Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
6
Did You Know . . . ?
W Richard Humphreys, a Tortola-born
man, founded the first black university
in the United States.
W William Thornton, a B.V.I. citizen,
designed the U.S. Capitol Building.
W In 1752, the B.V.I. were the major
Caribbean supplier of cotton to Britain.
W Tortola, in 1756, had 181 white men
and 3,864 slaves—about 21 slaves
to each planter.
W In 1831, free blacks living in the B.V.I.
were accorded the full legal rights of
British subjects.
W As late as 1869, the steamship Tele-
grafo was held in Tortola and officially
charged with piracy.
W In 1969, the wreckage of the HMS
Nymph, which sank off Road Town in
1783, was discovered.
W In the late 1960s, the British foreign
secretary offered the B.V.I. for sale to
the United States.
BY CAR, BUS, OR TAXI
There are car-rental agencies on Virgin Gorda and Tortola; flat-fare taxis also operate
on these islands, as well as on some of the smaller ones. Bus service is available on
Tortola and Virgin Gorda only. See the “Orientation” section for each island for fur-
ther details.
TORTOLA
There's no better place to launch your own sailing adventure than in the bareboat
capital of the world: Tortola, the largest (19km by 5km/12 miles by 3 miles) and most
populous of the British Virgin Islands. But you don't have to be a sailor to appreciate
the quiet, understated beauty of Tortola, no matter how many flocks of sails bob in
the Road Town harbor. Unwind to the soft caress of trade winds, the gentle green hills
that slope down to sparkling waters, and the secluded white-sand beaches and hid-
den coves.
Beaches Beaches are rarely crowded on Tortola. You'll have to navigate roller-
coaster hills to get to the island's finest, Cane Garden Bay, but its fine white sand
and sheltering palms are well worth the trip. Smugglers Cove, at the extreme west-
ern end of Tortola, is a crescent of white sand with calm turquoise waters. A favorite
with locals, Smugglers Cove is also popular with snorkelers, who explore a world of
sea fans, sponges, parrotfish, and elkhorn and brain corals.
Things to Do Charter a sailboat, if you haven't already arrived in your own
boat—these are some of the world's best cruising waters—and explore the island's
cays and coves by boat. Across Drake Channel lies Norman Isle, the inspiration
for Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, for great snorkeling. No visit to Tortola
is complete without a trip to Sage Mountain National Park, a primeval rainforest,
where you can picnic while overlooking neighboring cays.
Eating & Drinking While many guests rarely dine outside their hotels, a venture
out to one of the local restaurants is highly recommended. Road Town offers the
largest concentration of cheap and authentic Caribbean eateries in the B.V.I. Be sure
192
 
Search WWH ::




Custom Search