Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Tortola is definitely busy these days, particularly when several cruise ships tie up at the Road Town dock. Passengers crowd the streets and shops, and open-air jitneys filled with them create bottlenecks on the island’s byways. Tortola is also known for its breathtaking national parks, historic sites, spectacular bike trails and some of the best underwater sightseeing in the Caribbean.
Tortola things to do
Road Town, the capital of the British Virgin Islands, has a harbor dotted with sailing boats and is known as a yachting hub. In the island’s southwest, forested Sage Mountain National Park offers trails and sweeping views over neighboring cays. Tortola features several white-sand beaches, including Cane Garden Bay and Smuggler’s Cove.
Road Town
Road Town is home to the beautiful J.R. O’Neal Botanic Gardens which features close to three acres of indigenous and exotic plants, trees and herbs. The spacious, beautiful harbour at Road Town is a busy center of island life and marine activity in this tropical archipelago. Road Town is also brimming with restaurants, shops, and is the site for the hospital, government administration offices and official Governor’s House with its historical museum. Just behind Waterfront Drive is Main Street, a peep into the BVI’s architectural past, which still has many historic buildings and churches, charming cafes, and curio shops as well as the Virgin Islands Folk Museum.
Tortola’s beaches
Swim or stroll the secluded palm-shaded white sands of dozens of beaches, including Apple Bay, Brewer’s Bay and Elizabeth Beach to name just a few. The Northern coast has the best beaches on the island, including Smuggler’s Cove, Long Bay, Cane Garden Bay, Brewer’s Bay, Josiah’s Bay, and Lambert beach. In addition to beaches, marine activities such as sailing, surfing, scuba diving, kite boarding, and windsurfing are available. Many tourists visit the historic sites and hike in parks. The island is visited regularly by large cruise ships.
Dolphin Discovery
Dolphin Discovery is an exciting interactive experience that is quickly growing acclaim as one of the most memorable activities in the BVI. Visitors go on an amazing journey to hug, kiss and swim alongside bottleneck dolphins penned in natural ocean water.
Rhone National Marine Park
Rhone National Marine Park is one of the premier shipwrecks to explore. The RMS Rhone is possibly the only national park in the world owing its existence to a shipwreck. Regular dive and boat tours leave from the Tortola ferry terminal and a handful of companies sponsor twice-weekly dives that leave from Virgin Gorda’s dock.
Hiking Tour of Sage National Park
Walk through rustling tropical forests and earn sweeping views of the British Virgin Islands on a 2-hour hiking tour of Sage National Park from Road Town.