British Virgin Islands
Tortola
Tortola is home to the capital city of the British Virgin Islands - Road Town, which is where many of the local yacht charter companies are based (there are some also in Nanny Cay about 15 minutes from Road Town). We visited in 2025 when we rented our catamaran thru Conch Charters, which was based in Road Town. Upon arrival at the EIS airport, we coordinated with a local taxi company to pick us up from the airport. We used Sebastian’s both to and from - they were responsive via phone! As of 2025, there were no taxis just waiting to transport people to/from the airport, so we needed to make our arrangements ahead of time.
Due to our mid-afternoon arrival time in Tortola, we had arranged to spend the first night on-board the boat in the marina (cheaper than booking hotel rooms for the night), which would allow for a morning check-out the next day to start our official Charter. Interestingly, this night on-board in the marina was our rockiest/least comfortable night because the Road Town harbor area is so busy (including with massive cruise ships coming and going). Every other harbor/marina/bay we stayed in was much calmer.
That evening and the following morning, we unpacked, went to the grocery store (which was NOT walking distance - so we had to taxi), and settled into our boat “Peacemaker” which would be our home for the next 9 nights.
Island Surf and Sail had provided us with some rental gear, which we had reserved in advance. We rented individual floaty mats, noodles, and scuba gear - all of which was already on the boat waiting for us when we arrived.
Norman Island
From the Road Town Marina, we headed to Norman Island, which is home to the famous Willy T, located in Bight Bay. This floating bar and grill is known to get rowdy late in the evening, and is famous for “drinking and jumping” - you have a drink, then you jump off the back of the boat - right where it says “No Jumping No Diving”! It’s a fun vibe and a “must-do” while at Norman Island. We went before sunset, so we had no trouble getting a table and drinks, but rumor has it, it can get packed!
Our mooring ball for the night was in the same Bight Bay, which was very calm and offered great paddle boarding for us the next morning! Dinner at Pirate’s Bight Restaurant was also lovely…
Right next to Norman Island is also a small cluster of tiny islands called “The Indians”, which is a great stop for lunch or a snorkel. Bouys are available on a first-come-first-served basis for 90 minutes, we we were lucky enough to actually see this spot from the air as we flew in! Definitely worth a stop here (assuming the waters are calm).
Cooper Island
From Norman Island, we headed north toward Cooper Island where we’d stay for the next night. On the way, we stopped at Salt Island for a Snorkel/Scuba Dive of the famous RMS Rhone Shipwreck! We didn’t hire a dive guide, but the wreck was relatively easy to find, located off Black Rock Point on Salt Island. There were several mooring balls for the catamaran, and from there we swam to the dinghy bouy line. We descended along the bouy line that was closest to the point, and it dropped us almost right on top of the shallow end of the wreck.
The Cooper Island Beach Club was a lovely spot for dinner, and their Rum Bar was fantastic! We enjoyed several different cocktails along with a few flights with great variety of rums. We made dinner reservations that day, which I’d recommend if you’re in the busy season.
Virgin Gorda (The Baths, The North Sound)
*2025 Update - Our first visit to Virgin Gorda and the famous “Baths” was in 2024 during our Explora cruise. We stopped at The Baths again during our 2025 Bareboat Charter adventure, and again it was one of the highlights of the trip. This time, since we were on a Catamaran, we were able to get a mooring ball outside of the Baths, take the Dinghy to the swim line, and then swim to the beach using waterproof bags for our belongings. The walk through the Greater Baths National Park was as fun and memorable as the first time, and definitely worthwhile!
The first Caribbean stop of our 2024 Explora cruise was in the British Virgin Islands on the island of Virgin Gorda. We had about 8 hours available between docking and departure, so we decided to explore on our own and check out the famous Virgin Gorda Baths National Park.
The port was too small for Explora, so we tendered into the Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbor. Although there were numerous taxis pulling in/out of the parking lot adjacent to the harbor, we decided to get a little exercise and walk the 3km (1.8 miles) to the Baths National Park.
