- Where
- Caribbean, about 15 miles north of Virgin Gorda
British Virgin Islands - Coordinates
- 18.73° N
64.33° W - Area
- About 38 km²
highest point about 28 ft - People
- 450 (2024 census)
- Protected
- Western salt ponds: Ramsar site, 1999
- Getting there
- Ferry from Road Town, Tortola
a few days a week; or a small plane - Best visited
- December to May
The island sat so flat in the water that at first it was only a row of trees standing on the water. Then came white beaches, miles of them, with shallow water of every possible blue over the reef. Inland, in still ponds, a line of tall pink birds stood each on one leg, being elegant about it. I tried one leg too, and did not last.
The short answer
Anegada is the northernmost of the British Virgin Islands, about 15 miles north of Virgin Gorda, and the only inhabited island of the territory formed from coral and limestone rather than volcanic rock, Wikipedia records. It is flat and low, its highest point only about 28 feet above the sea, which gave it its name, from the Spanish tierra anegada, “flooded land”. At about 38 square kilometres it is the second-largest island of the territory, but had only 450 people at the 2024 census, most in its one village, The Settlement. Tourism and fishing are its main work; local fishermen supply much of the territory’s fresh fish and lobster.
Why it's worth knowing
A reef that wrecks ships. Horseshoe Reef, about 18 miles long, runs south-east from Anegada and is one of the Caribbean’s largest barrier reefs. It makes the approach so difficult that charter companies often forbid clients to sail there, and it has caused hundreds of shipwrecks, among them HMS Astraea in 1808, the Donna Paula in 1819 and the MS Rocus in 1929, Wikipedia records. Anchoring on the reef is now illegal. In hurricanes it has shielded the island’s north side from breaking waves: when Irma’s eye passed 12 miles south in September 2017, the south side flooded but the north did not.
Flamingos and iguanas. The large salt ponds of the west end were designated a Ramsar wetland on 11 May 1999. Thousands of Caribbean flamingos lived there in the 1830s, but they were hunted for food and feathers and gone by 1950; they have since been re-established, and the flock numbered about 200 in 2016, Wikipedia records. The island is also the only home of the Anegada rock iguana, Cyclura pinguis. Feral cats prey on the young, so a head-start facility run with the Fort Worth Zoo in The Settlement raises hatchlings until they can defend themselves; more than 200 had been released by 2016.
The field notes
Conch and lobster
The reef off The Settlement was once one of the Caribbean’s richer conch grounds, but overfishing has wiped out its conch, and visitors are greeted by mounds of empty conch shells on the shore, Wikipedia records. Lobster now matters more: the island holds a lobster festival each November, the Caribbean Journal reports, and the deep water off the North Drop is fished for lobster, conch and many kinds of fish.
A flat island in the wind
Anegadians traditionally rode out hurricanes by tying their dories to mangrove trunks and covering them with tarpaulins; today a few leave for Tortola when there is warning, Wikipedia records. In August 2010 Hurricane Earl passed 15 to 20 miles north at Category 4, flooding the south side; no serious injuries were reported then or in Irma. In December 2025 the territory commissioned a hybrid renewable-energy and battery storage system for the island, the BVI government announced.
Anegada from an airliner window, December 2011: a low coral island inside its ring of reef.
Photograph: David Broad · Flying past Anegada island in the BVI chain - panoramio · CC BY 3.0 · cropped
The low, scrubby shoreline of Loblolly Bay.
Photograph: Cayeldo · Loblolly Bay on Anegada - panoramio · CC BY-SA 3.0 · cropped
The westernmost palm on Anegada, leaning over the shallows, May 2008.
Photograph: ScubaBear68 · Anegada west end · CC BY 2.0 · cropped
- Learn which days the boat sails before planning a single other thing. Then plan very little.
- Add the flamingos to the list from a long way off. The list does not need them any closer, and neither do they.
- Stay far back from the ponds where they feed. The island is working hard to give them room.
