Things To Do in Tortola, BVI

Travel Plan Tours, Romasco Place, Harbour House (P.O. Box 437), Road Town (tel. 284/494-4000; www.aroundthebvi.com), offers a 3 1/2-hour tour that touches on the natural highlights of Tortola (a minimum of four participants is required). The cost is $32 to $45 per person. The company also offers 3-hour snorkeling tours for $64 per person (with snacks included). A full-day sailing tour aboard a catamaran that goes from Tortola to either Peter Island or Norman Island costs $165 per person; a full-day tour, which goes as far afield as the Baths at Virgin Gorda and includes lunch, costs $125 per person. And if deep-sea fishing appeals to you, book a half-day excursion, with equipment, for four fishermen and up to two "nonfishing observers" for $900, or a full-day excursion for $1,260.

A taxi tour of the island costs $65 for two passengers for 2 hours, or $85 for 3 hours. To call a taxi in Road Town, dial tel. 284/494-2322; on Beef Island, it's tel. 284/495-1982.

No visit to Tortola is complete without a trip to Sage Mountain National Park, rising to an elevation of 523m (1,716 ft.). Here, you'll find traces of a primeval rainforest, and you can enjoy a picnic while overlooking neighboring islets and cays. Covering 37 hectares (91 acres), the park protects the remnants of Tortola's original forests (those that were not burned or cleared during the island's plantation era). Go west from Road Town to reach the mountain. Before you head out, stop by the tourist office in Road Town and pick up the brochure Sage Mountain National Park. It has a location map, directions to the forest and parking, and an outline of the main trails through the park. From the parking lot at the park, a trail leads to the park entrance. The two main trails are the Rainforest Trail and the Mahogany Forest Trail.

The B.V.I.'s Tropical Showcase

It's free and it's a gem. The J.R. O'Neal Botanic Gardens, Botanic Station (no phone), is a 1.6-hectare (4-acre) park in Road Town. It was created by the B.V.I. National Parks Trust and is run by local volunteers eager to show you around. The orchid house and a small rainforest are reached by crossing a charming lily pond, and other paths lead to a cactus garden and a palm grove. The aptly named flamboyant tree, with its brilliant scarlet flowers, is just one of the highlights here.

Most of Tortola's shops are on Road Town's Main Street. Unfortunately, the British Virgins have no duty-free shopping. British goods are imported without duty, though, and you can find some good buys among these imported items, especially in English china. In general, store hours are Monday to Saturday from 9am to 4pm.

You might start your shopping expedition at Crafts Alive, an open-air market lying in the center of Road Town and impossible to miss. It consists of a series of old-fashioned West Indian-style buildings that are stocked with crafts, ranging from Caribbean dolls to straw hats, from crocheted doilies to the inevitable B.V.I. T-shirts. Very few of these items, however, are made on the island; we noted that some, in fact, come from Panama.

In arts and crafts, you'll find higher-quality items at Aragorn's Local Arts and Crafts Center, Trellis Bay (tel. 284/495-1849; www.aragornsstudio.com), a showcase for the most talented artisans on the island. "A lot of Europeans used to look down on Caribbean art," Aragorn Dick-Read once told the press. But he has worked to create a greater appreciation of Caribbean culture among visitors. Here you will find an array of copper sculptures, island prints, local art, and jewelry, including the island's best selection of handcrafted pottery. The finest of woodcarving and metalwork is also displayed here in a newly expanded studio.

Sunny Caribbee Spice Co., 119 Main St., Road Town (tel. 284/494-2178; www.sunnycaribbee.com), in an old West Indian building, was the first hotel on Tortola. It's now a shop specializing in Caribbean spices, seasonings, teas, condiments, and handicrafts. With an aroma of spices permeating the air, this factory is an attraction in itself. You can buy two famous specialties here: the West Indian hangover cure and the Arawak love potion. A Caribbean cosmetics collection, Sunsations, includes herbal bath gels, island perfume, and sunscreens. There's a daily sampling of island products -- perhaps tea, coffee, sauces, or dips.

