During our recent trip we were able to stop by Tortola, British Virgin Islands where the licenses plates read “Nature’s Little Secrets”.  Tortola is the largest and the capital of the 60 islands.  We took a shore excursion called “Tortola Highlights”!  The excursion started out in an open-air safari bus (aka a large open taxi).  We took a scenic drive through the beautiful island of Tortola.  The driver told us pieces of the history and culture as the bus climbed up the narrow curvy roads.  We passed many local villages including Trench and Fahie Hill.

Tortola wasn’t always a peaceful island, it is said to be the spot where many pirates such as Bluebeard and Sir Francis Drake used to hide in the coves to pounce on the treasure ships as they sailed past.  The old pirate dens are now used for snorkeling, exploring, or relaxing on the beach.  British Virgin Islands includes Norman’s Isle which is believed to be the source of inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island”.  Pirate Jost Van Dyke’s island is well known for it’s beaches.  Virgin Gorda is the place where Rockefeller first promoted the island as an ideal tourist destination.

The island has “range” free livestock – cows, chickens, horses, goats everywhere, there was no place for them to go unless they wanted to take a long swim in the ocean.  Tortola’s main source of revenue was sugar cane, however, their primary source is now tourism.  You can find plenty of rum distilleries, old sugar mills, and colonial landmarks while exploring the island.

At the top of the island we stopped at the “Sky Top” Restaurant which was the highest point on all the islands.  We were able to get a panoramic view of the British Virgin Islands, it was beautiful! The biggest hit for the “Sky Top” restaurant was the view, if you wanted to use the restroom you had to buy a drink (a can of Coke was $4.50), buy an expensive souvenir, or pay a $1 cash to use their facilities.  The  restroom had a working toilet but soap and paper towels were not available.

Tortola is also known for their white sand beaches and mountains full of fruit trees.  We stopped for a swim at the Cane Garden Bay.  We traveled around the entire island over Zion Hill for the scenic drive along the Sir Francis Drake Highway and back to Road Town where we browsed through some local shops.  The driving was a little bumpy in areas as they recently had a storm that dropped over 4 feet of rain.  We got stuck in a traffic jam due to a car accident but we all managed to make it back to the ship on time.  It was interesting hearing the highlights from the drivers’ point of view, he was very proud of their schools, churches, and a new hospital they recently built.

If you go to Tortola make sure to bring cash for tips and to use the restroom as well as hand sanitizer!  Tortola is a beautiful place with breathtaking views of the other islands.  It is worth exploring if you are in the area!  We hope to one day go back for another visit!  I will be sharing in a future post some of the pictures we took while on the island of Tortola!

Below are some more facts regarding Tortola and the surrounding British Virgin Islands:

• Monarch – Queen Elizabeth II
• Governor – His Excellency Boyd McCleary
• National Anthem – “God Save the Queen”
• Flag – “Union Jack”
• Territory Status – Non-Sovereign, overseas territory of the United Kingdom, internal self-governing
• Legal System – English Law
• Largest Island – Tortola
• Language – English (official), Spanish
• Population – 28,882
• Religion – Christianity (major), Hinduism, Islamic
• Monetary Unit – US Dollar
• Economy – One of the most prosperous in the Caribbean. Highest Income Generators – Tourism & Financial Services
• Sales Tax – None
• Life Expectancy – 70 to 78
• National Flower – Oleander
• National Bird – Turtle Dove
• National Tree – White Cedar