The British Virgin Islands The British Virgin Islands (BVI) are made up of about 50 islands and islets. The four largest islands are Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke and Anegada. Tortola is the largest island with an area of 21 square miles. The other larger islands are Anegada at 15 square miles, Virgin Gorda at 8 square miles and Jost Van Dyke at 3 square miles. Smaller islands include Great Tobago, Peter, Cooper, Norman, Guana, Beef, Great Thatch and Marina Cay. The British Virgin Islands are among the world’s loveliest cruising grounds for charters and yachts. Take a day trip to the BVI and visit some of the top sights like the Baths on Virgin Gorda and picturesque Jost Van Dyke, it will be a vacation highlight!
Baths National Park, Virgin Gorda, BVI
This is one of the Virgin Islands’ most unique natural wonders and is at the top of every adventurer’s sightseeing list. Swim and explore this National Park’s spectacular light-filled grottoes, naturally carved from a series of small sea pools lying beneath a canopy of giant granite boulders. Have your waterproof camera ready for some dramatic shots.
Jost Van Dyke, BVI
Named for an early Dutch settler and former pirate, Jost Van Dyke runs deep with rugged scenery and colorful folklore. Explore vegetation-covered sugar mill ruins, old trails that crisscross the island and the East End’s natural sea-formed Jacuzzi, or observe whales and dolphins.
Measuring just four miles by three and with fewer than 300 inhabitants, the BVI’s smallest island has been home to Arawak Indians, Caribs, Dutch, Africans and the British. Notable inhabitants have included William Thornton, architect of the U.S. Capitol Building, and John Lettsome, founder of the London Medical Society.
Today, food and fun abound on Jost Van Dyke, with numerous places to indulge in island cuisine, such as barbecue, West Indian rotis, flying fish sandwiches, grilled fresh fish and lobster. The well-known Soggy Dollar bar in White Bay serves their infamous painkillers and have a great swag shop. For the party animals, Great Harbour, home to Foxy’s, is world-famous for its yacht-filled parties on Halloween and New Year’s Eve.
Norman Island and Cooper Island, BVI
These islands are beautiful and not so built up. They boast epic snorkel stops and you can get a nice lunch at restaurants on the beach. The Treasure Caves of Norman Island offer amazing snorkeling. Legend has it that the Caves are place where Henry Creque, a local fisherman, discovered what many believe to be gold doubloons from a pilfered Spanish galleon, “Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe.” It is widely believed to be the setting of Robert Louis Stevenson’s book, “Treasure Island”. The Caves are a gorgeous snorkel with plenty of fish and three different caves to snorkel through and explore. The Indians is also another great snorkel/dive spot in the BVI.
Anegada, BVI
The only coral island in the Virgin Islands’ volcanic chain, Anegada is characterized by its nearly flat elevation, the striking coral reefs that surround it, secluded sandy beaches and clear springs bubbling from coral beds.
A variety of wildlife special to the Virgin Islands area thrive on Anegada, including loblolly, frangipani, turpentine trees, feathery sea lavender and wild orchids. On the nature trail at Bones Bight, catch a glimpse of the rare rock iguanas native to the island, or discover the exotic birds at Nutmeg Point.
Snorkelers and scuba divers will delight in the reef’s mazes, tunnels and drops, which are rich in needle fish, bonefish, stingrays, parrot fish and other marine life, while those with sea legs will enjoy water sports, sport fishing and bone fishing. Beachgoers will find no lack of calm and quiet shores, including Cow Wreck Beach, Flash of Beauty, Bones Bight and Windlass Bight.
Discover Anegada’s history through a maze of stone walls that surround the Main Town’s Settlement or the Arawak’s ancient conch mounds in the East End. Or, explore the wreckages of numerous Spanish galleons, American privateers and British Galleons.
You want to go but not sure which charter is right for you or your group? Give us a call directly. We can find the right boat and captain for your dream day in the British Virgin Islands.