From coral gardens and once-pirate coves to boulder-spattered shores, volcanic peninsulas, granite rocks, multi-coloured reefs, secluded shores, and lobsters’ marine playgrounds, the British Virgin Islands (BVI) is a paradisal land in the Caribbean enchanting visitors with unparalleled beauties, impressive diversity in everything around and about the BVI, and exoticism at unbelievable levels, both above and below the water. Of course, the picture is not complete before we count in the always-smiling locals who are ready 24/7 to fire up that BBQ and grill anything from mahi-mahi to kingfish and yellowtail! Wondering what you can do when vacationing in the BVI? Here is an illustrative list to give you an idea!
Hike the Trails at Gorda Peak National Park
A dreamy place dotted with anything from cacti forests and pineapple trees to white orchids and colourful hummingbirds lie around 410 metres above sea level, at the highest point on Virgin Gorda island. This very land that came to the possession of the island as a gift from L. Rockefeller more than 50 years ago is home to scenic trails that lead to quintessential lookout points and sweeping views and seascapes while enabling you to pass areas of rare natural beauty featuring mosses, moist mountain rainforests, and dry woods.
Bathe in The Baths
A particularly popular bay for its gigantic granite stones that adorn the shorelines and the beaches, The Baths is a maze of hidden grottos, sandy boulders, inviting pools, and winding tunnels that envelop the southern side of Virgin Gorda, creating a majestic scenery and a superb coastal landmark worth exploring. Turned into a national park, The Baths is perfect for activities like rock walking, nature photography, swimming, snorkelling, and wildlife spotting, with a breathtaking backdrop that blends the rugged volcanic terrain with turquoise seas and golden shores.
Explore Smuggler’s Cove
Once upon a time, pirate ships had made the waters of Lower Belmont Bay their favourite docking spot in the Caribbean archipelago. If you could hide behind a bush, you would see them unload chest after chest of Spanish Doubloons to the shore and tuck it in the secluded and private Smuggler’s Cove! After several centuries have passed, Lower Belmont Bay may no longer be a pirates’ hideout, but it is definitely one of the most famed local landmarks with an unbeatable castaway-type atmosphere starring beach bars, a sugary shore, sea vine patches, and swaying palms that gently slope down to the crystalline waves of the Caribbean Sea. Do consider paying the charming bay a visit for its pristine beach and the magnificent coral gardens, go snorkelling to make acquaintances with the exotic fish, or walk into Smuggler’s Cove and get a taste of what it felt like to be a pirate stocking your treasures in its corners!
Go on a Sailing Cruise to Anegada Island
This picturesque cay above the swells of the Caribbean is the creation of corals, rather than granite or volcanic erosion, which is the case with the majority of cays forming the British Virgin Islands. When the flats of Anegada appeared millions of years ago, its highest point was just 10 metres above sea level and could barely be described as a mountain! Once you step foot on the island, you will instantly realise that Horseshoe Reef is one of the most excitingly interesting and diverse reefs in the region, which becomes even more alluring thanks to Anegada’s low-lying topography! This fantastic place is fringed with emerald and turquoise waters, bone fishing spots, shipwrecks, and a lobster habitat that provides the island with the freshest lobster catches in the entire British Virgin Islands.
Let Yourself Get Lost in the Mount Sage National Park
Also referred to as Sage Mountain National Park, Mount Sage National Park is probably the epitome of natural appeal. Arching over the southern end of Tortola, it is one of the most rugged (and definitely one of the widest, too) national parks in the BVI that hypnotises with its emerald rainforest, idyllic beaches, and scenic coves. Feel free to follow one of the numerous hiking trails and see where their countless miles take you! If we had to pick just two, we would suggest Joseph R. O’Neal Trail and the Mahogany Forest Trail for dramatic broadsides of the cays dotting the ocean and forested routes, respectively.
Hit the Waters at the Water Sports Capital
North Sound is an adorable and totally stunning place on the northern edge of Gorda that’s considered every water sports enthusiast’s mecca in the BVI. Distinguished by salt-prayed harbours and docks, jetties filled with every kind of vessel (from small jet skis to elegant 40-foot charter yachts), rugged cliffs, and a secluded bay (aka Oil Nut Bay), it also pampers sailing fans with the green outlines of Mosquito and Prickly Pear islands, alongside the peaks of Pajaros Point – all eagerly waiting to be explored.
Other Equally Stirring Things to do in the BVI
- Enjoy some beachside time at the White Bay and its secluded, alabaster white beach, transparent waters, and quintessential tropical scenery.
- Wander through the Rhone National Maritime Park founded in 1867. The protected reserve is a supreme option for scuba diving thanks to the RMS Rhone, a shipwreck now sleeping in the depths of the coral bed of the British Virgin Islands.
- Dive in the Bubbly Pool at Jost Van Dyke Island for a natural Jacuzzi-like experience featuring salt ponds and mud paths.
- Go yacht-spotting at Soper’s Hole between Tortola Island and Frenchman’s Cay (and also sample great seafood and cocktails around the harbour).
- Enjoy delicious BBQ (see mouth-melting pork ribs with spicy Arawak sauce and legendary smokers and grills) and enchanting views of the archipelago at Hog Heaven on a Virgin Gorda hilltop.
- Head to Jost Van Dyke for some cold beers and cocktails, or homebrew rum and unique craft beer made with malts and fresh grains at Foxy’s Tamarind Bar – probably the best bar in the BVI.
- Treat your taste buds with great seafood, including Thai curries, glazed pork sarnies, conch fritters, fresh seafood catches, and more on the edge of Norman Island.
