Tortola and the British Virgin Islands
Almost nobody flies straight in: most visitors reach Tortola through St Thomas, Puerto Rico, Antigua or Sint Maarten and finish the trip by ferry or a short hop into Beef Island, then move between islands by ferry, safari bus, taxi or rented car on the left.
- Researched
- 28 September 2026
- Reviewed
- 29 September 2026
- Ways of moving
- 11, 15 sources
- Not confirmed
- 7
- Fares seen
- 2019
11 ways of moving, each with its rule
We confirmed eight ways of moving to, from or around Tortola: three by water, one by air, one by road, two hired or on demand and one under your own steam, from 15 sources. Three entries are not a service at all but a rule that decides whether travel happens: a permit, a closure, a border, a season or an authority's say-so. Three of them run only on demand or when the seats are full, so there is no timetable to show; the rule is written where the timetable would be. One needs a phone call or a message before you turn up.
The fares were seen in 2019; a fare from an older year is a floor, not a price. Ten fares carry no year, because they could not be confirmed and the field says so. We rate none high confidence, our own judgement of the sources. The entry was checked on 28 September 2026, and ends with seven things we could not confirm.
By water
Native Son / Road Town Fast Ferry / Speedy's – international USVI crossing
Charlotte Amalie and Red Hook (St Thomas, USVI) to Road Town or West End (Tortola)
Ferry terminals at the Road Town waterfront and at Soper's Hole, West End; several competing companies run the same crossing and post separate schedules
- When
- Multiple daily sailings on most days; most companies stop running after about 17:00
- Takes
- About 45–60 minutes
- Fare
- One-way roughly US$25–30 for adults, US$19–25 for children per Wikivoyage; undated, current fares not published on the operator sites checked
SeasonYear-round; hurricane season (June–November) can suspend sailings with little notice. BookingWalk up and buy at the dock booth; some operators offer online booking. Run byNative Son Inc., Road Town Fast Ferry, Speedy's, New Horizon Ferry and others; different companies use different terminals.
Smith's Ferry – inter-island network
Road Town (Tortola) to Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke, Anegada and St Thomas
Road Town ferry terminal on the waterfront; check smithsferry.com or the dock booth for the day's departure board, since routes rotate by day of week
- When
- Several sailings a day to Virgin Gorda and St Thomas; fewer to Jost Van Dyke and Anegada
- Takes
- 20–60 minutes depending on destination
- Fare
- Not published on the operator site as checked; book through fareharbor.com booking widget embedded on smithsferry.com
SeasonYear-round; hurricane season sailings can be cancelled. BookingOnline via the operator's FareHarbor booking widget, or at the dock. Run bySmith's Ferry Services Ltd.
Road Town Fast Ferry – Road Town to Anegada
Road Town, Tortola to Anegada
Road Town Ferry Terminal, Waterfront Drive
- When
- Runs Monday, Wednesday and Friday; described by the operator as a seasonal trip
- Takes
- Not published on the schedule table as checked
- Fare
- Not published on the operator site as checked (schedule and fare tables were placeholders at time of check)
SeasonSeasonal; schedule subject to change without notice. BookingOnline or at the terminal; wheelchair-accessible trolley available with 3 hours' notice. Run byRoad Town Fast Ferry.
Rules, permits and closures
BVI–USVI immigration crossing
Any ferry crossing between the British Virgin Islands and the US Virgin Islands (St Thomas, St John)
Immigration and customs booths at the Road Town, West End and St Thomas ferry terminals; process before boarding, not on the boat
- When
- Every crossing
- Takes
- Adds 15–30 minutes either side for immigration processing
- Fare 2019
- A $10 entry tariff and $20 exit tariff, per person (Aug 2019, per Wikivoyage); US citizens must carry a passport or face being refused travelSeen in 2019: a floor, not a price.
SeasonYear-round; a valid passport is required in both directions regardless of nationality. Run byBVI Immigration Department / US Customs and Border Protection.
Hurricane season
Affects all air, ferry and road travel across the territory
Check BVI Ports Authority news and airline status directly before travelling June–November
- When
- Seasonal, June to November, peak risk August–October
- Takes
- n/a
- Fare
- n/a
SeasonHurricane Irma (September 2017) is described as the most recent major storm and caused lasting damage to docks and the airport terminal. Run byBVI Department of Disaster Management decides closures; ferry and airline operators cancel independently.
Cruise ship days
Road Town cruise pier and Cane Garden Bay
Check the BVI Ports Authority cruise arrivals page for that week's ship calls before planning a beach or taxi day
- When
- Not published in the sources checked; see the BVI Ports Authority cruise calendar for that week's calls
- Takes
- n/a
- Fare
- No cruise-day fare effect could be confirmed, and Wikivoyage says taxi fares are fixed by law rather than set on the day; what the sources do support is crowding, at the Road Town pier and at Cane Garden Bay
SeasonBusiest November–April, the main Caribbean cruise season. Run byBVI Ports Authority publishes the cruise schedule.
