Virgin Gorda - The Baths and Surrounding area

[HappyHappy1]

We spend 6 days in Virgin Gorda this summer (June/July 2011) and would love to go back. While this was a land vacation and not a cruise, I thought I would share my experiences of the Baths and surrounding beaches as I am an avid cruiser and thought this may be helpful.

 

Virgin Gorda is definatly a breath of fresh air. The laid back lifestyle was definately refreshing. The beaches and island are so clean. The residents are very friendly and helpful. Definately not St. Thomas! There is some shopping at the Spanish Town Yach Harbor, which is where a ferry would drop you off. Shopping is minimal in Virgin Gorda. You wont find more than a couple shops selling some Virgin Gorda t-shirts and other tourist stuff. Leave the shopping for your stop in St. Thomas. All you need to do here is enjoy the beaches and food.

 

In the BVI they celebrate many holidays...They celebrate BVI holidays, UK holidays, US holidays, and USVI holidays...so it is quite possible that you will be in Tortola on a holiday. Tourist stops are open during the holidays, but government buildings (banks, libraries, museums) may be closed. Also...If you are here on a Sunday...not much of anything will be open. Just an FYI.

 

To get to one of the great beaches in Virgin Gorda, you can take a private charter or a ferry which leaves Road Town and goes to Spanishtown, Virgin Gorda. In November 2010 our cruise ship went to Tortola. We took a charter to Virgin Gorda via Tortola Charters. Since I knew nothing about the island, I thought taking a charter to the beach was the best way to go to the Baths. The whole charter deal...was a little scary. You had to swim to shore as the boat didn't have a dingy so you couldn't bring your belongings and we had rough water that morning. Then our small boat was having engine trouble on the way back. We left Virgin Gorda at 1:20 and made it back to the ship at 2:50. We had to be on board by 3:00pm. Cost was $65 per person. We spent 3 hours at the beach.

 

Speedys and Smiths ferries run frequently from Tortola to Virgin Gorda. The ferry ride is about a half hour. Cost is $30 round trip or $20 one way. If you want to maximize your time...I suggest buying one way, you can take one ferry service over and another back. Smiths and Speedys don't accept each others tickets. To me it would be worth the extra $10 for the extra time. Here is the link to the BVI ferry schedule. http://www.bestofbvi.com/info/bviferry_tortola_vg.htm If the Cruise critic host removes the link...go to www . bestofbvi . com and search the ferry list.

 

There are several great beaches at the southern tip of Virgin Gorda including the world famous Baths. Other area beaches include Devils Bay, Spring Bay, and Trunk Bay. You can also go to Savanah bay (no boulders) or the Coppermine.

 

If you take a boat charter to the Baths, your boat will either have you swim ashore or have a dingy to take you in. (Definatly ask about the dingy if you are thinking about doing a charter) From a charter you will either wind up at Devils Bay or The Baths. Both beaches are conected by a path (not an easy path for those overweight or with limited mobility).

 

If you take a Ferry, you can taxi over to one of the beaches.

 

More to come shortly...

[HappyHappy1]

The Baths is definatly the most tourist driven of the southern beaches. There is a shop on the beach selling t-shirts & beach towels, a man selling jewelery along the path to the top of the baths, and a small hut selling food and drinks. The beach is small, but there is a decent amount of shade to be found under trees if you start to get to hot.

 

Of all the boulder beaches (Baths, Devils Bay, Spring Bay, and Trunk Bay) the Baths has the most small boulders which makes for great places for the fish to hide. We also found the water to be the roughest here. Not waves...just a current at the shore, probably due to the number of underwater boulders. The water also got deep faster than the other beaches.

 

Here is a picture of my son at the Baths. The dark spots under water behind him are boulders. Lots of fish to be seen here.

 

 

 

The shade at the Baths was definately an advantage as the sun was a scorcher the first day we were here.

 

 

Lots of places to explore.

 

 

Notice the depth and the dingy.

