Self-Launched BVI Sailing: Tortola to Tortola by Share-Boat & Ferry
7 days · British Virgin Islands
G Adventures charges £1,600
No-markup version: ~£1,480 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A 7-day self-launched version of G Adventures' Tortola-to-Tortola catamaran week, done independently. Instead of a crewed 47ft catamaran with a paid skipper, you'll base yourself on Tortola and hop the BVIs' excellent network of public ferries, shared water taxis and day sails — anchoring (figuratively) in the same places the tour visits: Scrub Island, The Baths at Virgin Gorda, the Caves at Norman Island, Jost Van Dyke's White Bay and the Soggy Dollar, and the floating Willy T bar in the Bight. You can add a 2-day bareboat or skippered share-boat leg if you want the true liveaboard feel. Snorkelling, beach time and sunsets all come free; the costs are carried by guesthouse beds and ferry tickets rather than charter fees.
Day-by-day
Arrive Tortola – Road Town & Cane Garden Bay
Road Town / Cane Garden Bay, Tortola
Fly into Beef Island (EIS) or, cheaper, into St Thomas (STT) and take the 45-60 min public ferry from Charlotte Amalie to Road Town (~£28/USD35 one way). Check into a guesthouse in Road Town or catch a shared taxi/safari bus over the ridge to Cane Garden Bay (~£4) for a beach-based first night. Pick up groceries for boat-day lunches, sort cash (ATMs are scarce outside Road Town — bring USD), and watch the sunset from the sand with a rum punch. Walk the marina to price up day sails and share-boat berths for later in the week.
🚌Public ferry St Thomas–Road Town (~£28), then shared safari taxi/bus to Cane Garden Bay (~£4)
🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel in Road Town / Cane Garden Bay (~£45-60 double, £25-35 solo share)
- →Charlotte Amalie–Road Town ferry crossing
- →Cane Garden Bay sunset
- →Marina walk to compare day-sail prices
Scrub Island & Marina Cay by Public Ferry
Scrub Island / Trellis Bay, Tortola
Recreate the tour's Day 1 meet-up point without the charter fee. Take a shared taxi to Trellis Bay, then the complimentary Scrub Island Resort ferry (10 min, runs roughly hourly from mid-morning) across to Scrub Island — the same marina the catamaran departs from. Explore the beaches and snorkel off the north shore, then ferry back to Trellis Bay for the evening. Trellis Bay has a good budget guesthouse scene and a lively beach bar strip; the full-moon/ Aragorn's art studio area is worth a wander.
🚌Shared taxi (~£4) + free/complimentary Scrub Island resort ferry
🛏Guesthouse at Trellis Bay (~£40-55 double, £25 solo share)
- →Scrub Island beaches and snorkelling
- →Trellis Bay art studios
- →Beach bar evening
The Baths, Virgin Gorda
Virgin Gorda
The highlight day. Catch the morning public ferry from Road Town (or Trellis Bay) to Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda (~45 min, ~£25-30 return), then a shared safari taxi to The Baths National Park (~£4, park entry ~£3). Swim and scramble through the granite boulders, snorkel Devil's Bay, and take the trail between the two beaches. The tour's 'impossibly beautiful snorkelling spots' happen right here. Return on the afternoon ferry and eat cheaply at a local roti stand or cook at the guesthouse.
🚌Public ferry Road Town–Spanish Town return (~£25-30) + shared taxi to The Baths (~£4 each way)
🛏Guesthouse Road Town / Trellis Bay (~£40-55 double, £25 solo share)
- →The Baths boulder caves
- →Devil's Bay snorkelling
- →Baths–Devil's Bay trail
Norman Island Caves & the Willy T
Norman Island / The Bight
This is the day the tour's floating-bar highlight lives. Book a seat on a shared day-sail or water-taxi run from Road Town to Norman Island (~£45-60 including a couple of snorkel stops and lunch stop; book direct with operators at Road Town marina or via GetYourGuide). Snorkel the Caves — the same spot featured on the original itinerary — then moor at The Bight for the Willy T floating bar, a BVI institution. If you'd rather cut costs, a shared water taxi to The Bight is around £25 return and you can swim the caves from the beach. Back to Tortola for the night.
🚌Shared day sail / water taxi Road Town–Norman Island (~£45-60)
🛏Guesthouse Road Town (~£40-55 double, £25 solo share)
- →Norman Island Caves snorkelling
- →Willy T floating bar at The Bight
- →Reef snorkel stops
Jost Van Dyke – White Bay & the Soggy Dollar
Jost Van Dyke
Take the morning public ferry from Road Town to Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke (~£20-25 return, ~30 min), then hike the 20-minute trail over the hill to White Bay — one of the Caribbean's great beaches and home of the Soggy Dollar Bar (painkillers, hammocks, no shoes). Alternate route: shared taxi around the coast (~£5). Snorkel, swim, and stay for lunch at a beach shack. For the sunset-and-beach-party feel the tour describes, either catch the afternoon ferry back or stay over one night in a small Jost guesthouse (~£50-70).
🚌Public ferry Road Town–Great Harbour return (~£20-25) + shared taxi or hike to White Bay
🛏Guesthouse Great Harbour / White Bay, Jost Van Dyke (~£50-70 double, £30 solo share)
- →White Bay beach day
- →Soggy Dollar Bar
- →Hike Great Harbour to White Bay
- →Beach-shack lunch
Guana Island, Monkey Point & Salt Island Snorkel Run
Tortola / Guana Island
Spend the final full day on the water with a shared snorkel or 2-tank dive trip from Road Town or Cane Garden Bay (~£55-70 via GetYourGuide or direct with a local operator). Typical route covers Monkey Point off Guana Island (excellent shallow reef), the RMS Rhone wreck site off Salt Island for divers, and a beach stop. The original tour spends these days exploring uninhabited islands and reefs by catamaran — this is the closest independent equivalent without paying charter fees. Evening: final sunset at Cane Garden Bay or a rum tasting at the Callwood Distillery.
🚌Shared taxi to Cane Garden Bay (~£4) + snorkel/dive boat trip
🛏Guesthouse Cane Garden Bay / Road Town (~£40-55 double, £25 solo share)
- →Monkey Point snorkelling
- →Guana Island reef
- →Beach stop
- →Callwood rum distillery
Departure – Road Town to St Thomas or Beef Island
Road Town, Tortola
Slow morning, last swim, and a shared taxi back to Road Town. If flying from Beef Island (EIS), allow 2 hours before departure plus the £16/USD20 departure tax. If heading to St Thomas (STT), take the mid-morning or early-afternoon public ferry (~£28) and don't book a flight before 16:00 to allow for immigration and transfers. If you want the true liveaboard experience, this week can instead be booked as a 2-night skippered bareboat share through Dream Yacht Charter at Scrub Island (~£180-250 per person for two nights) — an optional swap for Days 2-3.
🚌Shared taxi to Road Town (~£4) + public ferry Road Town–St Thomas (~£28) or airport transfer to EIS
🛏N/A – depart
- →Final beach morning
- →Ferry crossing to St Thomas
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£1,480 | £1,600 |
| Duration | 7 days | 7 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £120 per person (8%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£1,480
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Self-Launched BVI Sailing: Tortola to Tortola by Share-Boat & Ferry cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £1,480 per person for 7 days in British Virgin Islands. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £1,600 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £1,480 — a saving of roughly £120 (8%) per person.
How long is the British Virgin Islands trip?+
This itinerary runs 7 days, covering 7 day-by-day stops through British Virgin Islands.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a beaches, adventure, backpacker trip through British Virgin Islands, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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