British Virgin Islands

The British Virgin Islands are a British Overseas Territory of more than 60 islands and cays east of Puerto Rico. Tortola is the largest and home to the capital, Road Town. Virgin Gorda is famous for The Baths, where huge granite boulders form caves, tunnels and pools along the beach.

Jost Van Dyke is tiny but legendary for White Bay and its beach bars, where boaters swim ashore for a Painkiller cocktail. Anegada is the odd one out: a flat coral island surrounded by reef and known for grilled lobster.

Photo: Jaro Nemčok via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Getting to the BVI from Jamaica usually takes two steps. Most people fly into San Juan, Puerto Rico, or Antigua and connect on a small plane to Tortola, or fly into St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands and take a ferry across.

Once there, ferries link the main islands, and many visitors charter a sailboat and move from bay to bay.

The BVI are all about the water. Life is slower and quieter than in Jamaica, and the islands are much smaller, with steep green hills dropping into sheltered bays. Instead of driving from town to town, people sail. The BVI are considered one of the best sailing grounds in the world because the islands are close together and the water is protected.

Costs are high, especially on the smaller islands. English is spoken, and the local culture is West Indian, with fungi music (a local style played with washboards and gourds) and plenty of rum.

Photo: Legis auf English Wikipedia via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

• Walk the trail through The Baths to Devil's Bay on Virgin Gorda.
• Swim ashore at White Bay on Jost Van Dyke and visit the Soggy Dollar Bar.
• Snorkel the caves at Norman Island, said to have inspired Treasure Island.
• Eat lobster on Anegada and visit the island's flamingo pond.
• Charter a sailboat, with or without a captain, for a few days of bay-hopping.

December to April has steady trade winds and dry weather, which is prime sailing season.

Many visitors stay aboard a chartered sailboat, moving to a new bay each day. On land, Tortola has the widest choice, from hillside villas to beach hotels at Cane Garden Bay and Josiah's Bay. Virgin Gorda is quieter, with resorts near The Baths and around North Sound. Jost Van Dyke has small inns and villas close to its beach bars, and Anegada offers simple beach cottages for real isolation. Book early for winter, since there are few rooms on the smaller islands.

• Currency: US dollar
• Language: English
• Driving: left-hand side, on steep and winding roads
• Best for: sailors, snorkelers, beach-bar hoppers and travelers who want a slow pace

If you do not want to sail yourself, day trips by boat from Tortola or Virgin Gorda will take you to The Baths, the snorkeling caves at Norman Island, and the wreck of the RMS Rhone, one of the Caribbean's best-known dive sites.