A curve of sand at the head of a deep bay on Tortola's north shore, with a village of beach bars, guesthouses and a rum distillery behind it and steep green hills all round. Over the ridge from Road Town by a steep road, with a mooring field in the bay — and the beach Road Town's cruise excursions come to.
Skip today Rough — 3.9 ft N swell, shore break · Showers likely (100%). If you go, the least bad stretch left is 3 pm–6 pm.
| Day | The call | Why | Best time | Cruise guests here | Sea at the beach | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | Skip today | Rough — 3.9 ft N swell, shore break · Showers likely (100%) | 3 pm–6 pm | ~300 | Rough · 3.4 ft | 100% |
| Tomorrow | Skip today | Rough — 4.2 ft NW swell, shore break · Thunderstorms in the forecast | 12 pm–3 pm | None | Rough · 3.8 ft | Thunder |
| Sun, Nov 8 | Think twice | Rough — 3.7 ft N swell, shore break · No cruise crowd today | 1 pm–4 pm | None | Some chop · 2.8 ft | 47% |
| Mon, Nov 9 | Good | No cruise crowd today · Choppy — N swell into the bay | 1 pm–4 pm | None | Some chop · 2 ft | 27% |
| Tue, Nov 10 | Good | Gentle water · Some cruise guests 9 am–4 pm | 3 pm–6 pm | ~900, 9 am–4 pm | Gentle · 1.4 ft | 22% |
The call is the same one our beach report makes, refreshed every half hour: the swell reaching the bay (Open-Meteo's marine forecast off the north shore), the cruise passengers our crowd model puts on the sand, NOAA's sargassum satellite and the rain forecast. It is a model, not a lifeguard's report — we found no published lifeguard service at Cane Garden Bay, so look at the water before you swim. The bars under each call are the hours from 8 am to 5 pm. Today's beach report
Taxi fares from the cruise pier, the ferries and the airport, the ships that fill the beach, the moorings, today's beach and weather reads and the island around it — each one opens the full page.
Cane Garden Bay from OpenStreetMap: the bay, the village's roads and buildings, and each facility where OpenStreetMap's mappers put it. OpenStreetMap does not outline the sand here, so the sand line is the one traced for our beach report. Tap a pin for its section.
Cane Garden Bay is on Tortola's north shore, on the far side of the island's central ridge from Road Town. From town the road climbs to Ridge Road and drops into the village down Steep Hill; from the West End it comes along the north shore and over by Ballast Bay. The Government's road notices use exactly those two ways in and out when one of them is closed. There is no public bus: visitors come by taxi, on a ship's excursion, in a rental car or by boat.
Taxis charge the official BVI fares in the table, per person and cheaper each as the party grows. Driving, you keep left, and the hills on both roads are steep and tight — low gear on the way down.
| From | 1 passenger | 2 (each) | 3+ (each) | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cruise Ship Dock | $24 | — | $12 | 14 min · 7.2 km |
| Road Town | $18 | — | $10 | 15 min · 7.3 km |
| West End Ferry | $18 | — | $10 | 21 min · 9.3 km |
| Beef Island Airport | $50 | $25 | $20 | 35 min · 17.1 km |
| Nanny Cay | $26 | $13 | $10 | — |
One way, per person by the size of the party: fares set by the BVI Road Traffic (Passenger Fares) Regulations (rates revised December 2022). Drive times are Google's for an ordinary day. Fare calculator for any two stops
Ships in Road Town today · Ferry from St. Thomas · BVI customs & entry fees · The Tortola guide
By private boat: Cane Garden Bay by day charter on BoatCharterBid, with what captains bid to go there.
Cane Garden Bay has no gate and no entry fee — it is the village's beach. What is published is the Government's restroom on the sand, the mooring prices in the bay and the markers that keep boats out of the swimming area.
| Reservable ball (BoatyBall), a night | $55 |
| First-come ball in BoatyBall's system, a night | $30–40 |
| The beach itself | Free |
BoatyBall's guide lists Cane Garden Bay among its reservable fields; reserving needs its paid Solo membership. Cruising guides also describe locally run balls in the bay collected by boat at the first-come price — we could not confirm who runs which balls, so pay only against a receipt.
| Public restroom | 7:00 am – 7:00 pm daily |
| BoatyBall releases tonight's balls | 7:00 am |
| Mooring check-in and check-out | 12 noon |
The restroom hours are the Government's cleaning contract from March 1, 2026, weekends and holidays included. No bar on the beach publishes its hours; several close for part of the August–October off-season.
