Getting Here

After nine months and over two-hundred posts, I can't believe I haven't written about how you might actually transport yourself from your current location to the BVI. There are two main routes into Tortola: by air and by sea. Obviously, since Tortola is an island, you can't exactly get here by land.

For air transport, the Tortola airport is Beef Island International Airport, airport code EIS. If you have a private plane, you can always contact EIS and make the necessary arrangements to fly yourself here. For the rest of us, though, I believe there are only four airlines that fly into EIS: American Eagle; Cape Air; WinAir, and Liat. The general rule is that if you're coming from the Eastern Hemisphere, you will likely fly into Antigua, and then transfer onto a WinAir or Liat flight to EIS. Liat and British Airways are CodeShare partners. If you're coming from the Western Hemisphere, you will likely fly into San Juan, Puerto Rico, and then transfer onto an American Eagle or Cape Air flight to EIS. Cape Air generally works in conjunction with Continental.

Another big option, especially for folks arriving to the BVI from the States, is the sea route. Well, really, it's a combination air and sea route. Most major American airlines fly into the airport on St. Thomas, USVI, airport code STT. From St. Thomas, visitors to the BVI can take a ferry into either West End or Road Town, Tortola. The ferry ride takes about an hour from Charlotte Amalie to Road Town, and costs $30 per person one-way, or $50 per person round trip. The price differential between flying into St. Thomas and flying into Beef Island is usually more than enough to cover the ferry ticket, but the extra hassle of dealing with the ferry, and the potential of having to spend the night in St. Thomas if your flight is not on time, usually makes Beef Island the more convenient option.

Of course, there are other means of getting to the BVI -- by cruise ship; by your own private sailboat or yacht -- but these routes are the ones most commonly used, probably by about 90% of people coming to the BVI for more than a day.