This low-lying island contains many surprises, good and bad.

Little-known Anegada is the second largest of the British Virgin Islands. No volcanic upstart like other impetuous land masses we could name, Anegada is a large coral midden that grew gradually from the ocean floor.

The north coast offers almost 20 miles of white sand beaches, one of the longest unbroken beach walks in the Caribbean. But without any shade or water, you need to come to this part of Anegada properly prepared.

Anegada has always been a sailor's nightmare. It rises only 27 feet above sea level at its highest point and is surrounded for miles by a great fringing reef.

Sailors often piled onto the reef since there was no island on the horizon to alert them to danger.

Over 300 wrecks are known to have crashed onto Anegada Reef since the 1500s.

Divers still find ballast stones and iron debris deposited by the sunken ships.

With a population of about 250, Anegada's tourist facilities are limited to a camp ground, several guest cottages, and one 16-room hotel, the Anegada Reef Hotel.

There are a half dozen places to eat on Anegada, either at the Settlement or at Loblolly Bay on the island's north shore. There is even a gift shop selling locally made pottery and original art.

The animal population includes some 2,000 wild goats, donkeys and cattle, and a small population of the endangered rock iguana.

The iguana, which looks fierce but is quite harmless, grows to a length of 5feet and a weight of up to 20 pounds. The BVI National Parks Trust is planning to create a sanctuary for the Anegada iguanas.

Meanwhile, the Trust has already established a colony of flamingos in a 1,100-acre bird sanctuary on one of Anegada's salt ponds.

The sanctuary is also a protected nesting ground for several varieties of heron as well as ospreys and species of terns that have been spending their summers in the BVI for centuries.

The easiest way to reach Anegada is by small commuter plane.

For a detailed road map of Anegada, click here.

Return to British Virgin Islands Homepage