Road Town Travel Guide, British Virgin Islands

If you are interested in ninety-nine per cent exotic wild life and natural wonders and only little signs of civilization, the island called Anegada is a good option.

One of the smallest of the British Virgin islands, located 30 miles east of Tortola and being inhabited by no more than 250 people, Anegada is surrounded by one of the world’s largest coral reefs-the famous Horseshoe Reef, the legendary corner where hundreds of ships are supposed to have wrecked either due to the unfriendly weather or because they fell under the siege of the pirates.

It doesn’t exceed 10 miles in length and two miles and a half in width, it is almost in its entirety little or not at all touched by modern civilization and it is a natural habitat for many species of endangered animals. Many chalky white mud puddles attest the fact that the island is a coral reef island. At the same time, Anegada is dotted with many salt ponds and surrounded by white sand beaches.

In the north, Anegada has a spectacular curved line of beaches protected by coral reefs which form many lagoons and little peninsulas. Here sunbathing, swimming, snorkeling and kayaking are regular activities for any tourist. If you love kayaking, the lagoons between the little peninsulas on the north beach coast are perfect.

One of the famous beaches in Anegada is Loblolly Bay where you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of pink flamingos strutting in a pond or snorkel in the bay. Actually here you may see many other species of protected animals since the National Trust declared this area a reservation and is off-limits to modernization. Thus, apart from the delicate pink flamingos, you may see different varieties of heron, ospreys and terns. The island is also the protected area of about many wild goats, donkeys and the fierce-looking but harmless rock iguana, a species on the verge of extinction in many other regions. This six-feet long creature can be seen in one of the tiny bays called Bones Bight where it uses holed coral rocks a shelter.

Plant lovers may find a lot to see and smell in Anegada as well. The now famous wild orchids and loblolly trees with their large white horizontal trunk roots are two of the indigenous botanical wonders. Other interesting plants are the wild sage, a strong flavor flower people use to refresh their car and the white flowers frangipani tree.

On your way to these sites you may stop over for lunch at thatched-roof bars such as Big Bamboo, a famous restaurant where famous people such as Cindy Crawford or Andre Agassi are said to have dined. The main road has been recently paved by the government so a taxi trip is more than bearable. The local government even made a facility for reading lovers and installed a small library in case one wanted to lie in the sun and enjoy reading and forgot to bring over a book.

All in all, exoticism, nature and peaceful stay are the real attractions of this island. If you are looking for a dreamlike holiday in the Caribbean where the noisy modern world seems to have disappeared once you landed, come to Anegada. You won’t regret it.