Cheap Flights to British Virgin Islands

The British Virgin Islands are a part of the Virgin Islands archipelago in the Caribbean, to the east of Puerto Rico. It is a British overseas territory with a total area of 153 square kilometres and a population of 28,054 according to the 2010 census. The British Virgin Islands consist of several islands, 15 of which are inhabited. The main islands are Virgin Gorda, Anegada, Jost Van Dyke, and the largest, Tortola, with the rest being over fifty smaller islands and cays. The capital is Road Town, located on the horseshoe-shaped Road Harbour in Tortola.

The people of the British Virgin Islands are considered to be British Overseas Territories citizens and are deemed to be citizens of the European Union as well. The other islands of the Virgin Islands archipelago are the US Virgin Islands and the Spanish Virgin Islands.

The beaches in the British Virgin Islands are absolutely stunning and extremely high quality even by Caribbean standards. What's more is that the abundance of these beautiful beaches in the islands means there is very little chance of it being too crowded. Many of the beaches do not come with amenities, but the plus side is that they also generally do not have a lot of vendors.

The British Virgin Islands is a prime location for sailing, dubbed as a paradise for those who are into the sport. The islands are close together enough to make sailing for first-timers safer. Another very popular activity in the islands is scuba diving; there is no shore diving in the islands, so you'll need to rent a boat (if you're an experienced diver and have your own equipment) or arrange a tour with local dive operators. These dive operators also offer rendezvous diving wherein they pick up guests from the yacht, go for a dive, and bring them back. The best known and most visited diving site is the RMS Rhone, a royal mail steam packet ship that was sank by a hurricane in 1867. Other popular dive sites include the wreck dives Chikuzen and Airplane wreck; Inganess Bay; and reef dives Alice in Wonderland, Angelfish Reef, Blonde Rock, and Carval Rock.

In Tortola, the main shopping area is Wickham's Cay in the capital Road Town. The quaint shops are in West Indian houses painted in bright colours. The most noticeable of them all is Serendipity Bookshop, which houses a wonderful selection of references on Caribbean history and cook books, as well as an Internet cafe. There are shops that sell garments, spices and local crafts, jewellery, and a bar and restaurant.

How to get around within British Virgin Islands

One great way to explore the islands is by sailboats or motorboats, which can be rented or chartered from any major harbour. The scenery is guaranteed to be gorgeous and the trip both relaxing and exhilarating at the same time. As for going around within the islands, cars can be rented on the larger islands. There is no need for large vehicles on the smaller islands; instead use the goat paths and foot trails or, in the case of Jost Van Dyke, scooters for rent.

To get to the British Virgin Islands, book a flight to Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport, the airport located in Road Town. BVI Airways operates from Dominica and Sint Maarten, while Cape Air handles flights from Saint Thomas and San Juan. Seaborne Airlines also departs from San Juan, and Winair flies regularly from Sint Marten. LIAT departures are from Antigua, Sint Maarten, and Saint Kitts. Finally, Air Sunshine operates flights from Anguilla, San Juan, Saint Thomas, Nevis, Dominica, and Sint Maarten.