Checked October 14, 2026 against the Government of the Virgin Islands' restroom tender, BoatyBall's help guide and Virgin Islands News Online on the swim-area markers. Prices and hours change: BoatyBall's app is the live word on the balls, and the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change runs the restroom.
The bars, guesthouses and the restroom sit along the back of the sand from the jetty in the north to the south end, with the village road behind them. Only what we could check against an operator, the Government or a dated report is named here.
For 43 years this was Quito's Gazebo, where the musician Quito Rymer played; he retired in 2024. MHV Resorts & Hotels took it over on October 1, 2024, renamed the inn the Cane Garden Bay Beach Hotel and the restaurant Rhythm & Sands, and opened it on November 29, 2024, promising to keep the live music going. We found no published hours.
A restaurant and bar in a garden by the sand, with suites, a spa and a gift shop; Myett's says it has served Caribbean food since 1992. Reservations on 1-284-495-9649, Monday to Friday. Our closures tracker has it open through the off-season on weekends and ship days, unconfirmed.
Set back from the sand among the palms and mangroves, with a big deck facing the beach and Jost Van Dyke on the horizon: Caribbean food, beer and cocktails, groups welcome, as the BVI Tourist Board lists it. Phone 1-284-442-2049.
The Government's restroom on the beach, by Myett's, is opened at 7 am and closed at 7 pm every day, weekends and holidays included, under the cleaning contract the Ministry of Environment put out to tender for a year from March 1, 2026. OpenStreetMap marks it free, and maps two drinking-water taps on the strip.
Photo: Kevin Stroup, CC BY 3.0A line of buoys off the sand marks the swimming area. In 2019 the Government paid $28,035 for reinforced swim-area and no-anchoring markers after power boats kept anchoring close to shore, which the minister called an accident waiting to happen. We found no published lifeguard service, so watch the water and the boats.
Photo: Legis at English Wikipedia, Public domainCoconut palms behind most of the beach give shade, and the bars set out chairs and umbrellas on the sand. None of them publishes a price, so ask before you sit down.
Photo: Kevin Stroup, CC BY 3.0Yachts lie on the mooring field in the bay. BoatyBall's reservable balls are released in its app at 7 am for that night at $55, with check-in and out at noon. A jetty runs out from the beach by Rhythm & Sands, and a second sits at the north end by Hodge's gas station. In a winter north swell the anchorage gets rolly.
Photo: Kevin Stroup, CC BY 3.0OpenStreetMap maps more bars and restaurants along the back of the beach than these three — Stanley's Welcome Bar, the Paradise Club and Big Banana among them — and small hotels and guesthouses up the hill. We could not confirm from their own sites which are trading this season, so we do not list their hours or menus. Walk the strip and see what is open.
At the south end of the village, the BVI Tourist Board lists the Callwood distillery among the territory's historic sites: the original sugar-cane distillery buildings, an original boiler that still makes rum, stored in old casks, and the old guard house turned into a gallery and shop. The Caribbean Journal found its Arundel rums made from cane juice grown on the estate, about 25 gallons a day, with tastings. Hours are not published; go in the daytime on a weekday.
Photo: Kevin Stroup, CC BY 3.0The bay opens west, so the sun goes down over the water toward Jost Van Dyke — from the sand, from a bar deck or from a boat on the moorings. The card at the top of the page has tonight's sunset time.
Photo: Jean-Marc Astesana, CC BY-SA 2.0From the jetty in the north to the quiet south end below the distillery, under the palms most of the way. The south end is the quieter half when the excursions are in.
Photo: Colin Riegels (Legis at English Wikipedia), Public domainOver the hill to the north-east, down a steep, winding road: a quieter beach with the stone ruins of an old sugar works in the trees behind it. Leave it alone in a big north swell.
Photo: Gdebsoc, CC BY-SA 4.0The BVI Tourist Board names Cane Garden Bay among Tortola's surf spots: when a north swell runs in winter, waves break across the mouth of the bay. Apple Bay, further down the north shore by Bomba's, is the island's better-known break. On a calm summer day there is nothing to ride.
