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Caribbean
Aruba -
Bahamas -
Barbados -
British Virgin Islands -
Cayman Islands -
Cuba
Dominican Republic -
Grenada -
Martinique -
Puerto Rico -
St Vincent & the Grenadines
British Virgin Islands
Area: 59 sq miles (153 sq km)
Population: 19,615
Capital city: Road Town (population 18,000) on Tortola
Language: English
Hilly and dry, the islands lie 50 miles (80km) east of Puerto Rico, 1100 miles
(1770km) southeast of Miami and immediately east and north of the US Virgin
Islands. Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada and Jost Van Dyke are the principal
islands; most of the other 40 odd islets are uninhabited.
Dense subtropical forests cover most of the islands' inland hills, but there are
also arid stretches dominated by succulents, palm and coastal mangrove swamps,
where baby fish find their swimming fins and crabs scuttle about. Indigenous
forest flora includes mahogany, bulletwood, fig, tree ferns and the elephant ear
vine, which slithers along the ground until it finds a sturdy tree to climb.
The weather is reliably balmy with daily highs year round between 70-80°F
(22-27°C). Trade winds keep humidity low and Caribbean currents keep waters
warm. Rainfall is unlikely to dampen a visit, with the wettest months, September
through November, averaging only about five days of rain each. The islands are
prone to hurricanes between July and October, so keep an eye on weather reports
if you're visiting during these months.
The peak tourist season is December to May, but this has more to do with the
weather in North America and Europe than it does with the reliably balmy Virgin
Islands weather. It's therefore best to visit outside this period, when you can
expect room rates to be about two-thirds of those charged during the busier
months. An additional draw is that the calmer weather between April and August
tends to keep the waters clearer for diving.
Tortola
Tortola is the hub of the British Virgin Islands. People come for its top
notch beaches, banks, customs and the best range of hotels, restaurants and
nightclubs. The capital, Road Town, is a little more picturesque than its
name suggests. Main St, one street back from the waterfront, is a pretty stretch
of brightly painted wooden and brick buildings.
The best spots to lay down your beach towel or don a mask and flippers are on
the northwest coast at Cane Garden Bay, Smugglers Cove and
Brewers Bay. When you tire of being horizontal, there are fine views of
the surrounding islands from the Sage Mountain National Park
Virgin Gorda
This half-mountainous, half-flat 'Fat Virgin' with a scrawny neck lies a few
miles northeast of Tortola. Though it's home to just 2500 people, it has one of
the Caribbean's most amazing sights. The Baths are a surreal collection
of gigantic granite boulders strewn across blindingly white palm-lined beaches
at the southwestern end of the island.
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