From coral gardens and once-pirate coves to boulder-spattered shores, volcanic peninsulas, granite rocks, multi-coloured reefs, secluded shores, and lobsters’ marine playgrounds, the British Virgin Islands (BVI) is a paradisal land in the Caribbean enchanting visitors with unparalleled beauties, impressive diversity in everything around and about the BVI, and exoticism at unbelievable levels, both above and below the water. Of course, the picture is not complete before we count in the always-smiling locals who are ready 24/7 to fire up that BBQ and grill anything from mahi-mahi to kingfish and yellowtail! Wondering what you can do when vacationing in the BVI? Here is an illustrative list to give you an idea!
Hike the Trails at Gorda Peak National Park
A dreamy place dotted with anything from cacti forests and pineapple trees to white orchids and colourful hummingbirds lie around 410 metres above sea level, at the highest point on Virgin Gorda island. This very land that came to the possession of the island as a gift from L. Rockefeller more than 50 years ago is home to scenic trails that lead to quintessential lookout points and sweeping views and seascapes while enabling you to pass areas of rare natural beauty featuring mosses, moist mountain rainforests, and dry woods.
Bathe in The Baths
A particularly popular bay for its gigantic granite stones that adorn the shorelines and the beaches, The Baths is a maze of hidden grottos, sandy boulders, inviting pools, and winding tunnels that envelop the southern side of Virgin Gorda, creating a majestic scenery and a superb coastal landmark worth exploring. Turned into a national park, The Baths is perfect for activities like rock walking, nature photography, swimming, snorkelling, and wildlife spotting, with a breathtaking backdrop that blends the rugged volcanic terrain with turquoise seas and golden shores.
Explore Smuggler’s Cove
Once upon a time, pirate ships had made the waters of Lower Belmont Bay their favourite docking spot in the Caribbean archipelago. If you could hide behind a bush, you would see them unload chest after chest of Spanish Doubloons to the shore and tuck it in the secluded and private Smuggler’s Cove! After several centuries have passed, Lower Belmont Bay may no longer be a pirates’ hideout, but it is definitely one of the most famed local landmarks with an unbeatable castaway-type atmosphere starring beach bars, a sugary shore, sea vine patches, and swaying palms that gently slope down to the crystalline waves of the Caribbean Sea. Do consider paying the charming bay a visit for its pristine beach and the magnificent coral gardens, go snorkelling to make acquaintances with the exotic fish, or walk into Smuggler’s Cove and get a taste of what it felt like to be a pirate stocking your treasures in its corners!
Go on a Sailing Cruise to Anegada Island
This picturesque cay above the swells of the Caribbean is the creation of corals, rather than granite or volcanic erosion, which is the case with the majority of cays forming the British Virgin Islands. When the flats of Anegada appeared millions of years ago, its highest point was just 10 metres above sea level and could barely be described as a mountain! Once you step foot on the island, you will instantly realise that Horseshoe Reef is one of the most excitingly interesting and diverse reefs in the region, which becomes even more alluring thanks to Anegada’s low-lying topography! This fantastic place is fringed with emerald and turquoise waters, bone fishing spots, shipwrecks, and a lobster habitat that provides the island with the freshest lobster catches in the entire British Virgin Islands.
Let Yourself Get Lost in the Mount Sage National Park
Also referred to as Sage Mountain National Park, Mount Sage National Park is probably the epitome of natural appeal. Arching over the southern end of Tortola, it is one of the most rugged (and definitely one of the widest, too) national parks in the BVI that hypnotises with its emerald rainforest, idyllic beaches, and scenic coves. Feel free to follow one of the numerous hiking trails and see where their countless miles take you! If we had to pick just two, we would suggest Joseph R. O’Neal Trail and the Mahogany Forest Trail for dramatic broadsides of the cays dotting the ocean and forested routes, respectively.
Hit the Waters at the Water Sports Capital
North Sound is an adorable and totally stunning place on the northern edge of Gorda that’s considered every water sports enthusiast’s mecca in the BVI. Distinguished by salt-prayed harbours and docks, jetties filled with every kind of vessel (from small jet skis to elegant 40-foot charter yachts), rugged cliffs, and a secluded bay (aka Oil Nut Bay), it also pampers sailing fans with the green outlines of Mosquito and Prickly Pear islands, alongside the peaks of Pajaros Point – all eagerly waiting to be explored.
Other Equally Stirring Things to do in the BVI
- Enjoy some beachside time at the White Bay and its secluded, alabaster white beach, transparent waters, and quintessential tropical scenery.
- Wander through the Rhone National Maritime Park founded in 1867. The protected reserve is a supreme option for scuba diving thanks to the RMS Rhone, a shipwreck now sleeping in the depths of the coral bed of the British Virgin Islands.
- Dive in the Bubbly Pool at Jost Van Dyke Island for a natural Jacuzzi-like experience featuring salt ponds and mud paths.
- Go yacht-spotting at Soper’s Hole between Tortola Island and Frenchman’s Cay (and also sample great seafood and cocktails around the harbour).
- Enjoy delicious BBQ (see mouth-melting pork ribs with spicy Arawak sauce and legendary smokers and grills) and enchanting views of the archipelago at Hog Heaven on a Virgin Gorda hilltop.
- Head to Jost Van Dyke for some cold beers and cocktails, or homebrew rum and unique craft beer made with malts and fresh grains at Foxy’s Tamarind Bar – probably the best bar in the BVI.
- Treat your taste buds with great seafood, including Thai curries, glazed pork sarnies, conch fritters, fresh seafood catches, and more on the edge of Norman Island.