LJ user naz-saparova writes on her blog: Great discoverer Christopher Columbus was at sea for a very long time on his ship Maria Galante in search of new lands for the Spanish crown and new discoveries for humanity. He was sick, tired and really needed care and affection. He began to see women everywhere. So in November 1493, while plowing the expanses of the Caribbean Sea, he saw a lazily reclining curvy woman on the horizon. "Virgin gorda!" - Columbus rejoiced, putting on his ceremonial uniform. Coming closer, Khristoforushka discovered only a beautiful island, with its huge round granite boulders clustered on the shore, resembling a female silhouette. Having not slurped saltily, Columbus sailed on, and the island received the name Virgin Gorda - Fat Virgin.
1. An archipelago in the Caribbean of 60 stunning islands with white beaches, secret caves, turquoise water and emerald forests is now called the Virgin Islands.
2. But in Russian they are called Virgin Islands, which is not entirely reliable, as the whole meaning of the name of these paradise islands is lost. They are truly virgin - and the idyll of pristine nature has been preserved to this day.
3.The Virgin Islands are divided by affiliation: British and American. Today I invite you to plunge with me into the fabulous atmosphere of the British Virgin Islands. It is an overseas dependent territory of Great Britain: local residents are British citizens, but the local currency is the US dollar. We will visit Tortola and that Fat Virgin - Virgin Gorda.
4. Tortola is not much different from an ordinary Caribbean island - the same colored houses, many kilometers long snow-white beaches, palm trees, leisurely life. Ordinary paradise. Relaxing under a gentle breeze, on gentle white sands with a rolling turquoise wave, in the company of friendly islanders and nimble iguanas, it is difficult to imagine that this is where smugglers hid and formidable pirates lurked and raided rich merchant ships. Dangerous islands have turned into places of comfort and safe holiday. Crime rates are the lowest in the Western Hemisphere, and violent crime is virtually uncommon.
9. Reuters published a list of the best Caribbean Islands, not affected by the influx of travelers. Second place went to the beautiful green island of Virgin Gorda, which can only be reached by water. Ready? Then - all aboard!
13.Welcome to Virgin Gorda!
14. The island stretches out as a strip of land between two manifestations of one element: raging Atlantic Ocean on the one hand and the smooth surface of the Caribbean Sea on the other. And the island itself is not uniform. Its northeast was born of an underwater volcano, the rocky slopes of which have formed numerous ledges, reefs, capes, peninsulas protruding far into the sea.
15. We will take a walk with you national park The Baths, which it got its name from because of the numerous pools hidden in the caves. This is a very unique natural structure. Huge boulders are piled on top of each other on snow-white sand framed by spreading palm trees and form entire labyrinths of secluded caves, grottoes, and tunnels. The high tide from the Caribbean Sea floods the holes and ravines - this is how all these mysterious pools of sea water are formed. Hundreds of giant boulders and rocks have been eroded by water and rain, which is why the slopes are smooth. In such labyrinths you can wander for hours, swim, climb and discover more and more hidden places.
28.You can wander through the caves for hours; in some places it becomes completely dark, chilly and scary.
31.But here the stones part and you can see the bright horizon of the sea and clouds.
39. Life on the islands is calm and serene, so here you can spend hours wandering along the countless beaches, admiring the picturesque landscapes.
But you can not only splash in the water and sunbathe in the sun on these paradise islands - the British Virgin Islands are number one among all the famous offshores and tax havens in the world. The number of registered companies on the islands has exceeded 700 thousand, while the population of the islands is only about 30 thousand people. It turns out that for every resident there are 23 companies.
This offshore jurisdiction is currently one of the most frequently used by Russian entrepreneurs. Companies registered in the British Virgin Islands are not subject to taxation, and companies are not required to file annual returns. Information about the company's shareholders and beneficiaries is protected by law, and a closed register of shareholders and directors is maintained. In this case, this information can be disclosed only by court decision.
