Virgin Gorda

Cleaning out the camera, I came across some pictures we had of Virgin Gorda, when HB and I made a short day trip there earlier in the month.

How I could have neglected to write about it here, I do not know.

We took the ferry from Road Town to Virgin Gorda, and drove along North Sound Road, which had some fantastic scenery. Clear blue waters, white sand beaches, and lots of cactus

Despite being only 10 miles or so east-northeast of Tortola, Virgin Gorda has a much drier climate, and so takes on a more "desert island" type of vegetation. During the drive, our guide told us about the different kinds of cacti that thrive on Virgin Gorda, and even pulled over and let us try the small fruit of a barrel-type cactus. The fruits were about the size of a grape, and had a bright pink skin. Inside was a watery, white flesh, peppered with tiny black seeds, each of which made a satisfying crunch in your mouth.

We headed back to Spanish Town in the Valley for lunch. Spanish Town is the low-lying peninsula visible in the distance in the picture above.

One of the largest attractions at Virgin Gorda, especially for day-trippers and cruisers, is the Baths National Park. After lunch, HB and I took a walk down to the beach at the Baths, but unthinkingly, we left the camera in the car. The Baths are known for their large rock formations, which contribute to the excellent hiking, caving, and cave diving in the area.

It was doubly unfortunate we didn't have the camera, because in addition to the breathtaking natural beauty of the Baths, we encountered quite a bit of fauna on the way back up the trail, including a racer snake, several hermit crabs making their journey to the sea, and a large lizard (about 2' long) of type unknown.

We caught the last ferry of the day back to Road Town, and made plans to return to Virgin Gorda once we're equipped to check out the underwater world.