Eight Best BVI Day Trips by Ferry
When people think about the British Virgin Islands, sailing often comes to mind. But not everyone charters a boat while here. Fortunately, this doesn’t mean you can’t explore some of the BVI’s beautiful and exceptional outer islands. BVI ferries are a great alternative to chartering a boat and I take them often for a day trip to get off my home island of Tortola. Most of these itineraries leave from Tortola, but not all. With a little ingenuity and ferry juggling you can reach them from other of the BVI’s main islands. Join me for eight fun trips to some of the BVI’s best outer island locations.
1. Virgin Gorda
Spanish for the Fat Virgin, Virgin Gorda is a day trip with a roster of things to do. Several ferries a day leave for Virgin Gorda from the Road Town ferry dock. There is also a car ferry run by Global Ocean Transport that leaves from Beef Island near the airport. More like a barge than a ferry, I have taken it on several occasions, my car sandwiched in between other day trippers and construction trucks.
If not taking the barge, I rent a car in Spanish Town, my starting point for a driving tour of the island’s most popular sites. This will definitely include one of my favorite BVI beaches, Spring Bay, a lovely stretch of white sand sprinkled with the boulders that have made this part of Virgin Gorda famous. Spring Bay is one of three spectacular beaches that make up one unique national park. The other two are The Baths (famed for its labyrinth of giant granite boulders that form a series of intriguing sea grottoes), and neighboring Devil’s Bay, another too perfect to be believed, powdery sand beach.
After a dip, I leave Spring Bay and follow the road out of Spanish Town following the north shore road until I get to Nail Bay, a resort sprinkled with gardens, ocean views, plantation ruins and a restaurant that provides for an opportune lunch break.
A must stop is Hogs Heaven, an open-air barbecue joint perched on a cliff. It has a sweeping view of the North Sound that is perfect for selfies and panoramas. A quick trip and a drink at Leverick Bay, a resort and marina on the northern most part of Virgin Gorda will round off my day. There is much more to see, but by then I have pretty much covered the Fat Virgin from top to bottom and head back for the last ferry.
For more about Virgin Gorda go to https://thebviinsider.com/virgin-gorda-glamor-and-a-down-to-earth-vibe/ Speedy’s Ferry Service https://www.bviferries.com Sensation Ferry https://www.sensationferries.com
2. White Bay, Jost Van Dyke
Everyone loves Jost Van Dyke. With only a few hundred year-round residents, beautiful white sand beaches and an admirable number of beach bars and restaurants, this is a great day trip. Happily, for us who don’t own a boat, Jost Van Dyke can be reached from West End, Tortola by ferry. The New Horizon Ferry leaves the West End Ferry Dock several times a day, and if you take either the 8am or 10am ferry from West End and return at 5 you will have plenty of time to explore the island. For the full ferry schedule go to https://newhorizonferry.com/ferry-schedules/
I like sitting on the open back of the ferry for a scenic and windswept 20-minute ride. Once I disembark, I usually head for White Bay (here I have a choice of walking over the hill with a spectacular view of White Bay from the brow of the hill – or taking one of the island’s several taxis (same views, less energy). T
here are many places to eat and drink on White Bay, including Soggy Dollar, one of the Bay’s earliest bars, and the reputed home of the Painkiller. With its games and party going patrons, it is the more boisterous option. Hendo’s, next door, offers a quieter lunch in a tropical and breezy hardwood post and beam structure. Along the beach, are several homey local bars, as well as Ivan’s, a campsite with a bar and tents behind the beach.
3. Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke
When on Jost Van Dyke, I always leave time to visit Great Harbour before returning to the ferry. If Jost Van Dyke had a capital city, this would be it. There are a number of good beach bars lining Great Harbour’s beautiful white sand beach, which also doubles as its Main Street. At the eastern most end of the bay is Foxy’s, undoubtably the most well-known of Great Harbour’s bars and restaurants. Rustic and fun, with picnic tables and yachting burgees hanging from the rafters, I usually have a drink and a chat with Foxy or his wife Tessa if they are there.