That's why among Russian companies who do not hide the fact that they are real giants conducting their business through offshore companies in the British Virgin Islands Russian business: Alfa Group of Mikhail Fridman and Peter Aven (Alfa Bank, Alfa Insurance, TNK-BP, Megafon, VimpelCom, Pyaterochka retail chain) is registered with companies from Gibraltar, Luxembourg, British Virgin Islands and the Netherlands. Oleg Deripaska’s “Basic Element” (RUSAL, GAZ Group, Ingosstrakh) is registered to a company from the island of Jersey, which, in turn, belongs to a company from the British Virgin Islands, Sergei Polonsky’s “Mirax Group” is registered to Dutch and Virginia offshore companies. Offshore jurisdictions can support the shadow economy as part of the money laundering process. This is such a successful combination of business and leisure - the islands attract attention with their reliability and stability, high level of financial and environmental security.
But let’s not talk more about the economy, we are not going to the British Virgin Islands to launder money, but to get to know new places. Next time we will visit the US Virgin Islands.
British Virgin Islands consist of 36 islands and are located nearby in the Caribbean Sea.
The largest island is Tortola, where the capital city of Road Town is also located. British Virgin Islands or officially just the Virgin Islands - British overseas territory, located in the Caribbean Sea east of Puerto Rico, part of the Virgin Islands archipelago. The prefix British Isles is used today so that people do not confuse the British Isles with the American ones; if they talk about the Virgin Islands, then by default they mean the British part. American Islands formerly called the Danish West Indies. All laws of the British Virgin Islands today, as in former colonial times, begin with the words Virgin Islands without mentioning Britain, and it is also strongly encouraged that the British Isles be called simply the Virgin Islands. The British Virgin Islands include 50 small and three large Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada and Jost Van Dyke, only 15 islands have a permanent population.
Climate in the British Virgin Islands
The climate is tropical with the influence of trade winds. Annual temperatures are about 25 degrees, in summer about 28 degrees during the day, in winter 23 degrees. The rainy season is from September to December, from July to October, tourists will be able to watch the passage of typhoons on the islands. The best time to go on holiday to the Virgin Islands is from December to April.
Population of the British Virgin Islands
Since 2002, the entire population of the British Virgin Islands has full British citizenship, while the islands are not part of the European Union, but citizens of the islands are also citizens of the European Union.
The British Virgin Islands are home to 25,000 people, 82% black, 6.8% white, 11.2% mulatto and other races. Blacks usually live in cities, while the white population lives in luxurious buildings on the hills.
It's unusual in the British Virgin Islands high level literacy rate for the Caribbean region is 98%.
37% of the island's residents were born here, many of them move to live in the USA, especially young people who go abroad higher education and never returns to the islands. 7.2% of the population is from Guyana, 7.0% from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 6.0% from Jamaica, 5.5% from the United States, 5.4% from the Dominican Republic, 5.3% from the US Virgin Islands, 4% Hispanic population origin regardless of race, primarily from Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic.
Religion in the British Virgin Islands
The majority of the population are Christians, among them 84%, Catholics 10%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, others 2%, atheists 2%.
History of the British Virgin Islands
In 100 BC, the Arawaks tribe settled in the British Virgin Islands, who sailed here from South America However, today artifacts have been found that confirm that people lived on the islands back in 1500 BC. The Arawaks inhabited the islands until the 15th century AD, when they were driven out by the aggressive Carib tribes, after whom the Caribbean Sea is named. The British Virgin Islands were discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493 during his second voyage to America. Christopher named the islands Santa Ursula and her thousand virgins - Santa Ursula y las Once Mil Vírgenes (Saint Ursula and her 11,000 Virgins). For some reason, the Spaniards did not want to start their own colony here, but soon colonists from Fraternity, France, the Netherlands, and Denmark began to appear here. The Indians tried to hide from the Europeans on the island of Santa Cruz, but they were destroyed there too. The first Dutch settlement appeared on the island of Tortola in 1648. In 1672, the British drove out the Dutch, and in the same year the Danes received their colony on the nearby islands of St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix. The islands were profitable for Britain until the mid-19th century, until slavery was abolished and sugar beet production began in Europe, and hurricanes that periodically flew over the Virgin Islands greatly interfered with agriculture.
A huge number of slaves brought from Africa to work on sugar plantations today became the main population of the British Virgin Islands. In 1917, the United States bought three neighboring large islands from Denmark: St. Thomas, St. Coors and St. John's Island for $25 million, thus forming the US Virgin Islands. The British Virgin Islands were first part of the British Leeward Islands and St. Kitts and Nevis, in 1960 the British Virgin Islands received separate colony status, since that time the economy of the islands relied more on tourism and the financial sector than on agriculture, which benefited as today the islands are the most prosperous region of the Caribbean.
