Things to Do in Virgin Gorda

Virgin Gorda is the BVI island that makes the strongest first impression. The Baths, at the island's southern tip, are one of the most visually striking natural sites in the Caribbean - massive granite boulders, some 40 feet in diameter, piled along the beach creating a labyrinth of sea caves, tunnels, and crystal-clear tidal pools. The marked trail winds through narrow passages between boulders, with sections where you wade through knee-deep water and duck under rock overhangs before emerging at Devil's Bay, a pristine beach on the other side.

Go early, ideally arriving by 9 a.m. before the day-trip boats from Tortola arrive. The entry fee is $3 and the trail takes about 20 to 30 minutes one way. Just north of The Baths, Spring Bay offers a quieter beach experience with similar boulder formations but far fewer visitors - the snorkeling along the rock edges is excellent, with sergeant majors, parrotfish, and blue tang in just a few feet of water.

The Crawl, between Spring Bay and The Baths, is a protected natural swimming pool formed by the boulders that is ideal for children. Moving north through Spanish Town, the island's only real settlement, the landscape changes from dry coastal scrub to the greener hills around Gorda Peak. The Gorda Peak National Park at the summit protects one of the last remaining examples of Caribbean dry forest, with a short trail to the 1,370-foot peak and panoramic views across the entire BVI chain.

The hike is only about 30 minutes each way but the trail is steep in sections. North Sound, the large protected bay on the island's northeast side, is a sailing destination in its own right. Accessible primarily by boat, the sound shelters several small resorts and yacht clubs, including the Bitter End Yacht Club and Saba Rock, a tiny island bar and restaurant perched on a rock in the middle of the harbor. On the island's southeast coast, the Copper Mine ruins tell the story of 19th-century Cornish miners who extracted copper here under brutal conditions - the stone chimney and mine shaft ruins sit dramatically on a headland overlooking the sea. For diving, the Dogs, a group of small islands in the channel between Virgin Gorda and Tortola, offer wall dives and swim-throughs with impressive visibility and regular turtle sightings.