British Virgin Islands Attractions

Many day-trippers come to Anegada to sun on the island's white, sandy beaches, to see the flamingoes at the salt ponds, to bonefish in the flats and to snorkel Loblolly Bay. Inside the natural breakwater, you can see needlefish and shrimp, and in other parts of the reef, float above stands of elkhorn and brain coral and see schools of rainbow-colored fish. Base yourselves on the beach in front of the Big Bamboo Restaurant. Place your order, go snorkeling, and when you come back, your food will be ready.

Kids that love boating, swimming and snorkeling will enjoy the day trip. Older teens may get bored.

Long Bay's mile-plus stretch of white sands frequently appears on postcards as the signature image for Tortola. Great for sunning, strolling and sandcastle-building, Long Bay isn't so good for swimming. Often, there are strong waves and currents. Take young children and swimmers to calmer and more popular Cane Garden Bay, where you also find vendors renting kayaks and other water toys.

Tortola's 700 boats for charter make the island home to the Caribbean's largest fleet. Being on the water, whether for a day or several days, is part of the BVI experience. If you know how to maneuver your own vessel, charter a bareboat, and if you don't, book a multi-day sail with a captain and a crew.

Among the largest companies in the BVI, the Moorings, based in Tortola, offers both options. Either way, you'll spend time with the breeze in your face, gliding through the glistening, turquoise waters and anchoring offshore of sandy beaches where there are few others, or maybe no one else at all.

After a 25-minute ferry ride from Tortola, you land on White Bay Beach, Jost Van Dyke. Popular with yacht owners, White Bay lures boaters with its calm waters, hammock-lined, white-sand beach and its eatery, the Soggy Dollar Bar, which serves conch fritters, sandwiches, grilled cheese and other casual fare.

Outfitters offer snorkeling, scuba-diving and all-terrain vehicle outings that venture up -- and sometimes straight down -- the dirt paths of the island's hilly center. The ATV tour can be especially demanding.

Adjacent to the Baths, Spring Bay offers white sands and snorkeling. Trunk Bay, most easily reached by boat, is another good beach, as is Savannah Bay.

For a break from the beach, Sage Mountain National Park's 91 acres offer several trails that take you through forested land that features guava, white cedar, mahogany and other trees. The three-quarter-mile rainforest trail is among the easiest, while the more difficult Mahogany Forest Trail takes you uphill to the peak of Mount Sage, a 1,716-foot elevation.

Brewers Bay, on Tortola, offers good snorkeling from the beach. By boat, you can reach several snorkeling and diving spots. Check out the Caves at Norman Island, as well as Santa Monica Rock, about one mile south of Norman Island, where you often see deepwater fish like spotted eagle rays. The Indians, a series of rock pinnacles near Pelican Island, offer colorful coral and fish, but beware of sometimes strong currents. Abundant sponges, corals and schools of snapper and other fish draw divers to the Rhone, one of Caribbean's most well-known shipwrecks.

Dolphin Discovery Tortola sets its encounters in the natural waters of Prospect Reef Port and limits groups to a maximum of 12. The memorable experience of swimming with dolphins gives children a new appreciation for these intelligent animals.

Choose from two programs, both of which feature touch encounters and "kisses." Riding atop the dolphin's belly as he swims on his back is a highlight of the less expensive Dolphin Royal Swim. The "foot push" (two dolphins propel you forward by pushing the soles of your feet) and the "dorsal tow" (hang onto the dolphin's dorsal fin for a ride) highlight the more expensive Dolphin Royal Discovery. Children, ages 11 and younger, can participate with a paying adult. Avoid days when the cruise ships are in port, as the facility gets crowded.

One of the most visited sites in the British Virgin Islands is the Baths, a series of massive boulders at the shore's edge. They form a labyrinth that leads to a small beach, fronting a tranquil cove of water. To access that beach, it takes about 15 minutes of climbing over and squeezing through narrow openings between the huge boulders. Most of the climbs are relatively easy, but a few require a bit more stamina. The reward: swimming in the calm cove. But beware that, on cruise ship days, crowds swarm the Baths, especially in the morning.