British Virgin Islands Holidays 2012

The British Virgin Islands are not to be confused with the US Virgin Islands, despite how close they are in location.

The British Virgin Islands are made up of four main islands and fifty smaller islands and cays. Most tourists focus their travels on the four main islands, especially Tortola.

Tortola, where Road Town is located, is the largest island and is home to majority of the islands population.

Places of Interest

While on the island of Tortola you will want to visit Road Town, not only is it the capital of the British Virgin Islands, it also houses some of the best specialty shops, such as the White Squall II.

If you are looking for a great place to go snorkeling on the island of Tortola Smuggler’s Cove offers you some of the most amazing views under the sea. Cane Garden Bay offers you the best beach experience on the islands with numerous restaurants located along the beach it is easy to spend the day laying under the sun.

If you travel on over to Virgin Gorda the one place that you cannot miss is The Baths. The Baths is a geological formation that has been created by giant boulders forced to the surface by numerous volcanic eruptions.

These boulders have spread out to form small pools of water in the ocean itself, but also a beautiful grotto. The Spirit of Anegada is another must for the island. The sailboat will take you along the Sir Francis Drake Channel, which is an amazing setting for pictures.

Eating Out

It is important to know that the traditional dishes found throughout the British Virgin Islands not only fill you up, but they can also be rather spicy.

Even the local dishes use ingredients that are imported from other areas because of how poor the soil is throughout the islands. Most of your pricier restaurants are going to cater to tourists, which means you can find North American dishes, but they have a slight tropical twist to them.

These restaurants also serve local dishes to the more adventurous travelers. Rather than sticking with the safe choices take an adventure and try some of the local dishes, you won’t be disappointed with the flavor. Roti is one of the most popular dishes and is made up of curried vegetables and meat that is wrapped in thin dough.

Johnny cake and Pate are great snacks and can be found throughout the islands. To complete your authentic meal try bush tea or sorrel for your drink.

Wildlife

If you are looking to see the wildlife you want to head on over to Guana Island because the entire island is a wildlife sanctuary.

This sanctuary has the richest collection in the Caribbean in terms of plant and animal species. The rocky cliffs and coasts make perfect nesting spots for birds, including the brown boobys.

The mountain peaks provide homes for 14 species of amphibians and reptiles, including the Anegada rock iguana and the red-legged tortoise.

There are also at least 50 different types of birds located throughout the island, including the Newton’s barefoot screech owl that everybody thought was extinct.

When to Go

Between June and November, you might want to skip the British Virgin Islands because of hurricane season.

Unlike other islands in the Caribbean the British Virgin Islands are in the main pathway of most hurricanes, so the islands are hit quite often.

If you do go during this dark and stormy season make sure you have travel insurance and that you stay informed with the weather forecast so you can know what to expect.

Aside from the dark and stormy weather created during hurricane season the British Virgin Islands are home to plenty of sunshine and warm temperatures.

Most days the high are in the 80s during the day and drop into the 70s in the evening. The dry season runs from December through April, but this is also the busiest season and prices will be up.

If you are brave enough to endure the rainy season May is a great month to visit because hurricane season hasn’t hit yet and prices are still quite low.