By air
Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport, Beef Island
Beef Island (Tortola's east end) via San Juan, St Thomas, Antigua or Sint Maarten – no long-haul direct flights
Airport is on Beef Island, joined to Tortola's east end by a bridge/causeway; taxis and some hotel shuttles meet arriving flights
- When
- Not published in the sources checked; Wikivoyage names Island Birds, VI Airlink and Winair as the carriers that connect through the four gateways
- Takes
- Varies by connection; Wikivoyage describes a 14-minute charter flight from St Thomas
- Fare
- Not researched here; fares depend on the connecting international flight
SeasonYear-round; hurricane season can bring cancellations. BookingBook flights through the airline or a charter operator directly. Run byBVI Airports Authority (airport); various regional carriers and air charter companies including Fly BVI and Aeroshares Charter.
By road
Safari buses
Airport (Beef Island) to Road Town, and along the island's two ends
Wait at the airport arrivals area or main road; flag one down or ask a local where the nearest stand is
- When
- No fixed timetable; runs when there is demand, mainly around flight and ferry arrivals
- Takes
- Varies by destination
- Fare
- Not confirmed for current year; described only as cheaper than a private taxi
SeasonYear-round. Bookingnone, flag down or ask at the stand. Run byIndependent drivers, some organised under taxi associations.
Hired, booked and on demand
Taxi associations, fixed government rates
Island-wide, including airport and ferry-dock transfers
Taxi stands at the airport, Road Town waterfront and West End ferry dock; BVI Taxi Association and West End Taxi Association both operate
- When
- On demand, plentiful at transport hubs
- Takes
- Varies by destination
- Fare
- Fares are fixed by law rather than negotiated; published taxi tariffs are on the BVI Tourist Board site, not independently confirmed here
SeasonYear-round. Bookingnone, hail at a stand or call the association. Run byBVI Taxi Association (+284 494 2322 / +284 494 3942); West End Taxi Association.
Car rental, driving on the left
Island-wide self-drive
Small independent rental companies near the airport and Road Town; some now deliver to and collect from the airport
- When
- on demand
- Takes
- n/a
- Fare
- Prices start from around US$50 per day, per Wikivoyage; undated
SeasonYear-round; steep, winding roads and unmarked speed bumps make driving harder in the wet season. BookingBook ahead in high season; some companies deliver to the airport. Run byMultiple small independent car hire companies.
On foot, by bike, or otherwise
Hitching a ride
Island-wide
Point with an extended index finger in the direction of travel rather than using a raised thumb
- When
- on demand, depends entirely on passing traffic
- Takes
- n/a
- Fare
- Free
SeasonDaytime only is described as common; not recommended after dark. Run byInformal, no operator.
What we could not find out
7 things the researcher looked for and did not find, in their own words, with where to ask instead. None of this goes into the planner; it stays here until someone confirms it.
- 01
Current one-way and round-trip ferry fares for the St Thomas crossing could not be confirmed on any operator site checked (nativesonferry.co, roadtownfastferry.com, smithsferry.com, speedybvi.com timed out) – ask at the dock booth or bvitourism.com/taxis, which redirected to the homepage and could not be read directly.
- 02
Smith's Ferry and Native Son inter-island schedules to Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke and Anegada were not published in readable form on their sites at time of check; confirm times at the Road Town terminal.
- 03
The government-published taxi tariff table (bvitourism.com/taxis) redirected to the site homepage in this session and could not be read; the fixed rates it lists were not independently confirmed.
- 04
Current safari-bus fares were not found on any site checked; ask the driver directly, as Wikivoyage only confirms that it is cheaper than a private taxi.
- 05
www.bviports.org/api/ and portcontrol.bviports.org, which might carry live ferry or cruise data, returned 403/timeout and could not be checked; www.bviports.org/services/cruise returned a 406 Mod_Security block in this session.
- 06
No source checked gives the number of cruise calls a week, or whether taxi and safari waits get worse on a cruise day beyond the crowding Wikivoyage describes at Cane Garden Bay; the BVI Ports Authority cruise page was blocked in this session (see above).
- 07
The brief's premise that BVI has 'no public bus network to speak of' matches what was found – safaris are privately run and on-demand, not a scheduled public system – but no scheduled public bus company was ruled in or out beyond this.
What the planner can route today
The options above live on the place page, not in the departure board: a boat that comes when you phone has no time to show. What the board can do for Tortola is this.
- Y
- Scheduled flightsBeef Island (EIS), 9 km
- N
- Trains and coachesno timetable feed known for this country
- Y
- FerriesRoad Town, Tortol, 1 km; sailings estimated
- Y
- Driving and taxiOpenStreetMap roads; cab fare from the country band
- N
- Bike and scooter shareno share feed known
- N
- Cruisesno open itinerary source anywhere
Y routable now · F found, not yet implemented · N no source known. Nearest place with more: Saint Croix, 79 km.