The most remote of the British Virgins, Anegada is the second-largest island in the B.V.I. chain. Yet is has a population of about 250, none of whom has found the legendary treasure from the more than 500 wrecks lying off notorious Horseshoe Reef. This is a remote little corner of the Caribbean: Don’t expect a single frill, and be prepared to put up with a few minor hardships, such as mosquitoes.‘
Located 30 miles east of Tortola and 15 miles north of Virgin Gorda, Anegada is different from the other British Virgins in many ways. First of all, in contrast to the voluptuous volcanic topography of the other islands, Anegada is a flat coral-and-limestone atoll. Its highest point only reaches 8m (26 ft.), and when you’re sailing to it, it hardly appears on the horizon. (Its Spanish name doesn’t mean “drowned island” for nothing.) At the northern and western ends of the island are some lyrical white-sand beaches, the main reason for coming here. Second, most of the island is reserved for birds and other wildlife. The B.V.I. National Parks Trust has established a flamingo colony here (they flock to the old salt ponds), and it’s also the protected home of several varieties of heron, ospreys, and terns. The Trust has also designated much of the interior of the island as a preserved habitat for Anegada’s animal population of some 2,000 wild goats, donkeys, and cattle.
Anegada is a fishing paradise and the lobster capital of the B.V.I., celebrating its famous catch yearly with the Anegada Lobster Festival in November. Anegada is a low key, friendly, unspoiled place to kick back and relax to the retro rhythms of the Caribbean. Come here for tranquility, not for posh pampering. But come soon: Ever so slowly, the modern world is coming to Anegada.