Samarkand, Main Street, Road Town (tel. 284/494-6415), is an unusually good bet for jewelry and other items. Look for an intriguing selection of bracelets, pins, and pendants in both silver and gold, and pierced earrings. Caribbean motifs such as palms and seabirds often appear in the designs of the jewelry.

Pusser's Company Store, Main Street and Waterfront Road, Road Town (tel. 284/494-2467; www.pussers.com), has gourmet food items including meats, spices, fish, and a nice selection of wines. Pusser's Rum is one of the best-selling items here.

Arawak, on the dock at Nanny Cay (tel. 284/494-5240), is known for its household furnishings, such as placemats and candleholders, but also sells sporty clothing for adults and kids, along with a selection of gifts and souvenirs.

Flamboyance, Waterfront Drive (tel. 284/494-4099), is the best place to shop for perfume and upscale cosmetics.

If you've rented a villa or condo, or if your accommodations have a kitchenette, consider a visit to Ample Hamper, Villa Cay Marina, Wickham's Cay I, Road Town (tel. 284/494-2494; www.amplehamper.com). This outlet stocks some of the best packaged food and bottled wines on the island. It also offers fresh fruit and a tasty selection of cheeses.

Philatelists from all over the world flock to the British Virgin Islands post office, Main Street, Road Town (tel. 284/494-3701, ext. 4996), for its exquisite and unusual stamps in beautiful designs. Even though the stamps carry U.S. monetary designations, they can be used only in the B.V.I.

Ask around to find out which hotel might have entertainment on any given evening. Steel bands and fungi or scratch bands (musicians who improvise on locally available instruments) appear regularly. Pick up a copy of “Limin’ Times,” an entertainment magazine that lists what’s happening locally; it’s usually available at hotels.

Bomba Surfside Shack, Cappoons Bay (tel 284/495-4148), is the oldest and most famous hangout on the island, a shack cobbled together with scrap driftwood, corrugated metal, rubber tires, and other flotsam and jetsam and plopped right on the beach near the West End. Undergarments swing in the breezes; graffiti covers the wood. Bomba Callwood is usually somewhere in attendance, a big man in overalls with a wreath of smoke around his head. Bomba’s attracts a varied crowd, from surfers riding the swells at Cappoons to vans of cruise-ship passengers stopping for a photo op and a swig of Bomba’s rum punch. Despite its makeshift appearance, the shack is quite a business enterprise, bringing in crowds of visitors every month for Bomba’s Full Moon bashes, where Bomba’s “herbal” mushroom tea simmers in a cauldron in the bushes. It’s open daily from 10am to midnight (or later, depending on business).

Quito Rymer, one of the island’s most well-known musicians, oversees his own mini-empire along the eastern stretch of Cane Garden Bay. The more touristy spot is the bar/restaurant Rhymer’s (tel 284/495-4639; where you can sip cold beer or tropical rum concoctions along with a casual menu of ribs, conch chowder, and more. The beach bar and restaurant is open daily 8am to 9pm. Quito’s Gazebo (tel 284/495-4837; is where the guitarist plays solo on Tuesdays and Thursdays (8pm) and Friday with a full band (9:30pm). It serves any and every kind of alcoholic libation and excellent food from an open-air restaurant built almost directly above the waves.

Myett’s (tel 284/495-9649) is another Cane Garden Bay hot spot, with a prime location right on the beach and regular live music; look for a Caribbean party every Wednesday night. In the same area, but not directly on the beach, visit Columbus Sunset Bar, Cane Garden Bay (tel 284/495-751), where locals gather to drink, talk, and sample good island food (they also have clean rooms to rent).

Finally, over on Little Apple Bay, check out Sebastian’s (tel 284/495-4212, especially on Sunday, when you can dance to live music under the stars, at least in winter.