Virgin Gorda
Granite boulders stacked into sea pools at The Baths, coves and anchorages all round, and a short crossing from the jet runway on Beef Island.
- Arrival
- Beef Island, Terrance B. Lettsome · EIS
- To the island
- About 20 minutes by catamaran from Tortola
- Private jets
- Light and midsize jets into EIS, by day
- Best time
- January to April
The city
Boulders, coves and the Sound.
The tourist board calls Virgin Gorda the most picturesque of the British Virgin Islands, and The Baths explain why: giant granite boulders tumbled along the shore, with pools of seawater trapped among them. The island sits east of Tortola, the capital, and most visitors cross from there or from Beef Island by boat.
Rain is lightest from January to April, when afternoons reach about 28 °C and the water sits near 26 °C. Showers build from May, and from August to December rainfall passes a hundred millimetres a month, at its heaviest in October and November.
Arriving
Land on Beef Island, cross by sea.
Virgin Gorda has its own airstrip, Taddy Bay, but at about 3,100 feet it takes only small aircraft and is not a port of entry. Jets land at Terrance B. Lettsome International on Beef Island, off Tortola, where ferries leave from Trellis Bay beside the terminal.
- Punta Cana 55 min
- Barbados 1 h 25
- Miami 2 h 40
- Boston 3 h 50
- Milan 9 h 40 long-range jet
When to go
January to April.
Warm throughout, with highs of 28 to 31 °C and the sea never below 26 °C. January to April is the dry stretch; rain builds through late summer and peaks in October and November.
- 28° J 68 26°
- 28° F 54 26°
- 28° M 57 26°
- 29° A 88 26°
- 29° M 129 27°
- 30° J 73 28°
- 30° J 85 28°
- 31° A 124 28°
- 31° S 143 29°
- 30° O 161 29°
- 29° N 161 28°
- 28° D 119 27°
What to see and do
Days in and around Virgin Gorda.
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Landmark
The Baths
Granite boulders on the beach, with sheltered pools and passages of sea water between them.
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Landmark
Gorda Peak National Park
Forest trails up to the highest point of the island, looking out over the Sound and the neighbouring cays.
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Landmark
Devil's Bay
A national park cove reached on foot through the boulders from The Baths.
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Culture
Copper Mine National Park
Cornish miners sank the first shaft here in 1838, and the stone chimney, engine house and walls still stand on the cliffs above the Atlantic.
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On the water
Bitter End Yacht Club
Established in 1969 at the eastern end of North Sound, the club runs sailing, kiteboarding and windsurfing on more than 3,000 acres of sheltered water.
Official site -
On the water
Dive BVI
Diving here since 1975, the company leaves the Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour daily for the wreck of the RMS Rhone and the reefs around Cooper Island.
Official site -
Nature
Savannah Bay
Without a bar or a sunbed in sight, this broad arc of pale sand is kept for snorkelling and long walks.
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On the water
Spring Bay and The Crawl
Boulders enclose a natural pool where fishermen once kept turtles and fish alive, with sheltered coves for snorkelling just east of The Baths.
Where to stay
Half a mile of Little Dix Bay.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
Where to dine
Where to book on Virgin Gorda.
No MICHELIN Guide covers the British Virgin Islands. Reef House is the signature restaurant of Rosewood Little Dix Bay; the other two are in Fodor’s top price band.
- CocoMaya Fodor’s Choice Asian fusion $$$$ Spanish Town
- Sugarcane Fodor’s Seafood, Italian $$$$ Nail Bay, north of Spanish Town
- Reef House Rosewood signature restaurant Farm to table Rosewood Little Dix Bay
Elsewhere in British Virgin Islands
More reasons to come.
Flying to Virgin Gorda?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.