4. Cooper Island
This popular port o’ call is on most charter yacht itineraries. It has a fun vibe with an airy thatch roofed restaurant, cute cottages, rum bar, ice cream shop and boutique. There are lounge chairs on its sandy beach and some good snorkel spots. If you don’t want to snorkel, you can always watch their underwater cam from the bar. It gives an up close view of the reef’s prolific sea life, without getting wet. More about Cooper at https://cooperislandbeachclub.com
Although Cooper doesn’t have its own ferry service, Sail Caribbean Divers provides an easy alternative. Their dive boat goes to Cooper Island (where they have a dive shop) most days, leaving their Hodge’s Creek location early in the morning and returning late in the afternoon. It is suggested that you book your place early; more info at https://www.sailcaribbeandivers.com
5. Norman Island
When it comes to Norman Island, the Treasure Caves and the Willy T floating restaurant at the Norman Island Bight get much of the publicity – or notoriety. But it definitely requires your own ride. If you want to go to Norman Island and don’t have a boat, take the ferry to Pirates instead. This beachside restaurant is open air and laidback. You can sit on beach loungers with a book or rent paddle boards and kayaks to while the day away, and for the energetic, there are hiking trails. The Pirates Ferry leaves several times a day from Hannah’s Bay on Tortola. For a schedule go to https://www.piratesbight.com/travel
6. Scrub Island
Billed as a private island retreat, Scrub Island is located off the eastern end of Tortola and is easily accessible by a short ferry ride from Trellis Bay, Beef Island (location of the BVI’s main airport and linked to Tortola by bridge). Scrub has a hotel, rental villas and several restaurants; a beach is on the other side of this small island. Before setting off, it is recommended to check which facilities are open to non-hotel guests. The ferry runs on a regular basis throughout the year; for more info go to http://scrubisland.com
7. Anegada
Anegada is the ultimate day trip from either Tortola or Virgin Gorda. If you are on your own boat, navigating the infamous Horseshoe Reef can be tricky, so the ferry which leaves from Road Town, and Trellis Bay, Beef Island – or Spanish Town on Virgin Gorda – is a good option. A flat coral formed island ringed with sand, Anegada is a world apart from its mountainous BVI cousins.
In addition to its seemingly endless white sand beaches, this island of 200 or so souls is known for its wildlife, specifically, a flock of several hundred roseate flamingoes which live on its interior salt ponds, and the Anegada Rock Iguana. This endangered iguana, with a prehistoric countenance, is endemic to Anegada. It is hard to spot in the island’s rugged interior, so instead, visit the Head Start Nursery in the Settlement. Here the Virgin Islands National Parks Trust raises hatchlings until they are large enough to be released back into the wild.
The best way to get around is by rental car, or if you are hesitant to navigate the sandy roads, take a taxi. Loblolly and Cow Wreck are two popular restaurants on this isle of endless beaches. Anegada Reef Hotel, Neptune’s Treasure and the Anegada Beach Club are other of the islands multiple lunch options.
8. North Sound, Virgin Gorda
Gun Creek on Virgin Gorda’s north east shore is a small village with brightly colored houses clinging to a steep hill. A government dock at the bottom links Virgin Gorda to several of the BVI’s remote North Sound resorts and private islands, and in season, North Sound is filled with sailboats and mega yachts. The likes of Google founder Larry Page, Richard Branson (of Necker Island) and the Virgin Group and property developer David Johnson, all own exclusive properties here.
For an easily accessible nautical experience, the Bitter End Yacht Club, is a sailing resort with a yachty vibe, beaches, shops and several restaurants and bars. For ferry schedule and other info go to: https://beyc.com
Saba Rock Resort was once owned by the treasure hunting diver, Bert Kilbride, and is now a modern hotel and restaurant with a small museum displaying some of Bert’s treasures. More info at https://sabarock.com
Oil Nut Bay. Access to Oil Nut Bay, a high-end resort, is mostly limited to resort guests and villa owners. But if you want to experience this remote area of Virgin Gorda’s South Sound, take the Oil Nut Bay Ferry from Gun Creek to their Nova Restaurant. Built on a wooden deck over a placid South Sound bay, Nova is casual and tropical. The facility also features shops and a swimming pool. More at: https://oilnutbay.com/nova-restaurant/
For additional information on these and other BVI island destinations, go to:
