Black Garden Bay

Black Garden Bay is one of Anguilla's most obscure and least-visited beaches - a small, rocky inlet on the island's rugged northeast coast, tucked between Limestone Bay to the west and Shoal Bay East to the east. Getting here is genuinely difficult: there are no signs, the dirt track is rough and uneven, and an SUV or high-clearance vehicle is strongly recommended. Comfortable footwear is essential for the descent to the sand. But for travelers who make the effort, the reward is a small, strikingly beautiful pocket of coastline that is almost always completely theirs.

The beach itself is a compact crescent of white sand set among dramatic rock formations. The surrounding terrain - acres of wild, undisturbed vegetation - has been left largely untouched for generations, giving the area a quality that is increasingly rare on even the quieter Caribbean islands. Villa Kishti and Villa Tasha are among the well-known luxury villas in the area, though the beach itself remains undeveloped.

The rock formations that make Black Garden Bay so scenic also limit swimming. The shore-facing angle (approximately 30 degrees NNE) means the beach is exposed to Atlantic swell, and wave activity can be significant - especially in winter months, when conditions can be rough. On calmer summer days, swimming may be possible in the sandy sections, but this is not a reliable swimming beach. The beach is better suited to fishing from the cliffs, exploring the rock pools, photography, and simply sitting in one of Anguilla's most genuinely remote coastal settings.

An alternative and adventurous way to reach Black Garden Bay is to start at Limestone Bay and hike east along the rocky coastal trail - the sound of the waves serves as a natural guide. The area between Black Garden Bay and Shoal Bay East is locally known as Brimegin, a wild and largely untouched stretch of coast that offers a glimpse of what Anguilla's shoreline looked like before the era of tourism development.