Overall it was a nice walk, though hot with very little shade. There was also no sidewalk, so we found ourselves stepping to the side of the road as cars passed just to be safe. Fortunately it wasn’t a terribly busy road, so we didn’t have any safety concerns! From the Yacht Harbor to the Baths, we didn’t see any actual “town” to speak of. All we saw were a couple restaurants here and there, a school along the way, and some lodging scattered about.
The road took us to the Top of the Baths, where a restaurant (with a gorgeous view and live music) and a ticket office was located. Tickets for the Baths Park cost $3 per person for non-locals which we happily purchased. From there, a one-way hike led us through a desert landscape on a well maintained, clearly marked trail to Devil’s Bay.
After Devil’s Bay the trail wound north over, under and around enormous boulders, up and down wooden staircases, and into knee-deep pools of ocean water, flowing in and out with the swell. This was definitely the most unique part of the hike, but also posed the largest risk of injury for those less sure-footed or nimble.
At the end of the trail, we found ourselves on a lovely beach with a Bar/Restaurant, picnic tables, and a small shop selling t-shirts, hats, etc. On the trail map, this is officially “The Baths”. We stopped for lunch and a swim in the protected bay, before heading back up the trail to the Top of the Baths where we had started.
A taxi happened to be heading back to the Yacht Harbor when we reached the Top of the Baths, so we joined some other folks for the ride before hopping on a tender back to our cruise ship.
The North Sound of Virgin Gorda is also a popular overnight destination for cruisers, due to its protected bay, numerous mooring balls, small market for re-provisioning, and plentiful restaurants. It is also the most popular starting spot for a sail to Anegada (another fun cruising island if winds/weather cooperates). The North Sound consists of two main areas for cruisers to stay the night - Leverick Bay, or Bitter End Yacht Club/Saba Rock. They are only about 15 minutes from each-other, and mooring balls (both reserved and first-come-first-served) are available at both.
The North Sound of Virgin Gorda was an easy and logical stop for us, given we wanted to get to Anegada next. Leverick Bay was quieter than Saba Rock and had a small market where we found 90% of the basic provisions we were looking for. They did have a few cute clothing stores there, and apparently Mon-Wed there is an evening Pirate Show/Dinner event (which we missed).
Saba Rock - really just a small island with a resort, restaurant, and gift shop - was a cool vibe, though the restaurant was overpriced (as were most restaurants we visited). The highlight for us here was meeting the Rum Runner team, including their dog Drake, who hung out with us for a bit as our drink order was being processed. If we were to go back, we’d want to check out the Bitter End Yacht Club next time!
Around the corner from Saba Rock, we noticed some consistent waves, so the guys went and checked them out with our dinghy and a SUP. To be clear, there aren’t many real surf breaks around the BVI’s, and this was a shallow area, so if you go check it out, be cautious!
Anegada
We were able to actually sail to Anegada since the winds were from the East (and we were heading North), so it was a beautiful, peaceful 3.5hrs to get there from Virgin Gorda’s North Sound. The mooring field in Anegada was very tight, so be sure your captain is comfortable maneuvering your boat in confined spaces. The water in this marina also didn’t seem to be the cleanest, so we weren’t super excited about floating here.
To explore Anegada, we rented Mokes (scooters were also available) and checked out the Flamingos (from afar via binoculars), Loblolly Bay, the Anegada Sign, and Cow Wreck/Tipsy’s Beaches and Bars. Behind both Potters and the Anegada Reef Hotel, there were at least 3 locations available to rent scooters and/or mokes. They say you need to make a reservation at least a day in advance, but it seemed like there were plenty available day-of.
The food at Cow Wreck beach bar was great (we all had the ribs), but the drinks seemed weak, so we cruised over to Tipsy’s next door, and enjoyed a few more cocktails there! For dinner, we made a last minute reservation for The Lobster Trap, which had a great ambiance and we had fun dressing up in our “white lotus outfits”.