- Do not sail a boat of your own across the reef without someone born here at the helm.
- Walk the north beach toward sunset, when it belongs to you and the crabs.
The western salt ponds. The broad, shallow salt ponds that cover much of Anegada’s west end, a Ramsar wetland since 11 May 1999, where Caribbean flamingos, hunted out by 1950, feed again, and where BirdLife International recognises an Important Bird Area. They are seen from the shore and the roadside, from a distance that leaves the flamingos in peace.
Tally, in the marginI took the ponds for puddles the sea forgot. Then the whole pink line of birds lifted off them at once, and I revised my opinion of puddles entirely.
Getting there
How to get there. From Tortola. Ferries from Road Town run a few days a week, on a schedule shared between Road Town Fast Ferry and Smith’s Ferry Services, the crossing taking from about 50 minutes to an hour and a half, BVI press and ferry sites report; some sailings call at Virgin Gorda. Small planes fly to Anegada’s Auguste George Airport, with charters from Tortola, Virgin Gorda, St Thomas and San Juan, Wikipedia records. Sailing in on your own boat means crossing the reef: charter companies often forbid it.
When to go. December to May, outside the Atlantic hurricane season of June to November; the State Department notes that the territory regularly experiences hurricanes. The lobster festival is in late November.
What to arrange ahead. The ferry on its days, or a flight; a bed on the island, which has few; and transport on the island, which is long and flat. Residents told the press in March 2026 that cash machines were a problem, so bring cash.
Safety and medical care. The State Department has the British Virgin Islands at Level 1, exercise normal precautions (advisory dated 22 May 2026 in its feed, read 5 October 2026), noting hurricanes. In May 2026 the territory’s health minister said that health services on Anegada did not meet expectations, the government reported; serious care means a journey to Tortola. The other hazards are the place’s own: sun, the reef, and storms in season.
Mark this place
Common questions
Where is Anegada?
Anegada is the northernmost of the British Virgin Islands, in the Caribbean about 15 miles north of Virgin Gorda. It covers about 38 square kilometres and had 450 people at the 2024 census, most in The Settlement, its only village.
Why is Anegada flat?
Anegada is the only inhabited British Virgin Island formed of coral and limestone rather than volcanic rock, so it is flat and low, its highest point about 28 feet above sea level. Its name comes from the Spanish tierra anegada, flooded land.
What is Horseshoe Reef?
Horseshoe Reef is the barrier reef, about 18 miles long, that runs south-east from Anegada, one of the largest in the Caribbean. It has caused hundreds of shipwrecks, including HMS Astraea in 1808, and anchoring on it is illegal.
Are there flamingos on Anegada?
Yes. Caribbean flamingos, hunted out of Anegada’s salt ponds by 1950, have been re-established there, and the flock numbered about 200 in 2016, according to Wikipedia. The western salt ponds have been a Ramsar wetland since 11 May 1999.
What is the Anegada rock iguana?
The Anegada rock iguana, Cyclura pinguis, lives only on Anegada. Because feral cats prey on the young, a head-start facility run with the Fort Worth Zoo raises hatchlings in The Settlement before releasing them; more than 200 had been released by 2016.
How do you get to Anegada?
By ferry from Road Town, Tortola, a few days a week, a crossing of about 50 minutes to an hour and a half, or by small plane to Auguste George Airport. Charter companies often forbid yachts from sailing there because of Horseshoe Reef.
How did hurricanes affect Anegada?
Hurricane Earl passed 15 to 20 miles north of Anegada in August 2010 and Irma’s eye 12 miles south in September 2017, both causing major damage and flooding on the south side; Horseshoe Reef protected the north side from breaking waves, and no serious injuries were reported.
Is there medical care on Anegada?
Only limited care. In May 2026 the British Virgin Islands’ health minister said that health services on Anegada did not meet expectations, the territory’s government reported; serious medical care means travelling to Tortola.