Many paradises – the British Virgin Islands

To the east of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean are the 153 square kilometers British Virgin Islands, part of the Virgin Islands archipelago. The main Islands here are the Islands of Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada and Jost Van Dyke along with about 50 smaller islands and cays.

Road Town, the Capital, is located on Tortola- the largest Islands here.

Best time to visit

Blessed with a tropical climate, any of the British Virgin Islands are good for a vacation at any time of the year, though  the drier months of December to April is when tourism picks up.

How to reach

British Virgin Islands are not hard to access.  The Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport on the Beef Island, off the eastern tip of Tortola is the main entry point to these Islands. Other Islands have smaller airports fro conveyance within them.

You can take ferries to these Islands, the main harbour being Road Town. Ferries also connected the British Virgin Islands to Unites States Virgin Islands. Other ports are the Great Harbour on Jost Van Dyke and the St. Thomas Bay in Virgin Gorda.

Connecting these Islands are ferries and yachts. Within the Island, you can hire a taxi or rent a car. You can also rent a bike or a scooter to discover the Island at your pace.

Attractions

Well… there indeed is a lot to do and see in the British Virgin Islands. You definitely are spoilt for choice if you wish to plan a beach vacation on one of these Islands. These are of all kinds here – crowded or secluded, big or small. You can surf at Apple Bay, enjoy sunbathing at the Elizabeth Beach or visit the very popular Deadman’s Beach.

Abundant is snorkeling and dive sites, with great water to surf on; the beaches of Islands here are definitely great for a vacation. The British Virgin Islands is good fro quiet sailing and boating as well. The Sir Francis Drake Channel is a simply majestic stretch to sail on, surrounded by 50-60 odd Islands. This is also a sheltered habitat for the growth of marine life that includes corals, underwater caves, canyons, lava tunnels, pinnacles and grottoes under water. With excellent visibility, this area is a paradise for snorkelers and divers. The marine life also includes invertebrates, drum fish, octopus, grouper, crab, starfish, spiny lobster, golden moray eels and barracuda.

Some good snorkeling and diving sites are the Spring Bay in Virgin Gorda, Brewer’s Bay on Tortola, the Parmatta wreck off Anegada and Smuggle’s Cove among many others.

The British Virgin Islands are also home to many National Parks worth visiting. In Virgin Gorda you have parks like the Baths and the Copper Mine Island. In Great Camanoe Island is the Cam Bay National Park, consisting of shallow reef and lagoon system.  The Fallen Jerusalem National Park is another area with beautiful secludes beaches like the North Lee Bay Beach. Apart from these, there are the J.R.O’Neal Botanic Gardens in Tortola Island, the wildlife sanctuary of Little Fort National Park on Virgin Gorda, the Little Tobago and Great Tobago National Park at the northwestern corner of the British Virgin islands – habitat for seabird nesting, the Mount Healthy, the Prickly Pear National Park, the Rhone Marine Park and the Sage Mountain National Park in Tortola Island.

Apart from natural scenic areas, there are historical sites that are worth exploring. These include forts, museums, churches, burial sites and plantation estates.

The British Virgin Islands thus come as a complete vacation package – with beaches to relax at, great water for water sports, national parks and scenic areas worth exploring on your hiking trails and the sites offshore that preserve the histories of these Islands and reflect its culture.