Geography and nature of the British Virgin Islands
The British Virgin Islands are approximately 60 tropical islands in the Caribbean, the largest of which is Tortola, 20 kilometers long and 5 kilometers wide. Almost all the islands are of volcanic origin with high hills and mountains. Some exceptions to the rule are Anegada Island, which is a coral island. There are no rivers or lakes in the British Virgin Islands; today, as before, the main source fresh water is rainwater, which is collected even from the roofs of houses; desalination plants are also used. The highest point is on the island of Tortola at 530 meters, on the island of Anegada the highest point is 8 meters. Vegetable world islands are trees and shrubs, animal world completely destroyed by man.
In addition to the above islands, the British Virgin Islands include Beef Island or Beef Island, where the main international Airport state, it is connected by a bridge to the island of Tortola, nearby is Cooper Island, Ginger, Great Kamanoe, Great Straw, Little Moloma - the property of John and Jill Maynard, Mosquito Island - the property of Richard Branson, by the way, he also owns Necker Island. Norman Island belongs to Henry Jarecki, and the Van Andel family owns Peter Island. Leads to the island of Tortola highway from Frenchman's Key and Nanny Cay. Also included in the Virgin Islands are Prickly Pear Island, Salt Island, Eustatia, Saba Rock, Sandy Cay, Scrub Island, Sandbar, Green Cay, Little Jost Van Dyke, Great Tobago, Little Tobago and the Dog Islands. You might be interested in the appearance of such unusual name, the fact is that the discoverers of the Virgin Islands, moored to this small group of islands, heard the barking of a dog, but in fact they heard the voices of seals. Dog Island is located 10 kilometers from Tortola. The Dog Islands are uninhabited and are of volcanic origin. Here stands out the Great Dog Island with an area of 40 hectares and a dozen other small islands, the largest of them western island Dogs on 11 hectares. The waters around the Isles of Dogs are popular place for diving.
Safety and crime in the British Virgin Islands
The British Virgin Islands, like the American Islands, have very low crime, this is especially noticeable in comparison with other islands of the Caribbean region. At the same time, the few crimes that are committed today are decreasing year by year. Murders are very rare on the islands; the last such case occurred in 2013 and was associated with drug smuggling into the United States. Foreign tourists are completely safe here, however, there is a large social stratification on the islands between the black minority, who live very modestly, and the millionaire white owners of high houses in the mountains, as well as individual islands. In 2011, a group of local residents were arrested on the islands and were suspected of drug smuggling.
Visas to the British Virgin Islands
Beaches
One of the main causes of death in the British Virgin Islands is drowning, this is more than 20% of all deaths, which is a very high rate even among neighboring island states, all the drowned people were tourists, but there is still no rescue service on the main beaches of the islands, so we recommend being extremely careful on the beach, swimming only in permitted places and not swimming to depths, which carries the danger of being carried away by the current.
Economy of the British Virgin Islands
The British Virgin Islands are visited by up to one million annually foreign tourists annually, most of them from the USA and Canada.
The British Virgin Islands are a famous offshore territory; according to some data, 40% of the world's offshore companies are registered here, but we doubt it. The islands are attractive because there is no income tax for legal entities, no VAT, no sales tax. The cost of registering and maintaining a company is very low here, there is no minimum established amount of authorized capital, however, such an advantage as confidentiality has disappeared in the last couple of years, since a single open register of owners has appeared.
Since the 1960s, the economy has been dominated by tourism and financial services, agriculture has faded into the background, however, sugar cane is still grown here for the needs of rum production, vegetables and exotic fruits are grown, and fishing is carried out. The industry is represented by the production of clothing and rum, construction is actively underway using imported materials.
Sights of the Virgin Islands
It is interesting that in addition to being a paradise tourism site, the British Virgin Islands are a stable offshore zone, but let’s look at the islands from the point of view of an ordinary traveler. The islands boast sheltered bays with magnificent beaches and a rich underwater world, coral reefs, and unforgettable sailing, surfing, diving and hiking in the mountains and valleys.
