We ended our stay in the Virgin Islands with a truly memorable weekend in Virgin Gorda. Dividing our time between a stunning natural beach and a really raucous party, we’ll always remember last weekend.
The Baths
Virgin Gorda is known for The Baths, considered a “must see” for any visitor to the BVIs. We loved everything about this natural landmark.
The Baths are beautiful sea pools created between huge boulders at the southern corner of Virgin Gorda. You pay a very small entrance fee (it’s a national park) and walk down a trail that takes you to a beautiful beach.
You can swim and snorkel in the crystal clear water at the beach, which is lovely on its own.
Even better are the seemingly hidden paths and hills within the caves. You walk around and just go wherever you want. Turn one way and you will see stairs and rope lines to help you climb up to the top to beautiful views of Devil’s Bay. Another path takes you back into water and a narrow chasm into another cave.
We went on a weekend afternoon, kind of late in the day so while there were others there, we were often alone in this peaceful place. It was a fun afternoon acting like kids scrambling on the rocks and soaking in the secret pools.
We took lots of photos with the gopro, and will always have the memories.
The Baths are so popular they are relatively easy to visit.
Leverick Bay Poker Run
The next day was a completely different but equally fun experience just up the island a little at Leverick Bay. The annual Poker Run is a huge event with hundreds of boats participating and riding around the BVIs making poker hands in the name of charity.
We sailed to Leverick Bay on Sunday morning and the speed boats were already out and on their way to the start. We enjoyed watching the boaters racing through the water from our own boat, and rode into the marina in the afternoon to join the party.
The docks were packed with people. We couldn’t believe how many boats were tied together so that everyone could get access to land. We met participants from the Virgin Islands, the U.S. and Puerto Rico, and I am sure there were others from farther afield. It was cool to party with the locals on such a fun occasion for them, something we hadn’t done since Puerto Rico.
The boaters take the event itself very seriously. Most wore matching outfits with the others on their boats, and many sported safety goggles and earphones. They were going so fast they needed it!
The marina used every available space as bars: the information desk and the sightseeing tour desk were both bars. And of course, the bars were bars. It was the biggest party we’d seen since we’ve been to the islands, so we had to participate.
The weekend in Virgin Gorda was a great end to our quick 2 week sprint through the US and British Virgin Islands. I would love to return and see and do more, but am happy with what we got.
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