Anguilla POTA Report: A Park-by-Park Guide for Future Activators

In January 2026 we had the chance to visit the amazing island of Anguilla, a British Overseas Territory tucked into the eastern Caribbean. This post is a park-by-park rundown of Anguilla's eight POTA entities, with notes on access, logistics, and what to expect if you're planning a visit and want to get some parks in the log.

AI-0001 – Fountain Cavern National Park

A cave with petroglyphs inside. Part of the surrounding area is fenced off with protective material to keep invasive species out. The cave itself is closed to the public and only opens by special permission — don't count on getting inside. That said, there are a few spots outside the fence, still within the park's green space on the maps, where you can set up and activate.

AI-0002 – Big Spring Historic Site

Another historically protected site. It's open for guided tours (admission fee required), but unguided access isn't allowed. Ask at the main parking area — they might permit an activation from there if you explain what you're doing. I found a second access road on the north side that falls within the park boundary and activated from there instead.

AI-0003 – East End Pond Conservation Area

A large pond that's home to a variety of nesting birds and a genuinely important conservation and bird-study site. There's a big parking area right there, plenty of room to pull up, set up, and get on the air.

AI-0004 – Shoal Bay–Island Harbour Marine Park

One of the more fun activations on the island. Scilly Cay sits inside the marine park boundary, and a cheap little ferry runs out there — just a few minutes each way. Once you're on Scilly Cay you can eat, grab a drink at the island bar and restaurant, soak up the sun for hours, and work the park from under an umbrella on the beach. There are pricier shuttle options too, but if you just head to the Island Harbour pier, a boat runs back and forth on demand all day for about $10. The schedule is loose — they don't run every single day — so just walk down to the pier and ask at the bar, or someone who looks like they know what they're doing.

AI-0005 – Prickly Pear Marine Park

A beautiful day trip and a great activation from a genuinely pristine beach. Ask the bartender about the secret ingredient in the rum punch — you'll get a good laugh out of it. A shuttle out to the island runs about $40 per person, departing from Sandy Ground Pier.

AI-0006 – Dog Island

A protected marine park with limited access. Most boats won't make the run out there, so this one takes special arrangements. Your best first call is the Anguilla National Trust to ask about access and transportation options.

AI-0007 – Sombrero Island

A protected marine park and bird sanctuary, sitting about 40 miles off the mainland. There are ruins on the island from a former guano mining operation. Access is arranged exclusively through the Anguilla National Trust, and tours run around $2,000 to book a trip for up to four people. Details are on the Anguilla National Trust site.

AI-0008 – Junk's Hole Marine Park

A marine park and heritage site — this is the area where the wreck of the Spanish galleon El Buen Consejo is located, though the wreck site itself is currently closed to the public. A 4x4 is handy for land access to the beach. Look for signs to Palm Grove Bar & Grill — that's the old name and it's still what shows on the maps, but it now goes by Nat's Place. The park pin sits right next to Junk's Hole salt pond; you can set up there, or better yet head down to the beach and let the ocean do what it does best as nature's amplifier.

The Wrap-Up

We activated every park on the island except Dog Island and Sombrero Island — those two just need more advance planning than our trip allowed for. If you only have time for a couple of the harder-to-reach ones, make it AI-0004 and AI-0005. Both require a boat shuttle, but they're worth every bit of the extra hassle.

This wasn't a hamcation — most of our time went to family, beaches, restaurants, and just soaking in the island — but I still managed around 300 QSOs across 29 countries during the visit. Anguilla earned a special place in our hearts, and we're already talking about a return trip. I'll follow this up with a separate post on our general experience on the island, including the best beaches we found.

Until the next one, 73 from W4IO / VP2EIO