Introducing Tortola
Among Tortola’s sharp peaks and bougainvillea-clad hillsides you’ll find a mash-up of play places. Guesthouses and mountain villas are interspersed with beachside resorts. Cooks for Bon Appétit magazine make island dishes next to elderly Mrs Scatliffe, who prepares meals using ingredients from her garden. You even get your choice of full-moon parties – artsy with Aragorn or mushroom-tea-fueled with Bomba.
About 80% of the BVI’s 25,000 citizens live and work on Tortola, so it’s not surprising there’s a lot of choice here. It’s also the BVI’s governmental and commercial center, plus its air and ferry hub.
As for the name: in Spanish, tortola means ‘turtledove,’ which was the type of bird flying around with distinctive coos when Christopher Columbus came ashore. Most have since flown the coop.
Road Town
Let’s be honest: the BVI’s capital is nothing special – no mega sights to see or scenery to drop your jaw.
East End
Tortola’s eastern end is a mix of steep mountains, remote bays and thickly settled West Indian communities.
Tortola destination guides
Cane Garden Bay Area
A turquoise cove ringed by steep green hills, Cane Garden Bay is exactly the kind of place Jimmy Buffett would immortalize in song – which he did in 1978’s ‘Mañana.
Apartments in Tortola
West End
The small settlement of West End has a busy little ferry terminal for vessels going to and from Jost Van Dyke, as well as the US Virgin Islands’ St Thomas and St John.