The island of Tortola is the largest, it is divided into two halves by a mountain range extinct volcano, most of the beaches are still located on the north side, but the south side is more picturesque. On south coast the capital city of Road Town is located in Rhode Bay, the main street Main Street runs along a narrow section between the mountain and the coast, where all the city's entertainment in the form of restaurants and tourist shops is located. Fort Carlotte and Fort George stand out in the landscape; travelers can take a walk in the O'Neil Botanical Garden and Queen Elizabeth II Park on the shores of Rhode Harbor.
Resort beaches located in the east of the island, and this is Fat Hogs Bay, Trellis Bay, many tourists prefer to stay in the north of the island in Smugler's Cove, in Cane Garden Bay, those who prefer windsurfing can be advised to stay at Capons Bay or Long Bay, the largest beach is also nearby Elizabeth Beach.
Vladimir Dergachev
American Virgin Islands (AVO) are located 60 km east of Puerto Rico. The islands of St. Thomas, St. John's and St. Croix stand out. AVOs have the status of an unincorporated organized territory of the United States, in other words, an American colony. They are part of the Virgin Islands, which also includes the British Virgin Islands.
The population of the AVO is 106.4 thousand people (2010). Residents have the status of citizens of the United States.
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The Virgin Islands were discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493. The islands were successively owned by Great Britain, Spain, France and the Order of Malta. Denmark subsequently took possession of the island of St. Thomas, captured the island of St. John's and bought the island of St. Croix from France. However, local sugar cane plantations, with the exception of Santa Cruz Island, did not generate income, so the trade in slaves and rum flourished. The port of St. Thomas became a base for Caribbean pirates. After the decline of the slave trade and sugar production, the Danish West India Company sold the islands to the United States in 1917 for $25 million, which was equal to six months of the Danish state's budget.
The Russian Empire also considered purchasing St. John's Island for a naval base, and Russian warships visited the local harbor. But, probably, in St. Petersburg they thought for a long time, unlike the Americans.
The world's oldest Knights of Malta, the Order of the Roman Catholic Church, left its mark on the history of the West Indies. In 1651, the Hospitallers acquired several islands, including the island of St. Martin, and later received private ownership of the island of St. Croix. But in 1665, the Order sold its holdings to the French West India Company.
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The US Virgin Islands consists of three counties: Santa Cruz (50.6 thousand inhabitants) with the administrative center of Christiansted County, Mente Thomas (51.6 thousand inhabitants) with the administrative center of the ownership of Charlotte Amalie, and St. John's ( 4.2 thousand inhabitants).
The population is 76% black and 13% white. The language is predominantly English (75%). Baptists (42%) and Catholics (34%) predominate. The average life expectancy under the tropical sun is 82 years for women and 76 years for men.
President of the AVO Barak Obmana, head of the executive branch - governor. Three parties are vying for a seat in the Senate.
The basis of the territory's economy is tourism (80% of GDP), income exceeds over $600 million. More than 2 million tourists visit AVO annually. St. Thomas and its beaches are included in the world TOP 10 most beautiful islands and beaches of the world. The island is one of the top tropical resorts in the United States where Americans escape the winter.
Information about the main disadvantage of Caribbean cruises. Many tourists go to the West Indies to come face to face with pristine nature. But when two or three moors to the island every day cruise superliner, local beaches are turning into overpopulated ghettos or psychodromes.
On the island of Santa Cruz was located one of the largest oil refineries in the Western Hemisphere of the American company Amerada Hess, with a capacity of 23 million tons per year. The refinery operated on Venezuelan oil. Despite Hugo Chavez's confrontation with the United States, Venezuela sold oil to the United States. An agreement was reached with American President Bill Clinton on a price corridor for Venezuelan oil. Subsequently, a law was passed requiring transnational corporations to keep 30% of profits from oil sales (instead of 16%). By 2007, the nationalization of oil companies was completed.
Losses of the joint venture of the American corporation Hess and the state oil company of Venezuela (Hovensa company) amounted to $1.3 billion. This was caused by the nationalization of American oil companies in Venezuela, as well as a reduction in demand due to the global crisis and an increase in production volumes in emerging markets. The refinery is being converted into a storage tank for petroleum products.
US Virgin Islands- a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea, 60 km east of Puerto Rico; autonomous territory of the United States. The largest islands are St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix. There are also many small islands. Area - 344 km².
