Island Dreaming... zap me to ANEGADA!

Still fantasizing about those Belizean lobsters?  What about a lobster bash on Anegada?

There are only about 200 residents on this minute BVI (British Virgin Island) outpost, but no shortage of entertainment!

Let's start with lobsters...

The crustaceans are snagged right out of the pots which hang under the docks at southwestern "harbor".   

From pot to grill  to shoreside table, your feast will electrify ALL the senses... Buttery shellfish, sandy toes, an umbrella of powdered-sugared stars overhead, and a bay illuminated with the soft cabin lights of sailboats rocking "on the hook" in the gentle waves.

Check out Anegada Reef Hotel for details.

Interested in birding?

The salt ponds of Anagada are well-loved by Roseate Flamingos... And those "flamingo groupie" humans who stalk them!   

Other wading birds -- herons and egrets -- are numerous, too!

A cool "front row seat" to watch these creatures is from Sue's kayak tour.  She's a local guru of Anegada reefs, wildlife, and natural history. 


Then what about a pub crawl?

From the Cow Wreck Beach bar (literally, cow bones washed up onshore and now celebrities wash up at this most unlikely outpost and carve their names into the bar poles)  

To the Whistling Pine  (try the "Pine tea")...to Neptunes right on the waterfront... to Flash of Beauty...

Finally to Loblolly Bay's Big Bamboo for a rum teaser under the sea grapes! 

You are now officially at the end of the road! 

And what about those turtles?
Anagada's on a Green mission for the Green turtles!  Proud to be the most critical green turtle nesting site in the entire BVI, Anegada is also home to many hawksbill turtles. 
If turtles are your niche, check out the Sea Turtle Recovery Project! 


So how do you get to all this sunburnt splendor?  (because, in this island of mangroves and dune grass, believe me....shade is hard to come by)
Located on the outskirts of the BVI cluster, this small island is tiny (only 10 miles long by 2 miles wide)

 

Low-lying (the highest spot is only 28' above sea level, which explains its name:  Anegada, or Drowned Land)

And untouched.  in fact-- are you ready?-- anagoda is reached only by boat or small plane!  So prepare for an adventure! 

I got there via sailboat flotilla (the charter guides over at the Bitter End Yacht Club on Virgin Gorda escort bareboaters  twice a week... All of which means nothing to you landlubbers, right!)


So how do most people get to Anegada?    Day trips!


The Spirit of Anegada is a 44' gaff-rigged schooner that sails out of Little Dix Bay Resort (a resort on Virgin Gorda):  full days ($95 including brunch), half-days ($65), or  sunset cruises ($50). They sail to Anegada and make snorkeling stops along the way (equipments on board).


Or the M/V Sea Lion, a 45' catamaran, which takes Tuesday and Friday trips to Anegada for a day of snorkeling, beachcombing, and a local lobster lunch on the beach.

And you can always hop a quick flight- $160 for 2 from Virgin Gorda- a decent value even if the flight is only 10 minutes long!

The bottom line....

For those who want to get close to the elemental aspects of life, Anegada, the sunken island, is a most enchanting place with miles and miles of sandy beaches and total immersion into primeval seclusion