Getting there & Getting around

Getting there

There are no direct international flights to the British Virgin Islands. The only access by plane is via San Juan in Puerto Rico, or via St Thomas or St Croix on the US Virgin Islands. Heaps of international airlines fly to San Juan, one of the busiest hubs in the Caribbean. From San Juan, American Eagle, LIAT, Cape Air and Air Sunshine have daily flights to Tortola. American Airlines, Delta and US Airways have direct flights from several US destinations to St Thomas and St Croix. Air St Thomas offers frequent flights from St Thomas to Tortola, with less frequent flights to Virgin Gorda. LIAT flies from several Caribbean destinations, including Sint Maarten and Antigua. Most flights from Europe connect via Miami or San Juan before flying on to connectors in St Thomas. There's a 10.00 air tax when leaving the British Virgin Islands. Frequent ferries shuttle between the British Virgins and the US Virgin Islands. There's a 5.00 sea departure tax (7.00 for cruise ship passengers).

Getting around

Most flights to the BVI land at Tortola's Terrence B Lettsome Airport on Beef Island, which is connected to the eastern coast of Tortola by a short bridge. It's 15km (9mi) east of Road Town. Plenty of taxis are available for trips into the capital. The tiny airport on Virgin Gorda is near Spanish Town, at the edge of Taylors Bay on the southeastern coast. There's an airstrip smack in the middle of Anegada; you can walk from the airport to most places on the island. Anyone who's done it will tell you the only way to get around the British Virgin Islands is by chartered sailboat, and there are loads of bareboat and crewed charter operators ready and willing to help your dream boat vacation come true. Road Town has the most charter companies, but there are scores of others on every island. A proficiency test is required before you're allowed to go it alone, and night sailing or sailing near Anegada, where waters can be very rough, is prohibited. Aero Claro offers service from Tortola to Virgin Gorda and Anegada; Fly BVI offers chartered flights within the islands. A better way to island hop in the British Virgins is via the inexpensive, efficient ferries that travel between the larger islands of Tortola, Virgin Gorda and Jost Van Dyke.

There are heaps of car rental agencies on Tortola. You'll need a temporary British Virgin Islands driving license, available from the rental agencies for 10.00, and a valid home license. Drive on the left. Anegada has a jeep rental shop, which is good because its roads are nothing more than glorified sandlots. There are rental agencies on Virgin Gorda, but if you're just heading to The Baths and back it's easier to jump on a shuttle bus. There are jeep rental agencies on Jost Van Dyke, but they've only got a few vehicles, so book ahead. If you bring your own bicycle to the islands, you're supposed to register it with the traffic office in Road Town.

It's not difficult finding a taxi on Tortola but tougher on the other islands. Rates are fixed and based on the distance and the number of passengers. The best way to get around the smaller islands is to walk or boat from bay to bay.

Visa information

Citizens of the US and Canada do not require a passport, but should carry a birth certificate or naturalization certificate with a picture ID to prove citizenship. This will change as of December 31 2006, however, when the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative mandates that all travellers re-entering the US will be required to carry a passport (travel to the BVI usually requires stopovers on US soil). British citizens need a passport but not a visa. Citizens of all other countries need a passport and, in some cases, a visa. Visitors are permitted to stay up to six months but must have an onward ticket.