The Baths – Spanish Town, British Virgin Islands - Atlas Obscura

The Baths

Spanish Town, British Virgin Islands

This huge pile of volcanic boulders hides a stunning network of secret grottoes. 

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Strewn about a sun-drenched beach on Virgin Gorda Island are a number of massive boulders known collectively as “The Baths,” and hidden around and beneath these titanic rocks are a number of pools and grottoes waiting to be discovered by leisurely vacationers.

The Virgin Islands are known for their scenic vacation spots but few are as unique and wondrous as The Baths. Huge rounded stones composed mainly of granite are piled up on top of each other at the Southern tip of Virgin Gorda, left there by volcanic shifting that deposited the great rocks and shaped them into their present shape. Thanks to the largely spherical shape of the boulders, they settled over one another imperfectly creating a short system of voids within the piles, many of which have partially filled with sea water, creating magical natural grottoes.

The rest of Virgin Gorda is no slouch when it comes to beauty, either, with a number of golden beaches and even some abandoned industrial ruins. 

Unfortunately, such beautiful natural wonders could not stay hidden for long, and now the rocky maze of tidal ponds is a well known vacation destination. Yet no amount of gawking tourists and sunbathing beauties can ruin what is one of the most amazing natural phenomena anywhere on earth.      

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