British Virgin Islands. The runway decides the itinerary.
Tortola's airport takes light aircraft, not long-haul jets, so almost every trip from Europe arrives somewhere else and finishes by sea or in a smaller aeroplane. Plan that connection first and the rest of the BVI is the easiest cruising ground in the Caribbean.
The essentials
The BVI at a glance
- AirportTerrance B. Lettsome International (EIS / TUPJ)On Beef Island, joined to Tortola by a bridge and about 13 km east of Road Town. A single asphalt runway of roughly 4,650 ft, or about 1,420 m.
- What can use itLight and some midsize typesThe runway length rules out long-haul aircraft. What your specific aircraft can do is a performance calculation for the operator, on the day, with the load you are carrying.
- Usual gatewaysSt Thomas, San Juan, AntiguaA long-haul aircraft lands at one of these and the last leg is a light aircraft or a ferry. St Thomas is the closest, San Juan the best connected.
- Opening hoursNot a 24-hour fieldPublished hours run from early morning to mid evening, so a late arrival at the gateway means an overnight there. Confirm the current hours when the dates are set.
Airport details checked in September 2026. Times below are realistic planning ranges, not promises.
Arriving by air
Choosing the island your jet lands on
Beef Island's runway is short, hemmed in by water at both ends, and handles regional aircraft and the lighter end of the business jet range. That is not a problem so much as a fact to design around, and it means the real decision on a BVI trip is which gateway the long-haul leg uses.
St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands is the nearest and gives you both a short flight and a ferry option. San Juan in Puerto Rico is the best connected and the usual choice for anything arriving from the United States. Antigua works well from Europe and has full long-haul handling. Whichever you choose, the connection is flown by regional operators who work these hops all day, or made by boat, and the consequences of missing the last one are an unplanned night on another island.
See private jet charter, ultra long range jets, heavy jets, light jets, turboprops and Antigua airport.
Realistic planning times
How the last leg works
| Leg | Typical time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| St Thomas to Tortola by light aircraft | About 15 to 20 minutes | The shortest connection. Immigration applies in both directions: this is an international border. |
| Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas, to Road Town by ferry | About 1 hour | A scheduled crossing with limited daily departures. It works well when the timing suits and badly when it does not. |
| St Thomas to Virgin Gorda by light aircraft | About 15 minutes | Virgin Gorda has its own small field, which is worth knowing if that is where you are staying. |
| San Juan or Antigua to Tortola | Under an hour | Regional aircraft. The more dependable option in poor weather or at the tail of a long day. |
| Beef Island airport to Road Town | About 25 to 35 minutes | Across the bridge and along the coast road. Longer at the start and end of a charter week. |
| Gateway ground time before the connection | Allow 1 to 2 hours | Immigration, the transfer across the field and the load, which with a group and dive or beach kit takes longer than people expect. |
Realistic ranges for planning, not quoted times. Outside London and Manchester our cars and boats are arranged through operators we know.
On the water
Why everyone ends up on a boat here
The BVI is the most forgiving cruising ground in the Caribbean, and not by a small margin. The islands form a ring around the Sir Francis Drake Channel, which means short passages in sheltered water with an anchorage in sight at almost all times: Norman, Peter and Cooper along the southern side, Jost Van Dyke to the north west, Virgin Gorda and the Baths at the eastern end, and Anegada out on its own behind a reef that has real navigational rules attached to it.
Road Town is the charter capital of the region, with large fleets based there and the provisioning, crew and technical support that go with them. For guests the practical effect is that joining a yacht is straightforward and that a week on the water covers ground that would be impossible to cover any other way.
We arrange charters, crew and tender movements through operators and agents we know, and we join them to the flights so that the aircraft, the immigration clearance and the boarding time agree. See yacht charter, catamarans, sailing yachts, crewed charter, how chartering works and the APA explained.
Local realities
What regular visitors plan around
- Give us the inbound flight number and the aircraft type at the enquiry stage. Both change the answer on the connection
- The BVI is a British Overseas Territory and traffic drives on the left, which surprises people arriving from the US Virgin Islands
- Crossing between the USVI and the BVI is an international border in both directions. Passports, immigration and time
- Light aircraft weight and volume limits are real and enforced. Soft bags, and fewer of them, make a genuine difference
- Anegada sits behind a long reef and has navigation restrictions that some charter agreements exclude. If it matters to you, raise it when the boat is chosen
- Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November, with August to October the active part. The charter season runs roughly December to May for exactly that reason
- Christmas, New Year and Easter are the peak weeks for aircraft and boats at once. They are decided many months ahead
Ashore
Tortola, Virgin Gorda and the rest
Tortola is the main island and Road Town is the working capital rather than the pretty part, with the north coast beaches on the other side of a steep spine of hills. Virgin Gorda is quieter, has the Baths at its southern tip and its own small airfield, and is where a good deal of the villa market sits. Jost Van Dyke is small, informal and mostly reached by boat. The smaller cays in the channel are day anchorages rather than places to stay.
Villa itineraries and yacht itineraries look very different here, and the airport question changes with them. Tell us which it is early, and if you are combining the two, say which comes first, because that decides whether you want Tortola or Virgin Gorda at the start of the week.
The London end
The part we run ourselves
Our own cars and our own chauffeurs are in London and Manchester, so the departure is the leg we control directly: an early car from the house to Luton, Farnborough, Stansted, Biggin Hill or Heathrow, luggage loaded for a long flight, and a chauffeur who knows the private terminal gate. See private jet transfers, airport transfers and group travel.
In the Caribbean, the connection, the cars and the boats are arranged through operators we know, with one person at Odyssey holding the whole itinerary. If the transatlantic leg slips, the light aircraft, the ferry and the yacht hear about it from us rather than from you at the gate.
Around the region
Related pages
On the water
Nearby islands
Start planning
Tell us the dates and the gateway
Dates out and back, how many of you, the aircraft type if you have one, and whether you are staying ashore, on a yacht, or both. We come back with an honest view of what the connection looks like on those dates as well as a proposal. Nothing is booked or charged online.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
About the British Virgin Islands
Can a long-haul jet land at Tortola?
No. Beef Island's runway is around 4,650 ft, which suits regional aircraft and the lighter end of the business jet range. Long-haul aircraft land at St Thomas, San Juan or Antigua and the last leg is a light aircraft or a ferry.
Which gateway is best?
St Thomas is the closest and gives you an air or a sea option. San Juan is the best connected. Antigua often suits a European itinerary and has full long-haul handling. We will tell you which fits your dates and your aircraft.
How long is the ferry from St Thomas?
About an hour from Charlotte Amalie to Road Town, with a limited number of daily crossings. It is an international border, so immigration applies both ways and it needs to be built into the timings.
What happens if our flight is late?
Beef Island is not a 24-hour airport and the connections stop in the evening, so a late arrival at the gateway usually means a night there and a first flight in the morning. We agree that plan before you travel rather than on the apron.
When is the season?
Roughly December to May. Atlantic hurricane season runs from June to November and is most active from August to October, which is why the charter fleets and the villas work to the winter calendar.
Are these your own cars and boats?
No. Our own fleet and chauffeurs are in London and Manchester. In the BVI, cars, boats and connecting flights are arranged through operators we know, with one contact at Odyssey holding the plan together.
One contact, wherever you are