Photo: Balou46, CC BY-SA 4.0The island on the horizon is Jost Van Dyke. By sea it is a short sail from the bay; without a boat, take a taxi to the West End and the ferry to Great Harbour, then White Bay and the Soggy Dollar.
Cane Garden Bay is a beach for eating and drinking on: the bars and restaurants line the back of the sand, and most will feed you lunch with your toes in it. Hours are not published by any of them and change with the season and the ships, so look before you plan on one.
For supplies, Bobby's Supermarket is a short walk back from the beach. Up on the ridge at Windy Hill, the Bananakeet Cafe at the Heritage Inn looks down on the north shore.
Warm all year: highs in the mid-80s °F, a steady easterly trade wind and short showers rather than all-day rain. December to April is the dry season and the heart of the cruise season; June to November is hurricane season, when several of the bars close for part of August to October.
The bay opens west, with the island's ridge between it and the trade wind, so on most days the water inside the swim area is flat. The exception is winter: swells from storms far out in the North Atlantic wrap into the bay for a day or two, bringing surf to the beach and a roll to the moorings. The call at the top of this page reads the swell every half hour.
| Day | Sky | High / low | Rain | Wind | Seas offshore |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | Thunderstorms | 81° / 77°F | 100% | SW 22 mph, gusts 29 | 3.1 ft |
| Tomorrow | Thunderstorms | 80° / 77°F | 81% | WSW 20 mph, gusts 29 | 3.5 ft |
| Sun, Nov 8 | Drizzle | 81° / 78°F | 39% | W 13 mph | 3.1 ft |
| Mon, Nov 9 | Drizzle | 80° / 79°F | 28% | NNW 5 mph | 2.4 ft |
| Tue, Nov 10 | Drizzle | 80° / 77°F | 29% | NE 11 mph | 2 ft |
| Wed, Nov 11 | Overcast | 80° / 79°F | 35% | ENE 12 mph | 2.2 ft |
| Thu, Nov 12 | Drizzle | 81° / 79°F | 22% | ESE 12 mph | 2.1 ft |
Open-Meteo forecast for Tortola, refreshed every half hour. The seas are offshore; how much of it reaches the sand is the call above. BVI weather & sailing week · North swell season
Daily-mean sea-surface temperature off Tortola, averaged 2021–2024 (Open-Meteo marine reanalysis): warmest in Sep (86.3°F), coolest in Feb (79.3°F).
When ships are alongside in Road Town, taxis and tour buses carry their passengers over the ridge to Cane Garden Bay, and the bars and the sand fill from mid-morning. Check the ships before you pick your day.
28 of the next 31 days have a ship in Road Town. The busiest at Cane Garden Bay, by our model:
Our crowd model, not a head count: it puts about 35% of each Road Town ship's passengers on Cane Garden Bay, starting about 75 minutes after the ship is alongside and gone 90 minutes before it sails; past 2,000 on the sand we call it packed. The same model makes the call at the top of the page and on our beach report.
No. There is no public live camera on Tortola that we can show — not at Cane Garden Bay, not in Road Town, not at Soper's Hole — and we would rather say so than pass off a photo as live. The nearest live views in the BVI are at Scrub Island, off Tortola's north-east tip, and Cooper Island across the channel.
Myett's begins serving Caribbean food by the beach, by its own account.
Irma crosses the BVI. The Callwood distillery is back making rum about four months later, after a pause for a new roof, the Caribbean Journal reported in 2018.
After power boats anchor close to the beach, the Government contracts reinforced swim-area and no-anchoring markers for $28,035; the earlier markers had been vandalised and removed.
Quito Rymer plays a farewell concert and retires after 43 years of music and beachside dining at Quito's Gazebo.
MHV Resorts & Hotels takes over: the inn becomes the Cane Garden Bay Beach Hotel and the gazebo Rhythm & Sands, which opens on November 29, 2024.
A scaled-down BVI Music Beach Festival comes back to the beach for two nights, with Cane Garden Bay Road made one-way for it; its promoter promises a bigger 2026.
A year's cleaning contract for the Government's beach restroom begins, opening it from 7 am to 7 pm every day.
Works begin on a gravity sewer network along Cane Garden Bay Road, replacing 35 ageing lift stations, with measures to keep silt and sewage out of the bay.
