By Plane -- Air Sunshine (tel 800/327-8900 in the U.S. or Canada, or 284/495-8900 in the B.V.I.; www.airsunshine.com) offers direct flights between San Juan (or St. Thomas) and Virgin Gorda; direct flights between Vieques, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Gorda; and direct flights between St. Croix and Virgin Gorda. Cape Air (tel 800/227-3247 in the U.S. and U.S.V.I., or 284/495-2100 in the B.V.I.; www.capeair.com) flies between San Juan and Virgin Gorda. Seabourne Airlines (tel 866/359-8784, or 340/773-6442 in the U.S.V.I.; www.seaborneairlines.com) offers regularly scheduled flights between San Juan and Virgin Gorda.

By Boat -- Both Smith’s Ferry (tel 284/495-4495; http://bviferryservices.com) and Speedy’s (tel 284/495-5235; www.bviferries.com) operate daily ferry service between Tortola (both Road Town and Beef Island) and Virgin Gorda (both Spanish Town and Bitter End/Leverick Bay); round-trip fares are $30 to $65 adults, $28 children 5–11. The North Sound Express (tel 284/495-2138), near the airport on Beef Island, has daily connections between Spanish Town, Leverick Bay, and the Bitter End Yacht Club on Virgin Gorda; round-trip fares are $40 to $55 adults, $20 to $32 children.

You can also get direct ferry service from St. Thomas to Virgin Gorda, but runs are infrequent (and only operate on certain days of the week)—so you may need to ferry to Tortola first (most likely Road Town) and then catch another ferry to Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda.

Most of the high-end resorts have their own boats to transfer guests from the airport on Beef Island to Virgin Gorda.

Getting Around

By Taxi -- Taxis are widely available, and, much like everywhere else in the islands, drivers double as solid tour guides. Contact the good folks at Potters’ Taxi Service for excellent taxi service and island tours (tel 284/495-5329). The Valley Taxi Association is at tel 284/495-5539. The standard fee for traveling between Spanish Town and Gun Creek is $30. Many drivers operate open-sided taxi safari buses that can hold up to 22 passengers. These buses charge upwards of $3 to $5 per person to transport a passenger, say, from the Valley to the Baths.

By Car -- If you’d like to rent a car, try one of the local firms, such as Virgin Gorda Car Rental (tel 284/496-0383; www.virgingordacar.com) or Mahogany Rentals (tel 284/495-5469; http://mahogany.nfshost.com), both in the Valley close to the yacht harbor. Both companies also offer taxi tours and transfers.

Remember: Drive on the left. Road conditions on Virgin Gorda range from good to extremely poor. An aerial view of the island shows what looks like three bulky masses connected by two very narrow isthmuses. The North Sound resorts are not even accessible by road at all, requiring ferryboat transfers from Gun Creek.One possibility for exploring Virgin Gorda by car is to drive from the southwest to the northeast along the island’s rocky and meandering spine. This route will take you to the Baths (in the extreme southeast), to Spanish Harbour (near the middle), and eventually, after skirting the mountainous edges of Gorda Peak, to the most northwesterly tip of the island’s road system, near North Sound. Here, a miniarmada of scheduled ferryboats runs between Gun Creek and North Sound resorts.

Fast Facts

Banks/ATMs -- Scotiabank (www.scotiabank.com) has a full-service bank in Spanish Town near the Yacht Harbour Shopping Centre. Both Scotiabank and First Caribbean (www.cibcfcib.com) have ATM locations at the Yacht Harbour Shopping Centre.

Dentists & Doctors -- Contact Apex Medical Center, Millionaire Rd., the Valley (tel 284/495-6557).

Drugstore -- Go to Island Drug Centre at Spanish Town (tel 284/495-5449).

Emergencies -- Call tel 999 or 911.

Internet Access -- The Bath & Turtle restaurant, in Yacht Harbour Marina (tel 284/495-5239), has free Wi-FI.

Police -- There is a station in the Valley at Spanish Town (tel 284/495-7584).

Tourist Information -- The island’s tourist office is in Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour, Spanish Town (tel 284/495-5181).

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