Tortola (British Virgin Islands)

The world's yacht charter capital: use Tortola as your home port to island-hop to The Baths on Virgin Gorda, the beach bars of Jost Van Dyke and shipwreck dive sites.

Tortola is the largest and most populous island in the British Virgin Islands (BVI); the capital, Road Town, lies on a harbor on its south coast. The BVI is made up of some 60 islands and cays strung along the Sir Francis Drake Channel, with steady winds, gentle seas and plentiful anchorages – making it the world's most popular yacht charter destination, with the major charter companies based in Road Town and West End. The climate is warm year-round: Dec–Apr is the dry season, with steady trade winds and peak sailing; Jun–Nov is hurricane season, peaking Aug–Oct. Hurricane Irma devastated the island in 2017, but most facilities have been rebuilt. There are three parts to a visit: Tortola itself (north shore beaches such as Cane Garden Bay, Brewers Bay and Smuggler's Cove, Sage Mountain National Park in the center, and Road Town's museum and botanic garden); Jost Van Dyke to the west (the beach bars of White Bay, the Bubbly Pool and Sandy Spit); and to the south and east, the caves of Norman Island, snorkeling at the Indians, the wreck of the RMS Rhone, plus The Baths on Virgin Gorda and, farther out, the coral island of Anegada. Getting there: connect via San Juan, Puerto Rico, or Antigua to the Beef Island airport, or take a ferry from St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands to Road Town or West End (immigration clearance required). Between islands, travel by ferry, day-trip speedboat or charter yacht. Tortola's mountain roads are steep and narrow and traffic drives on the left; renting a car requires a temporary driving permit. Plan on 5–7 days – a one-week charter is the classic choice. The official currency is the US dollar, and prices are high.

Top sights

• Cane Garden Bay – Tortola's most famous beach, a crescent of white sand framed by coconut palms, with beach bars and a rum distillery next door.
• White Bay, Jost Van Dyke – The Caribbean's most famous beach bar, where boats anchor right off the white sand. It is the birthplace of the Painkiller cocktail.
• Road Town – The capital of the British Virgin Islands and a home port for sailing charters, with a harbor full of masts. The main street has colonial-e…
• Old Government House Museum – A colonial-era governor's residence built in the 1920s, displaying furniture, gifts and historical records from past governors of the Briti…
• J. R. O'Neal Botanic Gardens – A tropical botanic garden in the heart of Road Town, with an orchid house, rainforest trails and a medicinal herb garden. It is a rare shad…
• Callwood Rum Distillery – One of the oldest continuously operating distilleries in the Caribbean, using traditional copper pot stills to distill cane rum. Tours and…
• Sage Mountain National Park – Cloud forest on the highest point in the Virgin Islands (523 m), with tree ferns, mahogany and viewpoints overlooking the islands.
• Mount Healthy National Park – A stone windmill tower left from an 18th-century sugar plantation, the only surviving windmill ruin in the islands.
• Brewers Bay (Tortola) – A quiet bay on the north shore with coral reef just offshore, one of Tortola's best snorkeling beaches.
• Smuggler's Cove – A secluded bay at the western tip, with emerald shallow water, sea grape shade and snorkeling. One of Tortola's most beautiful hidden beach…
• Soper's Hole – A natural harbor at Tortola's western tip, with a waterfront of colorful wooden shops, boutiques and a ferry terminal serving St. Thomas an…
• Josiah's Bay – A surf beach on Tortola's northeast coast with good waves in winter. The rest of the year, it is a long sandy beach with few visitors.
• Long Bay, Beef Island – A long sandy beach on Beef Island beside the airport, with a salt lagoon and sea turtles. It is a good place to relax before or after a fli…
• Great Harbour & Foxy's, Jost Van Dyke – The main village and ferry dock of Jost Van Dyke, where sandy streets are lined with beach bars. Foxy's is famous across the Caribbean for…
• Bubbly Pool – A natural tide pool among the rocks at the east end of Jost Van Dyke. When waves surge through the gaps in the stone, the water churns into…
• Sandy Spit – A tiny uninhabited sandbar beside Jost Van Dyke, with a few palm trees and a ring of white sand. It is the archetype of the Caribbean 'dese…
• Norman Island & The Caves – An uninhabited island said to have inspired Treasure Island, with snorkeling in sea caves, pirate treasure legends and a famous floating ba…
• The Indians – Four jagged rocks breaking the surface off Norman Island, with coral walls and schools of tropical fish. One of the BVI's most popular snor…
• RMS Rhone Wreck – A British Royal Mail steamer that sank in a hurricane in 1867. Its wreckage lies in 6 to 24 meters of water, making it one of the Caribbean…
• Cooper Island – A quiet small island in the southern channel, with an eco beach resort, a craft beer bar and a rum bar. A favorite anchorage for sailors.
• Marina Cay – A tiny island off Beef Island with reef snorkeling and a hilltop sunset bar. Famous for a book by writer Robb White.
• Anegada – The BVI's only coral island, with long white sand beaches, horseshoe reef snorkeling and wild flamingos. Famous for its lobster feasts.

Where to eat

• Naturally Tasty by Rotiman – A counter-service spot opposite the Road Town Ferry Terminal, known locally as RotiMan, serving some of the best fresh…
• The Sugar Mill Restaurant – The dinner restaurant at the Sugar Mill Hotel in Little Apple Bay, featuring seating inside centuries-old stone walls…
• D'CoalPot – A Guyanese-style seaside eatery in Carrot Bay, offering reliable roti, BBQ ribs, and local seafood at relatively budget…
• Myett's Garden & Grille – An open-air garden grill on the beach at Cane Garden Bay, famous for conch and lobster, with live music often playing a…
• Pusser's Road Town Pub – A historic waterfront pub opposite the ferry terminal, serving as the flagship outlet for the local BVI rum brand, famo…

Itineraries

• British Virgin Islands Sailing Loop – Charter a boat from Tortola to sail clockwise around Norman, Cooper, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, and Jost Van Dyke.