The British Virgin Islands is also known as the Territory of the Virgin Islands and lies in the Caribbean towards the eastern direction of Puerto Rico. The islands make up division of the Virgin Islands archipelago and the rest of the islands comprise the U.S. Virgin Islands. The British Virgin Islands include the major islands of Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada and Jost Van Dyke. Along with this, some fifty other minor islands and cays are is also there.
Road Town is the capital and is located on Tortola which is the major island with 20 kilometre in length and 5 kilometres broad. The total population of the islands is 22,000, out of which 18,000 people live on the island of Tortola. The first settlers of these islands were by the Arawak from South America during 100 BC. There lived there till 15th century and then they were displaced by the Caribs who are a tribe from the Lesser Antilles islands. Caribbean Sea is named after these tribes.
The first person who sighted these islands was a European in the year 1493 and his name was Christopher Columbus. He gave the name to Saint Ursula and her 11,000 Virgins as Santa Ursula y las Once Mil Virgenes which was later shortened to Las Virgenes that is usually called as The Virgins. This name was used after the legend of Saint Ursula.
The ruins of St Phillip’s Church in Tortola are among the major historical ruins in that territory and are most important as well. The economy was very much depended on sugar cane and the plantation work was done by the slaves who were brought from Africa but the production reduced and this led to the decline of the economy of this place. Sugar cane reduced only because of the series of devastating hurricanes.
In the year 1917, the United States bought St. John, St. Thomas and St. Croix with an amount of US$25 million from Denmark and renamed these places as United States Virgin Islands. As per the geography of the British Islands, it consists of sixty tropical Caribbean islands with a variety of sizes. Most of the islands have hilly and rough landscape and were emerged as volcanic originating regions. Besides all of these islands, only Anegada is a different one with Flat Island and is a collection of limestone and coral.
Besides the four major islands of Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada and Jost Van Dyke the other islands comprises of Beef Island, Cooper Island, Ginger Island, Great Camanoe, Great Thatch, Guana Island, Little Thatch Island, Mosquito Island, Necker Island, Norman Island, Peter Island and Salt Island. So you can enjoy all of these islands and for that you might take a month vacation and explore these regions.
About the climate of British Virgin Islands, it has a tropical climate and becomes moderate due to the trade winds. The maximum temperature here is 32 degree Celsius during summer and 29 during winter. Normally the temperature remains around 24 degree Celsius in summer and 21 in winter. To enjoy the rainfall here you have to come at the month of September to November which is the wettest months of the year. And if you want to try sunburn then the hottest months are February and March. But be aware as the hurricanes sometime occur especially during the months of June to November.
To reach at this place you can fly directly to the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport. It is also called as Beef island Airport as the airport is situated on Beef Island at the eastern tip of Tortola. Here you can easily get accessed through the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge. You can also get down at the other smaller airports of Virgin Gorda and Anegada. You will get the main harbour at the Road Town. You can also reach here by taking a ferry that functions between the British Virgin Islands and nearby United States Virgin Islands. If you plan to travel by car then you should be aware of the rules. Also the major part is that you will find left side driving at this place and during rainy season the roads could be a major problem. In fact, the roads are little bit steep and windy.
If you plan to travel by a Cruise then the journey will be fantastic as you could see plenty of sightseeing places and enjoy all of the islands properly. Initially, after exploring Tortola you will get enough time to explore the neighbouring islands such as Jost Van Dyke. The islands are called as the ‘party island’ as you can experience many fun bars towards the northwest. You can also enjoy bathing at the Virgin Gorda towards the northeast. There is a legend behind the caves of Norman Island which is towards the southern direction of Tortola. It is said that this place were formerly overflowing with pirate treasure. So do not forget to experience the caves here. Along with this, also visit the Robert Louis Stevenson which is also famous as a ‘Treasure Island’.
You can enjoy the major highlights of this place as the Fort Burt, JR O’Neal Botanic Gardens, Old Government House Museum, Peter Island, Sage Mountain National Park and the Skyworld. For any information, go to the British Virgin Islands Tourist Board. They also have their own website as WWW.bvitourism.com. Remember while travelling by cruise you can experience crystal waters, beaches, bays, coves, gardens, and much more exotic locations. So just feel the pleasant time and spent your vacation with lots of memorable sites.
When you are going by a cruise, you should once visit the USVI which is among the wonderful ports of call in the Caribbean. You can experience the four major islands here as mentioned above. All of the islands and sites possess their own vivid personality. So you can try shopping at this place where you will get jams, artwork, spices, souvenir resortware or rum. These items are usually could be found on sale. Most of the shops could be found at the Main Street in Road Town. You can also buy clothes and gifts. You will get jewellery shops at that place. Also enjoy the photo tour at USVI Photo Tour in the islands.
Besides this, cruise ships docks at almost all of the islands like St. Thomas which is a well-known port of Virgin Islands, St. John, where you can experience the Virgin Islands national Park and also enjoy at the beaches, ruins of the sugar plantations, many hiking trails, main town, restaurants, shopping, St. John. Cruz Bay and many other sites, enjoy the food and scenery of St. Croix, from here you can also arrange for a tour to Buck Island. If you want to explore the Water Island then you should know that this place do not receive any cruise ships so you can explore this small island on a ferry from St. Thomas. It will be a day trip.
You have a list of many cruises that dock at the islands. The islands are among the major attractions with natural beauty and offer plenty of sites to the tourists who throng here to enjoy their time and make them memorable. As it is a world popular site you can enjoy this place anytime year round where many cruises could be found.
As there is no fresh food the chefs use their own creativity and depend on what the boats actually deliver. So here local seafood is the speciality and American and Caribbean style could be found. Well, as the climate here has subtropical trade winds and usually night remains cool and breezy, you should keep a good amount of warm clothes with you. And just go on and on to explore the world of islands with the fascinating journey on a cruise.