 

 

There are alot of great places to climb and explore!

 

And the views and beach are breathtaking!

[HappyHappy1]

The path between Spring Bay and Devils bay is a little rough. But the views are awesome! If you have good mobility and can climb...Do it! Its fantastic.

 

 

Views along the trail.

 

 

More awesome Views!

 

 

Formed millions of years ago.

 

Inside the cave at the Baths

 

We loved swimming in the cave!

[HappyHappy1]

If you are coming from the ferry/taxi...the trail to Devils bay is LONG and narrow and rough at some points. But the beach is definately worth it.

 

 

Devils bay has a long and narrow beach with beautiful white sand. The water is calm and much more open. You will still find good snorkeling but nothing as good as The Baths or Spring Bay. The water is very calm. I had my raft with me and had a nice time floating in the water while the kids snorkeled and climbed. The umbrellas in the pictures below were brought in by a charter company via a dinghy.

 

 

 

The boulder climbing is very good here. My two sons definately took advantage of it.

 

 

The water at all of the bays was an awesome shade of teal. Loved it!

 

There isnt much shade to be found (other than if a charter brings in umbrellas. But the beach is beautiful. The water is calm. And the Snorkeling is good.

 

We saw a stingray and several fish at Devils Bay.

 

There was also a cave between the boulders.

[HappyHappy1]

This was by far our most favorite spot! The beach was georgous. The sand was soft. Lots of places to explore in the water. The best boulder climbing of all the beaches. Snorkeling was good also. It was secluded! The trail is easy to walk and there are picnic tables at the base of the trail. Oh...and the isn't a fee! I forgot to mention that there is a $4 fee to take the trail to Devils bay and The Baths. You will also have to pay this fee if you take a charter to either of those beaches.

 

 

The trail is very easy with gradual steps in the ground rather than rocks and boulders. If you have mobility issues...this is the best option.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[HappyHappy1]

My sons (14 & 16) really enjoyed the climbing here. Some boulders are easier to climb...but not all.

 

 

This was a great beginner rock!

 

 

This one was much more difficult.

 

 

The paths and hiding spots in the water are awesome here.

 

 

 

 

 

We made our way back to Spring bay a few times. It was a great place to watch the sunset!

[HappyHappy1]

Here are some snorkeling photos from Virgin Gorda.

 

 

 

 

 

[pacarolinagirl]

Fabulous pics & review Dawn. We're looking at going to The Baths when we're in Tortola via cruise in May. :)

[Anyislandwilldo]

Thank you so much for sharing your pictures and thoughts on V.G. We plan to visit this on our cruise stop.

[Zeno]

Wonderful photos!

 

I have a question (if you know the answer) - will the jitney buses that take people to Top of the Baths drop you off near Spring bay? (We have been to The Baths and Devil's Bay a number of times but never to Spring Bay. Next time we go I would like to check out Spring Bay.).

[HappyHappy1]

Yes...the jitneys will drop you off at Spring Bay. Spring bay is on the way to the Baths. Tell the jitney driver what time you want to leave and have him return for you. Spring bay is about 1/4 of a mile before the baths. You can also catch a jitney by standing on the side of the road. They drive back and forth to the baths frequesntly when ships are in port.

 

You won't be disappointed in spring bay. It is very clean and never crowded. As you walk down the path to the beach, there is a lagoon right in front of you with lots of places to explore between the boulders. To the left there is a larger beach/swimming area with decent snorkeling. To the right there is a small path (right behind the large boulders - throught the bushes) that will take you to another deserted beach.

 

Have a wonderful time!

[Dall]

Awesome review and pictures!

[a3593]

Wow, great info. Thanks!

[tjschwalm]

Dawn , Thanks so much for this great , informative and picturesque review . So kind of you to share so much information . I really appreciated the buying one way tix info , and after studying the schedule , I'm gonna listen to ya . Just makes sense , so thanks a lot . Ted