The US Virgin Islands are a territory purchased by the United States from Denmark on January 17, 1917 (all formalities were completed on March 31 of the same year). Administered by the US Department of the Interior. Residents are considered citizens of the United States.
Geographically, the US Virgin Islands are part of the Virgin Islands (which also includes the British Virgin Islands).
The islands are hilly ( highest point- 475 m), composed mainly of limestone, there are outcrops of ancient crystalline or volcanic rocks.
The absence of rivers and lakes, as well as the deep occurrence of groundwater, for a long time greatly complicated the problem of water supply, despite quite a large number of precipitation. Rainwater was collected in special tanks. After the construction of desalination plants, this problem was largely solved.
The flora and fauna of the islands have been largely destroyed by people. Remnants of evergreen tropical forest remain mainly on the island of St. John, two-thirds of which is occupied by national park. On the island of St. Thomas there are open forests and bushes on the site of former plantations. The sea waters off the islands are rich in fish, crustaceans and mollusks.
Climate of the US Virgin Islands
Climate in the US Virgin Islands- tropical, trade wind, hot and humid with two dry seasons. The average monthly temperature throughout the year varies slightly - from +22-24 °C in winter to +28-29 °C in summer. Daily temperature changes are also poorly traced.
Precipitation falls up to 1300 mm per year, and there are two dry (winter and summer) and two rainy seasons (spring and autumn). The maximum amount of rain falls between September and November-December, although even then no more than five to six days a month are rainy. In the period from July to October, there is a high probability of tropical hurricanes passing over the territory of the islands, although they are recorded here much less frequently than over the nearby Windward Islands.
The most favorable time to travel to the islands is from mid-December to the end of April, however, the same period is the peak of the tourist season, so prices are much higher than, for example, from May to August, when weather conditions are also excellent for seaside holidays.
Last changes: 05/15/2013Population
Population of the US Virgin Islands- 109.8 thousand people (2010).
Average life expectancy is 76 years for men, 82 years for women.
Ethno-racial composition: blacks 76.2%, whites 13.1%, mulattoes 3.5%, Asians 1.1%, other 6.1% (according to the 2000 census).
Religions: Baptists 42%, Catholics 34%, Episcopalians 17%, other 7%.
Official language- English. Also popular are Spanish or Spanish-Creole 16.8%, French or Franco-Creole 6.6%, other 1.9%.
Last changes: 05/15/2013About money
Currency unit US Virgin Islands: US dollar ($ or USD), there are 100 cents in 1 dollar. In circulation there are bills in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 dollars, coins - penny (1 cent), nickel (5 cents), dime (10 cents), quarter (25 cents), half dollar (50 cents) and 1 dollar.
Banks are usually open from Monday to Thursday, from 09.00 to 14.30, on Fridays - 09.00 to 14.00 and from 15.30 to 17.00.
Foreign currency can be exchanged at banks and specialized exchange bureaus. There are branches of almost all major international banking systems on the islands.
Credit cards are widely accepted on the larger islands, but can be difficult to use on smaller islands. Travel checks can be cashed at almost any bank office. To avoid additional costs associated with exchange rate fluctuations, it is recommended to bring checks in US dollars.
Last changes: 05/15/2013Communications
Telephone code: 1 - 340
Internet domain: .vi
Telephone codes cities
No area codes are used.
How to call
To call from Russia to the US Virgin Islands, you need to dial: 8 - dial tone - 10 - 1 - 340 - subscriber number.
To call from the US Virgin Islands to Russia, you need to dial: 011 - 7 - area code - subscriber number.
Landline communications
All payphones on the islands are included in the general telephone system of the United States and operate on telephone cards, which are sold in post offices, newsstands and tobacco kiosks. Almost all payphones have direct access to international automatic telephone communication and some of them accept ATT cards and credit cards for international calls.
cellular
System cellular communications in the US Virgin Islands is excellently developed and united into a single network with US operators.
Internet
The Internet on the islands is developing at a rapid pace - almost all telephone and cellular companies provide their customers with Internet access. Internet cafes are concentrated in large populated areas and in resort areas.
