The most northerly and isolated of the British Virgins, located 48km (30 miles) east of Tortola, Anegada has a population of about 250, none of whom has found the legendary treasure from the more than 500 wrecks lying off notorious Horseshoe Reef. This is a remote little corner of the Caribbean: Don't expect a single frill, and be prepared to put up with some hardships, such as mosquitoes.
Anegada is different from the other British Virgins in many ways. First, it's a coral-and-limestone atoll, flat, with an airstrip. Its highest point reaches 8m (26 ft.), and it hardly appears on the horizon if you're sailing to it. At the northern and western ends of the island are some good white-sand beaches, which might be your only reason for coming here. Second, most of the island has been declared off-limits to settlement and is reserved for birds and other wildlife. The B.V.I. National Parks Trust has established a flamingo colony, which is also the protected home of several different varieties of heron, ospreys, and terns. The Trust has also designated much of the interior of the island as a preserved habitat for Anegada's animal population of some 2,000 wild goats, donkeys, and cattle. Among the endangered species being given a new lease on life here is the rock iguana, a fierce-looking but quite harmless reptile that can grow to a length of 2m (6 1/2 ft.). Although rarely seen, these creatures have called Anegada home for thousands of years.
Slowly, ever so slowly, the modern world is coming to Anegada. The government has paved the main road here and installed a fire department and even a little library.
