Coming to Tortola and searching for something fun to do? This blog post is all about a tour of the island we really enjoyed. Continue reading if that sounds like something you’d love!
We visited Tortola as part of our MSC cruise. Since we only had a couple of hours on the island, we wanted to explore as much as possible.
This is how we had the most incredible day in the Caribbean!
WHERE IS TORTOLA?
Tortola is the largest and most populous island in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), a British territory located in the Caribbean. The island of Tortola is situated in the eastern Caribbean Sea and is part of the Lesser Antilles. The enchanting island is absolutely worth visiting and you’ll surely have the best time.
The capital of the British Virgin Islands is Road Town, located on the southern coast of Tortola. In my opinion, there’s really not much to do in Road Town. Make sure you get a tour of the island, or at least a transfer to the beach.
The island has many lush green hills and beautiful beaches. The gorgeous beaches and stunning greenery on Tortola charmed me so much that I didn’t want to leave. It’s also the perfect island for island-hopping as there are various marvelous islands around Tortola, such as Virgin Gorda and Jost van Dyke.
If you’re visiting Tortola, make sure you don’t just stay in Road Town. The island offers many different things to do, as do the neighboring islands Virgin Gorda and Jost van Dyke.
WHERE DOES THE TOUR OF TORTOLA START?
We came on a cruise and didn’t have many plans, our main goal was to relax and spend some time at the beach. As we walked through the Road Town seaport, we stumbled upon mini buses which offered transfers to the beach or an island tour. We took an incredible tour of the island on St. Maarten the day before, so we were very interested to do the same here.
The transfer to the beach was 20 dollars and the island tour was 30 dollars, so we decided to see more of the island and what it offers. We didn’t regret our decision!
WHAT DOES THIS TOUR OF TORTOLA INCLUDE?
The tour includes a ride in an open mini bus and 3 stops on the way. It lasts around 3 hours in total. The tour guide talks through the speaker while driving about everything that’s important on the way. The tour wasn’t overly crowded, there were around 15 people on the open bus, and it was really enjoyable!
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WHAT TO BRING WITH YOU
There are a few things you must take with you on this tour:
- Sunglasses and sunscreen – you’ll spend a lot of time in the sun, both on the bus and on the beach.
- Water – the sun is very strong and it’s extremely hot and humid there, so be careful and always have some liquids with you.
- Beach towel and a bathing suit – you’ll spend at least an hour at the beach, and you’ll surely want to go for a swim. Make sure you have your swim suit on you and a towel in your bag.
- Cash – if you want to participate in the rum tasting or have a drink at the beach, you’ll need to pay with cash.
THE TORTOLA TOUR STOPS
THE VIEWPOINT
Our first stop was a gorgeous viewpoint at the top of the island of Tortola. The tour guide takes you to an altitude of over 1,000 feet, revealing one of the most magical views you could ever see. At the top there’s a bar where you can grab a drink and enjoy the stunning scenery. We were there for about 15 minutes, before moving on.
RUM DISTILLERY
We continued on to a local rum distillery. The tiny distillery was a special treat because we got to try 5 different rums for only 1 dollar per person, which is frankly a steal! The workers there talk about the different versions of rum they create, and then you have the opportunity to try them. You can also buy bottles of rum if you’d like. People on the tour really liked this spot!
You can try 5 different types of rum for only 1 dollar!
CANE GARDEN BEACH
Our last stop was the Cane Garden beach, an absolutely stunning piece of heaven where we had an hour to swim and relax at the beach bar. We had an absolute blast here because the sandy beach was perfect! The water was clear and warm, there weren’t too many people, and the beach bar had 4-dollar beers, so we really didn’t want to leave.
In my opinion, for 30 dollars this was a great tour that gave us more of the island than we would get if we only went to the beach. The only downside for us was only one hour at the beach because it was heavenly.
$30 seems like a steal for that island tour! I hadn’t heard of Tortola before your post, but it’s beautiful! I am going to add it to my list to visit. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Wow it looks so beautiful! It made me think of the summer holidays, can we skip the winter, please?
Tortola looks really beautiful. Would love to visit the viewpoint and the rum distillery.
It is funny to see this post today when we are in Virgin Gorda and could look out and see Tortola from high in the hills. I do love the colour of that water and the great viewpoints down to sea. We would certainly plan to visit the rum distillery. And the many beaches too.
I visited Tortola about 25 years ago, so it was so fun to read about it some of the sites in the present. I was with students when I went then so I didn’t get to see the rum distillery. Would love to see that.