our next stop will be St. Johns Church, one of the oldest churches on the island, set on a cliff and capturing spectacular views. This classic Gothic church with stunning architecture was built in 1836 on a cliff face 800 feet above sea level. It commands spectacular views of the east and southeastern coastal regions. Within the churchyard is the tomb of a distant relative of Constantine, the last Christian Emperor of Constantinople.
From this Gothic church we will journey down past Gun Hill Signal Station, an old military defense station on the island. After a morning rich in scenic beauty and history we will stop for lunch before making our way onto the West Coast of the Island.
Once on the West Coast, we will stop at one of the most beautiful beaches on the island, Pirate's Cove on Carlisle Bay, where you will take a glass bottom boat trip to swim with the turtles. While wildlife sightings cannot be guaranteed, turtles are seen on most trips to Carlisle Bay on this snorkeling tour. The boat is equipped with a bar, bathrooms, and a fun waterslide. Then enjoy free time at the beach, including a beach lounger and umbrella, a complimentary drink, and use of the washrooms and freshwater shower. Please be sure to wear your swimsuits and bring a beach towel for this excursion. After your beach time, you will return to Bridgetown.
Please Note: The boat is boarded by wading out and climbing on board via the boat's ladder. There is no dock. In the event that there are high seas and the boat trip is not available, or a guest is not comfortable with sea conditions, they may opt out of the boat portion before boarding the boat, and receive a refund of $15 US for the boat portion only.
Spectaular Countryside and Knowledgeable GuideFebruary 03, 2016
Reviewer: MA
This is a great option for seeing all of the island nation, and getting a full sampling of the country. The Glory Tours guides were very clear and easy to spot at our cruise ship pier just outside the gate. Our tour had 14 people on it, traveling by mini-motorcoach. Our guide Christopher has 30 years experiences, and is very knowledgeable and proud of his home country. He drove us around the whole island, which is varied and beautiful (about 3 hours). We pulled off the road every few miles to see a point of interest or overlook, and Chris was great about getting a good spot that wasn't in the middle of the tourist traps but instead a clear and private view. He readily answered questions and gave a full tour of the history, people, and geography. The second half brought us to a popular beach and we had wristbands for use of the beach chairs, facilities, and changing room at the restaurant. We chose the option to snorkel and used our beach time to buy lunch (about an hour). Other Glory Tour options also ended at this beach site. Chris returned to us after lunch to bring us to the snorkel boat, which pulled right up on the beach (you will need to walk into the water a few steps). The snorkeling with turtles is just off shore, but unlike the other packed boats we only had four people (about 40 minutes). The snorkel gear was adequate, including clean mask and life vest, but did not include flippers. The guides were respectful of the turtles and discouraged anyone from touching or harassing them. Afterwards were were offered free rum punch or juice and brought back for beach time (about 1 hour). Chris then drove our group back to the ship by 2:30pm for our 4:30pm return. We were pleased with the excursion. It was a good mix of sitting and activity. Traveled on Royal Caribbean Jewel of Sea.
Tour part great, turtle snorkeling not soFebruary 02, 2016
Reviewer: Don't like winter
Tour of the island was great. The west side of the island is sooo different from the cruise side. Really experienced the culture. Tour went downhill from there. After the bus tour, we were dropped off at a beach and told where to walk out to the boat for snorkeling and what time we would be picked up. It was quite an unorganized and unprofessional manner. We were left to find lunch for ourselves before snorkeling. Then walked out just off shore to a pontoon. Guides on boat gave us snorkeling equipment and said, here put it on and snorkel. I had never snorkeled before. They were not helpful. We saw one turtle, who quickly swam away. After snorkeling, we had maybe 30 minutes on beach before pick-up time.
Wonderful ExperienceSeptember 21, 2013
Reviewer: Green123
This was my first time visiting Barbados, I went there as part of a Carnival Cruise Tour. I booked this adventure as a separate tour excursion. I originally booked this tour, and though there weren't enough people who signed up for the tour, I found out that they upgraded my tour for free. I ended up going to the Wildlife Sanctuary, Harrison's Cave, Snorkeled with turtles and had an amazing lunch instead. My day was completely packed full of surprises that day. It was so amazing and the tour guide was so helpful and pleasant. I went by myself on this tour, and had no problems at all.
