Last updated: December 11, 2023

While vacationing in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) with my mom, there were only a few places that were a must-go for me, and the British Virgin Islands (BVI) was one of them. After visiting, I can confirm that the BVI are a MUST for your USVI itinerary!

As usual, I will give you some helpful/interesting information about the BVI. First, here’s their flag:

I think it’s a little weird they have their coat of arms on the flag, and generally dislike the entire design and layout. Out of all the state and country flags I’ve seen due to researching for this blog, I can confidently say this is my least favorite.

It was created on November 15, 1960, after the BVI became a British colony, separating from the British Leeward Islands. In 1999, it was modified to make the coat of arms bigger and outline it in white (what a missed opportunity to just redesign the whole flag). Here’s some more info:

Motto: Vigilante (Latin) which translates to “be watchful”
Anthem: God Save the King
Song: Oh, Beautiful Virgin Islands
Capital and largest city: Road Town
Locals are called British Virgin Islanders
Total land: 59 mi²(only 30 countries are smaller)
Language: English
Currency: U.S. Dollar

So, what are the BVI? They are a British Territory (similar to how the USVI is a U.S. Territory) and consist of four main islands; Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, and Jost Van Dyke, along with more than 50 other smaller islands and cays. About 16 of the islands are inhabited. The capital, Road Town, is on Tortola, the largest island, which is about 12 miles long and 3 miles wide. The islands had an estimated population of 30k in 2019. Most live on Tortola.

Here are three more things I learned when researching that I thought were super interesting:

The BVI’s original name was “Santa Úrsula y las Once Mil Vírgenes,” named by Christopher Columbus in 1493 after the legend of Saint Ursula and the 11,000 virgins. The name was later shortened to “The Virgin Islands”, which is the actual name, but the prefix “British” is often used to distinguish it from the USVI.

The BVI have the highest drowning mortality rates in the world, with 20% of deaths in 2012 recorded as drownings (all of them being tourists). Despite this, the territory’s most popular beach still has no lifeguard presence. I raised my eyebrows when I read this because the water is so salty you can’t help but float! It takes an enormous amount of energy to swim below the surface without weights.

There was quite the pirate activity amongst the BVI in the 18th century, with the last recorded episode of piracy taking place as late as 1869. I have now become obsessed with learning everything there is to know about pirates. 🏴‍☠️

Getting There

Obviously, only way you’re getting there is by boat. I didn’t spend a crazy amount of time comparing BVI touring companies. Our Airbnb host recommended Bad Kitty and Calypso Charters. I did a quick Google search for BVI tours and saw they were one of the top hits and had good reviews, so I reserved our spots for their Best of the BVI package. This package is an 8-hour trip to 3 islands, Virgin Gorda, Norman, and Jost Van Dyke.

It’s $195 to obtain your spot on the boat, $85 CASH for the British Customs, and ~$50 for lunch. So, $330 per person is what you’ll need to budget for this adventure, with at least $85 being cash. I personally only paid $20 for lunch, but if you order a higher-priced item or want drinks, you’re going to spend more. There’s only room for about 28 people, so I’d go ahead and book as early as possible.

You’ll need to load onto the boat at the St. John dock at 7:30am for a 7:45am departure. If you’re like us and staying on St. Thomas, you’ll have to catch the 6:30am ferry, which is a 20-minute ride. Yes, you’ll get to St. John a bit early, but you’ll witness a killer sunrise on the way. Since the ferry leaves every hour, leaving at 6:30am is your only option. If you don’t catch the 6:30am St. Thomas ferry, you’re not going to make it to Bad Kitty on St. John by 7:30am. If you are staying on St. John, you can just leave your rental however long you need to get there based on your GPS.

The good thing about taking the ferry (besides the sunrise!) is that you don’t have to worry about parking. Just hop off the ferry and walk five minutes to the dock where Bad Kitty will be waiting. On your right, you’ll pass a park with a statue of a man blowing into what I think is a conch, and then you’ll see the post office on your right. Immediately after you pass the post office, cross the street, and you will be at the dock.

You’ll pass a lot of islands and even get to see some celebrity homes like Kenny Chesney’s island home. Given his mention of the islands in his songs, I’m not surprised he has a home built on an island here.

Once you return to St. John, you’ll dock in the same place you boarded, and the crew will lead you through customs which only takes about 10 minutes. We then made the short walk back to the ferry where we confirmed what time to catch the one to St. Thomas so we could make it back before dark. While we waited, we checked out the little shops that are right next to the ferry. I didn’t buy anything, but there are a wide range of options for souvenirs at these shops and it’s a great way to spend your time while waiting for the ferry.

We took the 6:30pm ferry which I highly recommend because you’ll get to watch the sunset on the 20 minute ride.

When we got off the ferry, we drove back to the Airbnb, where we immediately went to sleep so we had could start the next day at the crack of dawn (we did not waste any daylight!).

Check out this TikTok overview of the whole British Island experience and if you don’t have TikTok, here’s the video: