It’s time for a road trip, island style, as we take a day trip to Anegada. Anegada is a bit unlike its companions in the British Virgin Islands. Unlike the other inhabited islands in the BVI chain which are volcanic in origin and mountainous in appearance, Anegada is composed of coral and limestone. The terrain is so close to sea level that it’s difficult to spot it at a distance without the assistance of the the palm trees. Its highest point is only 28 feet above sea level. Anegada is also a bit farther out from the other islands, approximately 15 miles north of Virgin Gorda. I put together this simple map to give you a sense of how distant it is as compared to the other islands of the BVI.
The trip was with Dive BVI, who picked us up at Scrub Island. Although Dive BVI has an outpost at Scrub Island, they are based on Virgin Gorda, so you may have passengers from a variety of locations. Today’s guides were Tara from London, England and Launa from Italy. I love the guides from Dive BVI. They are really knowledgeable about the area, and are super friendly. The Sea Lion picked us up at Scrub and we were off for the one-hour journey to Anegada.
As we approach Anegada, you start to see some palm trees emerge on the horizon. It’s easy to see the difference between it and the other islands in the BVI. I apologize for the motion blur on the top photo – we were moving!
Welcome to Anegada!
Launa leads us out to the minibus which will take us to the beach. There was one short stop along the way. We stopped on a bridge to try to get a glimpse of some of the flamingos for which Anegada is famous. Unfortunately, they were shy that day and decided to hang out on the opposite side of the salt pond. Can you see them in the distance?
Back to business. After a short ride, we arrived at The Big Bamboo, a restaurant famous for its great location on Loblolly Bay, and for the delicious Anegada lobster. Let’s take a look around. As you enter, turning to the right you will see the entrance to the restaurant and bar, and to the left, you will see a path to the beach.
We ordered up our lunches and took off for the beach. Loblolly Bay offers something for everyone. For those looking for the perfect white sand, it’s one of the best in the BVI. For those looking for snorkeling, the bay is protected by a large coral reef, loaded with fish and sea life. The reef has a history of being unkind to sailing vessels, and so I understand there’s also some great wreck diving around the island.
We had about an hour before lunch, so we enjoyed the sand and the sea. Tara took a group out for a look around the reefs, and our daughter grabbed quite a good bit of video on the GoPro (video coming soon!).
Let’s head back to The Big Bamboo for lunch. I knew what I wanted for lunch here before our plane left Chicago, and I wasn’t disappointed.
We spent quite a bit of time in the bar at The Big Bamboo. My favorite thing about the bar was that it was covered with pieces of driftwood and other planks of wood which memorialized the visits of those who were there before us.
When we sat down at the bar, the bartender told us we could make a sign and put it up. We had the option of using a Sharpie or burning our design into the wood using the sun and a magnifying glass. We lacked the patience to fill out our entire design via magnifying glass, but I thought we did pretty good. I had to include a shot of the sign done by other members of our group who did an outstanding job on their “Thanksgiving 2012” sign.
The Conrads are forever a part of The Big Bamboo! Or at least until the next hurricane cleans house.
Sadly, our day on Anegada came to an end. Despite the distance, it was a “must see” for me, and it was worth every minute!
The last stop on our BVI Trip Report is Virgin Gorda!
For previous parts of our BVI Trip Report, click here. For photos from the islands, check out our BVI Gallery!