Last changes: 05/15/2013Shopping
Shops are usually open from Monday to Saturday, from 09.00 to 17.00, but on Thursday many of them close quite early - usually around 15.00-16.00. Many large retail outlets are usually open on Sundays, from 10.00 to 17.00; shops in the port also often open their doors on Sunday, but only during the parking period cruise ships. It is not customary to bargain in local retail establishments, but in markets it is possible and necessary.
Popular souvenirs: rum, jewelry, paintings (there are many art galleries on St. Croix).
Last changes: 05/15/2013Where to stay
Cost of living in local hotels quite high compared to many countries in the Caribbean region.
Last changes: 08/19/2010Sea and beaches
The islands attract many beach lovers with their clean beaches of white fine sand.
Almost all beaches are open to the public, only the territories of private property and some large resort complexes have limited entry (permit required).
Some local beaches are natural breeding grounds for endangered sea turtles, so most are protected and access to such areas is limited certain time prohibited.
Last changes: 05/15/2013Story
The Virgin Islands were discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493.
In 1625, English and French colonists settled on the islands and took up agriculture. Then the islands were successively owned by England, Spain, France and the Order of Malta.
In 1666, Denmark took possession of the island of St. Thomas, which soon captured the island of St. John, and in 1733 Denmark bought the island of St. Croix from France. The Danes tried to establish a plantation economy on St. Thomas, but it was not successful due to the low fertility of the land, and the island became one of the centers of trade in rum and slaves. The port of St. Thomas became a base for pirates. St. Croix had more fertile land, and after the transition to Denmark, about 200 sugar cane plantations were established there.
However, by the beginning of the 20th century, sugar production on St. Croix fell into decline and the islands of the Danish West Indies were sold to the United States in 1917 for $25 million.
Last changes: 05/15/2013Helpful information
The most favorable time to travel to the islands is from mid-December to mid-May, however, the same period is the peak of the tourist season, so prices are much higher than, for example, from May to August, when weather conditions are also excellent for seaside holidays. An additional argument in favor of visiting the islands in summer is the significantly greater transparency sea water at this time, which provides the best conditions for diving.
Local tap water is chlorinated and safe to drink, but bottled water is still recommended.
Fishing of any marine organisms (including lifting to the surface and even collecting beached shells and corals) in the waters of the US Virgin Islands is prohibited, as is the use of harpoon weapons for spearfishing (a license is required). Sport fishing is possible only with the permission of regional authorities (usually included in the package of licenses provided by the fishing tour organizer). It is prohibited to moor vessels and boats in protected areas managed by the National Parks Foundation. Raising to the surface of any objects and things from sunken ships located in the territorial waters of the islands is permitted only with special permission from the government of the country.
Last changes: 05/15/2013How to get there
There are no direct flights from Russia to the US Virgin Islands. The easiest way to get here from Russia is with one transfer to the USA. From American cities (New York, Miami, Boston, Atlanta, Washington and others) there are direct flights to the islands of St. Thomas and St. Croix.
It is quite convenient to fly with Aeroflot + American Airlines: Moscow - New York - St. Thomas. The flight duration from Moscow to New York is about 10 hours, from New York to St. Thomas - 4 hours 10 minutes.
The US Virgin Islands can also be reached via Puerto Rico (64 km away). And from there you can travel by water (ferries or boats) or by air (small planes) to the US Virgin Islands.
The group of islands located in the northeastern Caribbean Sea is designated on the world map as the Virgin Islands. After his memorable journey, H. Columbus marked the Virgin Islands on the map. Now the world map shows that this island group is located east of. Today, these islands are one of the most cozy corners of the world, where both single tourists and families with children flock.
Panoramic view to the British Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands belong to two countries: Great Britain and the USA. Therefore, to visit them, you will need or.
The British Virgin Islands are made up of sixty elements. The most large island considered Tortola.
Location of the Virgin Islands on the world map
As the name suggests, the main ruler in this beautiful corner of the world is one country - Great Britain. It is for this reason that the culture of the inhabitants of these islands reflects many of the customs and traditions of the British.
When to plan a trip
The British Virgin Islands always welcome tourists, but the most attractive time to visit is considered to be the winter-spring off-season. A person who wants to not only swim in the gentle waters of the Caribbean Sea, but also have fun, should come to the Virgin Islands in December - April.