Sources: Myett's · Caribbean Journal, 2018 · Virgin Islands News Online, 2019 · Virgin Islands News Online, August 2024 · Virgin Islands News Online, October 2024 · Virgin Islands News Online, 2025 · Government of the Virgin Islands, 2025 · Government of the Virgin Islands, February 2026 · Government of the Virgin Islands, September 2026
When ships are in Road Town the excursions come over the hill and the beach fills from mid-morning. The call at the top of the page shows today's ships and when their passengers are on the sand.
The BVI is British, not American: U.S. citizens need a passport too, for the ferry from St. Thomas, and clear U.S. customs on the way back.
Fares are set by regulation and charged per person, cheaper each for two and for three or more. Ask the total for your group before you set off, and agree the pick-up time.
Swim inside the buoys. Dinghies and power boats come and go from the moorings and the jetty all day.
From about November to March a north swell can bring surf into the bay for a day or two; Smuggler's Cove at the far west end stays calmer. Our beach report reads it daily.
The new sewer is being laid along Cane Garden Bay Road through the village a stretch at a time. Expect diversions and allow extra time to make a ship or a ferry.
Skip today todayTortolaBrewers BayRough — 3.9 ft N swell, shore break · Sargassum offshore
Skip today todayTortolaLong Bay (West End)Rough — 2.8 ft SSW swell, shore break · Showers likely (100%)
Skip today todayTortolaSmuggler's CoveRough — 3.9 ft N swell, shore break · Sargassum offshore
Skip today todayTortolaLong Bay (Beef Island)Rough — 3.9 ft N swell, shore break · Sargassum offshore
The island guideTortolaFerries, taxis, beaches and a true map of Tortola — the BVI's capital island and charter base — with today's weather and the next boat from St. Thomas.By taxi over the island's central ridge: up to Ridge Road and down Steep Hill into the village, about 15 minutes (7.3 km) by road from the Road Town ferry terminal. The official fare from Road Town is $18 for one rider, $10 each for three or more. There is no public bus.
About 14 minutes (7.2 km) by road from the Tortola Pier Park in Road Town, over the ridge. The official taxi fare from the cruise pier is $24 for one rider, $12 each for three or more. Allow for traffic on the way back on a busy ship day.
BVI taxi fares are set by regulation and charged per person, cheaper each as the party grows. From Road Town it is $18 for one rider, $10 each for three or more; from the West End ferry $18 for one rider, $10 each for three or more; from Beef Island airport $50 for one rider, $25 each for two, $20 each for three or more. Confirm the total for your group before you set off.
No. Cane Garden Bay has no gate and no entry fee — it is the village's beach. You pay for what you use: food and drinks at the bars, and the chairs and umbrellas they set out, whose prices are not published.
Yes. The Government's public restroom on the beach, by Myett's, opens at 7 am and closes at 7 pm every day, weekends and holidays included, under the cleaning contract that began on March 1, 2026.
Usually. The bay opens west, away from the easterly trade wind, and on most days the water inside the buoyed swim area is calm. In winter a north swell can bring surf into the bay for a day or two. We found no published lifeguard service, and boats use the bay, so swim inside the buoys.
On cruise-ship days, yes: the excursions from Road Town come over the hill and the beach and the bars fill from mid-morning. Early mornings, late afternoons and days with no ship in Road Town are quieter. The call at the top of this page reads each day's ships.
Yes. BoatyBall lists Cane Garden Bay among its reservable fields: balls are released in its app at 7 am for that night at $55, with check-in and check-out at noon, and reserving needs its paid Solo membership. Boats must stay out of the marked swim area.
Swim and lie on the beach, eat and drink at the bars on the sand, see the Callwood Rum Distillery at the south end of the village, watch the sun go down over the bay, and in winter watch or ride the north swell. Brewers Bay is over the hill, and Jost Van Dyke is on the horizon.
It is a working distillery the BVI Tourist Board lists among the territory's historic sites, with rum tastings and bottles for sale. It does not publish its hours or prices; the Caribbean Journal found it open Monday to Friday in 2018. Go in the daytime on a weekday and expect a small working distillery rather than a visitor centre.
No public live camera we can embed. There is no live webcam on Tortola at all; the nearest live views in the BVI are at Scrub Island, off Tortola's north-east tip, and Cooper Island across the channel.