It's endowed with Caribbean charm, beautiful beaches and dramatic mountain peaks.
We'll debark in the BVI's capital city, Road Town, which is built around a deep U-shaped harbor fringed with hotels, restaurants, marinas and a number of quaint West Indian shops where native crafts can be purchased.
Situated on a small bluff overlooking the harbor is the residence of the BVI's British Governor and the stately Old Government House Museum.
The island's north shore contains several beautiful white sand beaches. Ridge Road runs along Tortola's spine and offers breathtaking panoramic views of the surrounding Caribbean Sea and many of the other islands in the BVI chain. Local homes dot the ridge, many built in traditional West Indian fashion with large verandahs, colorful hip roofs and gingerbread trim.
Scattered along the island's steep hillsides are banana groves. The ruins of plantation era buildings can also be seen throughout the island, remnants from the 18th and 19th century when sugar and rum were the basis of the islands' economy.
A contrast of the old and the new, the rural and the urban, Tortola is a place where a farmer can be seen riding a donkey to his vegetable plot and a cyber cafe is just around the corner.
As usual, as in all our stops, you can sign up for leisurely shore excursion trips to tour the island, the mountains, the beaches and the countryside areas.
You'll find brochures outlining shore excursions for all the islands we're visiting inside your cabin upon embarkation in Ft. Lauderdale.
Leni