No matter how you find yourself in the British Virgin Islands (whether that’s on a cruise or on an independent vacation), visiting The Baths is an absolute must! The Baths is the name of the beach area (now National Park) that has soft golden sand, crystal clear blue water, and (most notably) huge granite boulders! These boulders make for an ultimate backdrop along the beach and even create a series of caves to walk through and explore. Visiting The Baths was on my bucket list for years, and I was so excited to finally check them off when our family’s cruise docked in Tortola for a day! Here are my top tips for visiting The Baths in Virgin Gorda.
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What to Wear
Visiting The Baths is just like visiting any other beach, but with some special considerations. Therefore, plan to wear and bring your typical beach gear – bathing suit, sunglasses, reef-safe sunscreen, towel. The beaches themselves have very soft sand, so I didn’t really feel like water shoes were necessary if you were just planning on going into the water (away from the boulders).
However, if you’re planning on going through the caves (and you should!), footwear is a must. I did the path in Crocs with the back strap on. I had no issues in these but it can get a little tricky walking through the deeper water in them, since they get bogged down with water and sand easier. My dad and brother wore water shoes and had absolutely no issues at all. My mom, on the other hand, wore basic flip flops and definitely struggled. There were times she had to take them off and couldn’t get a grip walking on the rocks. If I were to visit again, I’d defintiely wear water shoes!
Be Aware of Flag Warnings
As is the case with all public beaches in the BVI, they use colored flags to indicate the safety of the beach based on things such as rip currents and high surf. As a matter of fact, the morning that we docked in Tortola, my brother and I had an excursion booked to snorkel at The Baths. Since the beach was red flagged, that excursion got cancelled and I was crushed. Thankfully, we were able to get standby on a different tour to The Baths that didn’t involve going in the water, but it didn’t look promising there for a while! Once we got to the beach and saw the waves and currents, the red flag definitely checked out. I wouldn’t want to be out in those rough waters snorkeling! For more info about flag warnings in the BVI, click here.
Expect Crowds (especially with cruise ships!)
Now, I visited the Baths on a cruise ship excursion so I’m part of the problem. However, if you’re visiting on your own and not as part of a group, definitely expect there to be crowds! This is a very popular tourist attraction in the BVI, but especially busy when ships are in port. Manage your expectations and plan to wait in lines through the caves, at the restaurants and shops, or have people sitting close to you on the beaches!
The Caves
The caves, for me at least, was the absolute highlight of visiting The Baths! Marked along the walls of the large boulders are green arrows that you will follow on a path through the rocks. You’ll squeeze through tight openings, wade in crystal clear water, and climb over boulders. It’s unlike any other beach I’ve ever been to! We went through the caves starting in Devil’s Bay and ending at The Baths Beach. I didn’t see anyone trying to go through the other way, but I did see signs for a separate (longer path) connecting the two beaches if you didn’t want to go through the caves, or needed to go in the reverse. Given that the return is a longer walk, try to bring everything with you through the caves and “end” your day on the other side.
The Baths Beach
Once you get to the other side of the caves, you’ll end at The Baths Beach. This beach is just as beautiful as Devil’s Bay, lined with large boulders and soft golden sand. Most notably though, this area of the beach has all the amenities. You’ll find bathrooms, outdoor showers, a grab-and-go restaurant, picnic tables, and even local vendors set up selling merchandise. This was definitely the more popular part of the beach, but there was plenty of room to spread out. This is also where you’ll start the climb back up to The Top of The Baths where you’ll find another restaurant and the parking lot.
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