Jost Van Dyke
Jost Van Dyke might not be the most well known island in the BVI, but it has one of the most famous beach bars in the world - The Soggy Dollar! Once again we were able to sail (rather than motor) from Anegada to Jost Van Dyke due to the favorable wind direction, and enjoyed a quick stop at Monkey Point on Guana Island for a snorkel/scuba dive (though the visibility was terrible).
We checked out Diamond Cay National Park - tried scuba diving again with similar visibility issues, and snapped some pics of the famous “Sandy Spit”, which apparently keeps getting wiped out by hurricanes (but was present when we were there!).
Diamond Cay seems like it could be a great spot to stay a night if you’re looking for a quieter scene. Foxy’s Taboo restaurant is located there, though not much else.
Conch Charters doesn’t allow anchoring at White Bay (in front of Soggy Dollar), so we ended up getting a mooring ball in Great Harbour, just around the point from White Bay. It has many mooring balls, several (5 or 6?) restaurants, 2 very small markets (don’t rely on anything you need being in-stock), and the ferry/taxi terminal on the west side. Taxis seem to roam between the docks and the ferry terminal, and it’s easy to catch one to/from Soggy Dollar. We ate at Foxy’s (another White Lotus night), and enjoyed the fun atmosphere.
From Great Harbour, we opted to take our dinghy around the point to Soggy Dollar instead of taxi’ing (a 12 minute dinghy ride). We beached our dinghy next to several others, and grabbed a picnic table.
Our afternoon spent at Soggy Dollar didn’t disappoint - it was packed with people and boats, but the staff was wonderful (the most friendly of any other restaurants/bars in the BVI), and they processed all our food and drink orders quickly and efficiently. The tacos we ordered were excellent, and the drinks were strong. Everyone seemed to be having a great time on the beach, in the water, on the boats nearby, and at the picnic tables under shade. Don’t forget to call you friends and have them check out the Soggy Dollar Cam so you can wave to them from around the world!
Peter Island
After a rowdy afternoon/night at Jost Van Dyke, we headed around the southwestern end of Tortola, and made our way toward Peter Island, where we’d spend our final night of the charter. Quick Note: The market at Soper’s Hole marina is great, and you could fully provision there. The meat selection was a bit limited when we were there, but still plenty to choose from if you’re not too picky.
We chose to cook on-board for our final night, so we didn’t need to worry about finding a mooring ball near a restaurant…thus, we headed for the back-side of Peter Island, and stayed in Key Cay for the night. We ended up with 3 other boats there too, but for a while in the afternoon, we were the only ones there!
The white with blue decal mooring balls are monitored by the Peter Island Yacht club, and have instructions on them for how to pay - or someone should come around to collect money (about the same as Boaty Ball at $55 for the night).
It was an absolutely ideal, peaceful bay to spend our last night in, with great snorkeling, and calm waters.
Summary
Our latest adventures in the British Virgin Island were so fun, and we loved re-visiting The Baths (on Virgin Gorda Island) for a second time. Chartering a boat is certainly the way to see all these little islands - whether you crew it yourself, or hire a crew. If you plan on bareboat chartering, see our notes about the Boaty Ball system in the Trip Summary.
We really enjoyed the various YouTube videos of The Wandering Hillbilly, who gives great ideas/summaries about visiting all of the British Virgin Islands!
This is a trip that could be planned in a number of different ways. If you want to stay in as many secluded bays, without any bars and restaurants around, and really just relax with your boat-mates, you can do it here. If you want to get rowdy every night, drink as many painkillers as possible, and party late into the evenings with other vacationers, you can also do it here!
This trip felt a little like a “choose your own adventure” book from our childhood, however the infrastructure was in place to ensure a level of safety/security regardless of our choices. We would highly recommend a charter trip to the BVI’s and after our experience here, we will likely try it again elsewhere in the world!
“Traveling - it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.”
– Ibn Battuta