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The Baths.
No, not the kind you take when you are dirty.
The Baths on Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands.
Twenty- four years ago, while visiting St. Thomas, my husband and I booked a boat trip to the British Virgin Islands. One of the stops that day was the Baths on Virgin Gorda. Such an impression it made on us then, we knew that we had to return with our children so that they could see what an extraordinary natural wonder it was.
There are many companies that offer comparable day trips to the British Virgin Islands. After searching the internet, we finally decided on Calypso Tours and the Bad Kitty 2 catamaran. Their five-stop, four island tour gives you an overview of some of the BVI’s most amazing attractions, islands and beaches.
Departing from the St. Thomas passenger ferry terminal, we were all instructed to complete customs and immigration forms, hand in our passports and pay the $60 (per person) Customs and Immigration Fee for our arrival into the British Virgin Islands in Virgin Gorda. With only a peek at our entry port of Spanish Town, we patiently waited onboard while the crew checked us into Customs.
Being cleared, we were on our way, passing the many islands that make up the British Virgins. Our first stop…the Baths.
A collection of massive granite boulders on a white sand beach, The Baths provide some of the most beautiful scenery on the island of Virgin Gorda.
After dropping anchor just offshore and donning life vests, we made the short swim to the beach, many of us holding our Iphones, sealed in plastic baggies, high up in the air! A bit of a risk, but knowing that there was going to be ample photographic opportunities, it was worth it!
Led by our crew, we made our way through and around the colossal boulders, following the natural and man made footpaths and walkways, as they pointed our the many shapes and formations formed by the eroded granite. Climbing and walking through countless natural tidal pools, tunnels, arches and scenic grottoes that opened out to the sea, we eventually found ourselves in the Cathedral….the most photographed of the many rooms which are formed by the adjacent boulders. Tyra Banks fans…you might recognize this as the place of her first Sports Illustrated photo shoot!
After our swim back to the Bad Kitty 2, we were on our way once again with a seagull riding the wind behind us. Our next destination, Salt Island and the wreck of the RMS Rhone.
The RMS Rhone, thought to be an unsinkable ship with its unique brass propeller and iron hull, was caught in a category three hurricane in 1867, and thrown directly into Black Rock Point killing all but 23 on board. Lying in 30-80 feet of water, the wreck is spread out on the ocean floor with her bow section relatively intact. The site is popular with divers and snorkelers alike providing colorful scenery with the entire iron hull encrusted with coral and massive numbers of fish, lobsters, eels and octopus. Film buffs may remember Jacqueline Bisset’s famous t-shirt diving scene in 1977’s The Deep, shot in these waters!
Tired and hungry from our snorkeling adventure, it was now time to motor off to the picturesque Cooper Island.
With only five privately owned properties, twelve hotel rooms, a rum bar, coffee shop, solar powered brewery, restaurant and gift shop, Cooper Island is truly a remote location, perfect for getting away from it all! Thankfully, the facilities are open to guests, day visitors and yachts using the nearby moorings in Manchioneel Bay.
Since, our lunch orders had been called in to the restaurant earlier in the day, we were all seated and served quickly, helping to keep us to our tight schedule.
The last stop of the day was our favorite…Jost Van Dyke.
The smallest of the four main islands of the BVI, Jost Van Dyke measures only three square miles and boasts the nickname The Barefoot Island due to its ultra laid back attitude and large number of bars located in Great Harbor and on beautiful White Bay. If bar hopping is your thing, this is your island!
Wading through the cool, clear waters of White Bay, we made the short walk along the beach to one of the most famous of the bars…The Soggy Dollar. Though our dollars were kept dry in a ziploc bag, we gladly shelled them out for awesome t-shirts, hats and their famous drink, The Painkiller, a concoction of premium dark rum, cream of coconut, pineapple juice, orange juice and Grenadian nutmeg.
The sun was bright, the sands warm, the water cool, the music blaring and the booze flowing…how much more fun can you have?
Sadly, our day was drawing to a close. Climbing on board the Bad Kitty 2, we watched the colorful bars grow smaller as we headed into the deep blue waters of the Caribbean and the setting sun.
St. John was our final stop in order to clear customs back into the United States before heading back to St Thomas. The U.S. is a little more strict than the BVI so tipsy or not, we all had to cover up, act sober, making our way onshore, passports in hand and clear customs.
Thankfully, we were all allowed back in, ending our wonderful day of island hopping in the British Virgin Islands!
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Calypso Charters
- http://calypsovi.com/
- $155 per adult/$95 per child under 12, plus $70 (effective September 1, 2017) cash per guest for BVI customs, immigration, national park fees and port authority fees). Lunch, shopping and gratuity, extra.
- Departures from Red Hook Harbor (St. Thomas) and Cruz Bay (St. John)
Cooper Island
- http://cooperislandbeachclub.com/
Soggy Dollar Bar
Originally, settled by the Arawak and Carib Indians, the United States purchased St. John from the Danish West India and Guinea Company in 1917. In 1956, over 5,000 acres of land was donated to the National Park Service by Laurance Rockefeller, assuring it natural preservation.
Though our condominium was located on stunning Sapphire Beach, known for its snorkeling, it was advantageous to have a car in order to experience some of the other beaches located throughout the island.
Magen’s Bay public park was donated to the people of the Virgin Islands by Arthur Fairchild and consists of a one mile of white sand beach, a six-acre arboretum with trees from four tropical continents, a two-acre camping ground, five acres of coconut groves and fifteen acres of mangroves and wetlands. It is the only beach on St. Thomas that charges an admission fee which is used to maintain the facilities and the beach.
After relaxing for a while, we then grabbed our snorkels and dove in, eager to see what was below the water’s surface. While our waters at Sapphire Beach offered an amazing amount of coral and marine life, sadly, Magen’s Bay did not. A bit more coral borders the rocky outcropping at each end of the beach, but the most impressive thing we encountered was the large, shoaling silver-side fish whose location was apparent by the diving seagulls.
After Magen’s Bay, trying to decide on another beach was tough. Would any other measure up?
If you get tired of the atmosphere here, you can wander next door to Coral World where you can come face-to-face with sharks and other underwater creatures. Swimming with sea lions or touching turtles…there’s much to learn about the underwater life that inhabits the waters around St. Thomas. Descend fifteen feet in the undersea observatory tower to marvel at the coral reef, schools of silversides and other fish or take an hour-long cruise on the park’s semi-submarine.