Explore Virgin Islands in 7 Days

Your first afternoon sets the tone for the week. A short hop from Nanny Cay brings you to The Indians — four dramatic pinnacles rising from the water off Norman Island, with 50 feet of vibrant coral and a tunnel divers can pass through. It's one of the BVI's most iconic snorkel sites and the perfect way to get in the water on day one. From there it's a short sail to The Bight on Norman Island, one of the most popular overnight anchorages in the BVI with over 100 mooring buoys in a sheltered, scenic harbour. Legend has it Norman Island was the inspiration for Treasure Island — and there's still something slightly piratical about the place. Pirates Bight restaurant sits right on the beach, and the Willy T floating bar is just a dinghy ride away.

Day two packs in two of the BVI's best experiences — one underwater, one above it. The morning stop at Salt Island is all about the RMS Rhone, a 310-foot Royal Mail steamer that sank during a hurricane in 1867 and is now considered one of the finest wreck dives in the Caribbean. She lies in two sections — the bow at 80 feet for experienced divers, the stern at just 25 feet making it accessible for snorkellers too. After more than 150 years on the seabed she is encrusted in coral and teeming with marine life — barracuda, sea turtles, spotted eagle rays and vast schools of yellowtail snapper are all regular residents. From Salt Island it's a short sail to Cooper Island — a well-protected anchorage in the middle of the Sir Francis Drake Channel with a solar-powered beach club, a microbrewery and a rum bar stocking over 400 rums. Wreck Alley, just offshore, has four intentionally sunk wrecks within easy swimming distance of each other for anyone who wants a second dive of the day.

Devil's Bay sits just south of the famous Baths on the southern tip of Virgin Gorda. Giant granite boulders form caves, grottoes and hidden tidal pools — the result of volcanic activity millions of years ago, and unlike anything else in the Caribbean. The trail from Devil's Bay through the boulders to the main Baths beach takes around 20 minutes and involves some scrambling. Go early. It's one of the highlights of any BVI charter and the day boats from Road Town don't wait.

Day four takes you into the North Sound — the BVI's most sheltered sailing ground, ringed by Virgin Gorda, Prickly Pear and the hills of the eastern islands. First stop is Saba Rock, a tiny private island accessible only by water taxi or dinghy. The outdoor restaurant sits right over the water with Prickly Pear and Necker Island visible in the distance — it's one of the better views in the North Sound, and the conch fritters are among the best in the BVI. A short hop east brings you to the Bitter End Yacht Club, the BVI's most celebrated sailing resort since 1969. Newly restored after Hurricane Irma, it has its own dock, the Buoy Room bar, the Reef Sampler over-water deck and a PADI dive centre. Afternoons here have a habit of running long — which is entirely the point.

Day five covers some of the most varied sailing in the itinerary, moving from one of the BVI's most private islands to one of its most famous beaches. Guana Island is an 850-acre ecological reserve with almost no commercial development — flamingos, tortoises, giant iguanas and over 50 bird species share the island with a small private resort. The snorkelling off the fringing reef is some of the best between Tortola and Virgin Gorda. From there it's a longer passage west to White Bay on Jost Van Dyke — a long curve of bone-white sand with warm teal water and the Soggy Dollar Bar sitting right on the beach. The birthplace of the Painkiller cocktail, there's no dock so you swim ashore, which is exactly as it should be.

Day six is a day of contrasts — a tiny uninhabited sandbar in the morning and a national park nature reserve in the afternoon. Sandy Cay is 14 acres of tropical wilderness with some of the clearest water in the BVI and a fringing reef that rewards snorkellers. Pick up a mooring buoy and have one of the BVI's most perfect beaches entirely to yourself for a couple of hours. From there it's a short sail to Diamond Cay, a 1.25-acre national park islet off the eastern tip of Jost Van Dyke. Pelicans, terns and boobies nest on the rocky cliffs, and the Bubbly Pool — a natural rock jacuzzi where Atlantic swell forces through a narrow gap in the rocks — is one of the BVI's more unusual natural features. Foxy's Tabu sits nearby, quieter and more relaxed than the main Great Harbour bar.

Soper's Hole is a sheltered anchorage on the western tip of Tortola, lined with colourful Caribbean buildings, a handful of boutiques and Pusser's Landing — one of the best-known waterfront restaurants in the BVI. After a week at anchor it's a good place to stretch your legs, browse the marina and mark the end of the charter properly before the final morning passage back to Nanny Cay.