These are the best places to travel this summer

Tortola

Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2025

Shop

Get even more with a Lonely Planet guide.

Shop Book
Tortola aerial

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Plan your trip with Guide, an AI travel planner!

Create a personalized trip itinerary in seconds using artificial intelligence.

Create a trip

Overview

Among Tortola’s sharp peaks and bougainvillea-clad hillsides you’ll find a mash-up of play places. Take surfing lessons, join fire jugglers at a full-moon party, dive on shipwrecks, and by all means go sailing amid the festive surrounding isles.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • British Virgin Islands, Tortola Island, Sage Mountain National Park, epiphytes and tropical vegetation

    Sage Mountain National Park

    Tortola

    At 1716ft, Sage Mountain rises higher than any other peak in the Virgin Islands. Seven trails crisscross the surrounding 92-acre park, including the main…

  • Cane Garden Bay

    Cane Garden Bay

    Tortola

    Cane Garden Bay is probably on the postcard that drew you to the British Virgin Islands. The gently sloping crescent of sand hosts plenty of beachside…

  • Brewers Bay

    Brewers Bay

    Tortola

    Shady, tree-lined Brewers has decent snorkeling and a more tranquil scene than you'll find at nearby Cane Garden Bay – possibly because getting here…

  • North Shore Shell Museum

    North Shore Shell Museum

    Tortola

    It’s more a folk-art gallery and junk shop than a museum, but it’s funky however you describe it, with a hodgepodge of shells and signs painted with…

  • Apple Bay

    Apple Bay

    Tortola

    Apple Bay is long and narrow, and is known as the ‘surfing beach,’ especially from late December to March, when the consistent swells roll in. It’s not a…

  • Callwood Rum Distillery

    Callwood Rum Distillery

    Tortola

    Just off the North Coast Rd at the west end of Cane Garden Bay, this is the oldest continuously operating distillery in the Eastern Caribbean. The…

  • Josiah’s Bay

    Josiah’s Bay

    Tortola

    An undeveloped gem at the foot of a valley on the north shore, Josiah’s Bay is a dramatic strand that has excellent surf with a point break in winter…

  • 1780 Lower Estate Sugar Works Museum

    1780 Lower Estate Sugar Works Museum

    Tortola

    There are no bells and whistles here, but if you're keen to take time and read about the area's history, this museum in an old sugar mill is a worthy stop…

in partnership with getyourguide

Book popular activities in Tortola