Tortola and Virgin Gorda

Our second stop on the cruise was Tortola.  We didn't spend much time there because we took a water ferry to Virgin Gorda, a nearby island.  I had planned on us going to Virgin Gorda because I had heard wonderful things about The Baths and it looked like a beautiful and unique place to visit.

Wikipedia describes The Baths as follows: At The Baths, the beach shows evidence of the island's volcanic origins, as huge granite boulders lie in piles on the beach, forming scenic grottoes that are open to the sea.

The boat ride took about 30 minutes and then we had a short taxi ride once we were there to get to The Baths.  I really liked this island, as it was very pretty and didn't seem dirty and poor like some other islands in the Caribbean.

After paying a small admittance fee, you take a 10 minute walk down a path to the beach.  When you first get to the beach you see this:



Then you head to the left where you enter The Baths.  This part included crawling through tight spaces, wading through water, scrambling over rocks, using ropes to scale steep boulders, and going up and down narrow and steep ladders.  It was quite the adventure!

[caption id="attachment_1362" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Jeff had some tight squeezes along the way!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1363" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="The Main Grotto (you can swim in it)"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1364" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Jeff insisted on climbing up there"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1365" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="A Pretty View Along the Way"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1366" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Almost there..."][/caption]

When we made it through The Baths we came out on another beach...the most breathtaking beach I have ever been to!  Unfortunately my new camera was acting up at this point so I didn't get a lot of good photos, but here are some:





My new camera is a digital camera that is also waterproof up to 3 meters.  There was some good snorkeling if you swam out to the edge of the boulders and explored around them.

[caption id="attachment_1369" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="There were a lot of blue fish"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1370" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Sea Fan Coral"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1371" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Brain Coral and a Black/White/Yellow Fish - Click on the picture to see the detail in the Brain Coral"][/caption]

When we left the beach and walked back up the hill, we found a restaurant overlooking a beautiful view.  It looked like the perfect place to enjoy a late lunch but we decided to catch the taxi and head back to Tortola and our ship.

[caption id="attachment_1372" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The View from the Restaurant...please ignore the drop of water in the corner!"][/caption]

This was my favorite part of our whole trip and I will definitely make it a point to return!  If you ever get a chance to go to The Baths, it is not an opportunity to be missed!

[caption id="attachment_1375" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Another Sunset, Another Perfect Day"][/caption]