It is important to take into account that this period is considered the real peak of the influx of vacationers, therefore the prices are not democratic.
Detailed map Virgin Islands, showing all islands
So, if you want to save money and relax in a calm environment, then you need to go to the Virgin Islands in May - August.
Attractions
The British Virgin Islands have many interesting natural attractions. The richest in this regard should be called the city of Road Town and the island of Tortola.
The most notable place here is the island of Tortola. Translated from Spanish, the name of the island sounds like “Land of the Turtle Dove.” Tortola is the largest island in this group. The nature of the island is very romantic and picturesque. “Purely English” green hills harmoniously combine with ancient volcanoes, cozy coves and pristine bays. North Tortola is incredibly attractive for a beach holiday.
Hotel on the shore Caribbean Sea in the Virgin Islands
The sand here is surprisingly soft, white and clean. South Tortola is famous for its valleys and somewhat gloomy shores. There are also many luxurious places for a relaxing holiday. The coral sand here is of volcanic origin.
According to tourists coming to the Virgin Islands, a place like Tortola is great for a meditative or romantic getaway.
In Road Town, tourists will be pleased with the abundance of various shops, boutiques and restaurants, where for very little money you can have a good time and buy both souvenirs and clothes.
In the vicinity of the city you can admire the ancient chapel and Thornton Plantation. In Carrot Bay you can find a huge collection of sea shells, among which you can often find the most unusual and bizarre specimens. You can go on an eco-walk at Sage Mountain National Park.
Panoramic view of Sage Mountain National Park
Nutrition
The British Virgin Islands have a fairly rich cuisine, in the truest sense of the word. Here you can find a “potpourri” from a variety of world culinary trends.
You can have a good and inexpensive lunch, while also enjoying excellent service, in any corner of this place. Restaurants and cafes serve both classic and island dishes, which are a crazy but incredibly tasty mixture of Caribbean flavor and European restraint.
Grocery stand in the Virgin Islands
Sports recreation
The British Virgin Islands are also extremely popular among fans of sports recreation. There are many schools of yachting, diving and windsurfing here.
The British Virgin Islands are not only a paradise for fans of active and passive recreation, but also a recognized offshore background. It is here that there is a wide range of international financial services.
Thus, an offshore zone allows you to invest in the economy, accumulate construction savings and protect your assets. 
The offshore background is relevant because in the current, hyper-variable economic conditions, the need for strict control over one’s capital increases. In the British Virgin Islands, a person can be sure that he will be able to save significantly on taxes and maintain his business assets outside his country of residence.
The British Virgin Islands are economically stable. The standard of living here is considered the highest among other countries in this region. The offshore sector ensures an uninterrupted flow of finance into the state treasury. Thanks to this, the unemployment rate here is extremely low.
Against this background, the crime rate is also quite low and there are almost no violent crimes. It is important to note that the British Virgin Islands considers nicotine abuse in public places to be a serious offence.
American dream
The US Virgin Islands were discovered by H. Columbus at the end of the fifteenth century. Over the years, this corner of the world passed to a variety of owners, and only at the dawn of the twentieth century the United States bought the islands.
The US Virgin Islands are rightfully considered a real paradise for tourists of all stripes. You can have a great rest here either in splendid isolation or with your family or noisy company. It is not advisable to visit the Virgin Islands in July - October, since the likelihood of hurricanes is very high.
Natural conditions
The US Virgin Islands boast more than six dozen reefs and diverse islands. The fauna here today is, unfortunately, very poor.
What to visit
The US Virgin Islands are rich in historical and natural attractions. Thus, on the island of St. Thomas, vacationers are attracted by Fort Kristjan. Particular attention here should be paid to Blackburn Castle and the ancient market square. Climb Mount St Peter Greathouse to visit luxurious botanical gardens and distilleries. You can buy many interesting gifts in numerous souvenir shops.
Connoisseurs of marine fauna will probably be interested in visiting Coqui Bay. 
It is there that there is an aquarium with a wide variety of tropical animals. The one who values the most beach holiday, should pay attention to Christiansted, a cozy town that still retains the medieval Danish spirit. Here you can visit the local beaches and enjoy a wonderful holiday.
The Virgin Islands have many real natural pearls. One of these gems is the small island of Buck. It is uninhabited and attracts all lovers of exciting adventures.
