The Ultimate 7 Day Itinerary for Sailing in the British Virgin Islands

Planning a trip to the British Virgin Islands? We have put together an ultimate travel guide to hit all the highlights of life in the BVI!

There are many different ways to explore the British Virgin Islands. We prefer chartering a catamaran in order to get the most out of your time. With this BVI sailing itinerary, you will get to visit some of the most beautiful places, taste the finest food, and have the most incredible experiences of the BVI! 

Before each charter, we provide an individual chart briefing so that you have the opportunity to decide where you would like to go. We will then customize our chart briefing to suit your requirements. Mooring buoys are available in many locations with the addition of the boaty balls, which allows you to reserve a mooring buoy in advance. Remember to call ahead of time on the cell phone provided to book in at restaurants for dinner.

Day 1

Set sail from Tortola and take the short sail across the Sir Francis Drake Channel to Norman Island. Norman Island is famous for being the birthplace and inspiration for Rober Louis Stevenson’s famous novel Treasure Island. 

The Norman Island Bay has mooring balls that are first-come first-serve, so get there early for the best spot. This quiet cove will provide an excellent first night away from the dock. The crystal-clear water in the bay is excellent for swimming, paddling, and snorkeling. There are great places to snorkel in the area of a reef like at the large rock formations near the entrance of the cove called the Indians. Don’t forget to be on the lookout for the sea turtles! We have seen a spotted eagle ray jump in the bay once! 

We would recommend getting lunch at famous Willy T’s, a floating boat turned restaurant named after William Thornton who designed the US Capitol building. The food is good, the drinks are strong, the parties are hard, and you absolutely must take the famous jump off the back of the boat!

For dinner, we love going ashore to visit Pirates Bight for a fabulous dinner and great cocktails. They also have a little place to shop or relax on the beach to watch the sunset over the island. 

Day 2

After a peaceful night in the cove of Norman Island, take your dinghy (or the yacht) over to The Caves on the outside of the bay. You can snorkel into these caves and pick up a National Park buoy to enjoy the wonders of the coral reef and its colorful inhabitants (don’t forget to look for treasure!). We have seen stingrays, octopuses, crabs, squids, many different kinds of fish, and all sorts of coral!

If you are interested in scuba diving or are up for snorkeling adventure, stop at Salt Island to see the breathtakingly massive shipwreck of the RMS Rhone.

Enjoy a leisurely sail to Cooper Island and arrive early enough to pick up an overnight mooring buoy. There is time for more snorkeling off Cistern Point, or lounging on the beach while sipping rum cocktails made on the island at the Cooper Island Rum Distillery. The grass off of Cooper Island is famous for housing sea turtles. Be on the lookout for goats on the rocks of Cooper Island too! Make sure you save time to visit Cooper Island Beach Club where there is a lovely boutique, coffee shop, ice cream shop, wonderful places for lunch, dinners, cocktails, and is another favorite spot to watch the sun disappear on the horizon!

​Day 3

From Cooper Island, we suggest getting up early to sail to Virgin Gorda to pick up a National Park buoy. This is a great place to spend the morning and have lunch. Go on in to visit the Baths, an incredible natural formation of boulders. There are delightful pools of water and fun rocks to climb and explore. This special area has been called one of the most beautiful places on Earth and is a must-see experience. 

There are multiple excellent lunch locations in the area before heading back to the yacht. After lunch, sail to Trellis Bay or Marina Cay to spend the night. Trellis Bay has full moon parties every month that you do not want to miss!

Day 4

From Trellis Bay, we like to head to North Sound, Virgin Gorda. En Route, we like to stop for snorkeling at the Dogs or Mountain Point. North Sound is the north side of Virgin Gorda. If you have rented a yacht bareboat, be careful of the reefs when entering the bay. Within North Sound, we like to get a mooring buoy at Leverick Bay where there is a marina facility, a good grocery store, and fine dining in their upstairs restaurant. In high season, Michael Beans provides great entertainment for all the family. You could also pick up a buoy off Prickly Pear Island across the cove from Leverick and dine on board to enjoy the peaceful and beautiful surroundings.

In the afternoon, we love hanging out at Bitter End Yacht Club where there are shops, lots of relaxing areas, sports to watch, drinks to sip, and even water sports equipment to rent! It also offers music most nights – here you can re-provision your boat, visit the shops, rent a Hobie Cat, learn to windsurf, there are lots to do. The new restaurant boasts ‘farm and sea to table’ ingredients. They also have a new open kitchen pizza and wine concept in the Village.

You can also take a taxi from Gun Creek or Leverick Bay to Hog Heaven, which serves the most amazing pulled pork creations (and lots of other tasty dishes) and the view of North Sound will take your breath away! One of our favorite things to do is have dinner at Saba Rock Resort and Restaurant is an incredibly special experience, this restaurant is its island and there is nothing quite like it. 

​Day 5

The staff at Horizon Yacht Charters know North Sound well and always recommend spending extra time there. Spend the morning exploring by dinghy; There are many beautiful, deserted beaches and Eustatia Reef is a wonderful snorkeling site. 

Another option is the luxurious Nova Restaurant and dipping pool at Oil Nut Bays Marina Village in Deep Bay. It offers wonderful lunches and dinners at reasonable prices, motor through the well-marked channel between Saba Rock and the Bitter End to Deep Bay, and pick up a mooring or anchor.  Remember to call ahead to make your booking. This is a great place to learn to kiteboard – ask us for the inside scoop on this exciting sport.  A resort fee is applicable for full use at the Oil Nut Bay resort itself, which is only accessible by dinghy or golf cart further up the coast – there is a beautiful pool complex and beach to accompany your lunch or dinner experience.

Or, if for day 5 you are ready to move on, set sail for Monkey Point on Guana Island in time for lunch and some more snorkeling. Then head down the rugged and unspoiled North shore of Tortola and overnight in either Little Harbour or Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke. A good place to sample the local lobster!

Day 6

We love spending day 6 sailing over to Sandy Cay at Jost Van Dyke – the perfect desert islands! Snorkel, swim and beach comb, then enjoy lunch at the famous Foxy’s Bar and Restaurant or BLine on Little Jost. We then set sail to Cane Garden Bay for an overnight stop. Enjoy a great BBQ chicken, conch fritters, and ribs dinner at one of the restaurants on the beach and then dance ’till the early hours! Another excellent option is enjoying the perfectly white beach and stunning waters of White Bay on Jost Van Dyke. But you can’t leave without trying a painkiller from Soggy Dollar Bar and Restaurant. 

Day 7

There is time for one more swim then back to Nanny Cay Marina and Horizon Yacht Charters, ensuring you have enough time to complete the check-in procedure at our dock. Your flights will be reconfirmed, your taxi already booked and soon you’ll be on your way home, already planning your return!

But no need to be sad to go home just yet! Enjoy the shopping and dining experiences at Nanny Cay Marina. We love getting dinner at Peg Leg’s with our toes in the sand! 

If there is time before leaving the next morning, we love betting breakfast at Omar’s which opens at 7 AM every day of the week.

Ready to Book the Perfect Trip?

Are you ready to experience this incredible place? We would love to help you plan the perfect trip with our British Virgin Island Itinerary! If you would like to do some planning, ask us to send you the latest edition of the Cruising Guide to the Virgin Islands. This invaluable book shows aerial photos of all the anchorages, tells you about the restaurant and shore-side facilities, and has many other useful tips and information. It also contains a fold-out chart so that you can log your trip and keep it as a souvenir. 

Reach out to us if you have questions or are ready to get your trip on the calendar! We are currently offering 35% off!