CC BY 3.0, giggel, via Wikimedia CommonsBeach· Prickly Pear Island· Virgin Islands (BVI, USVI and Spanish Virgins)
Prickly Pear Island National Park
18° 30.5′ N · 64° 22.0′ W
The uninhabited cactus-covered island that walls in North Sound to the north: a national park and bird sanctuary with white-sand beaches around Vixen Point and on the north coast, salt ponds and trails.
Practical
Established 1988, 180 acres. Named for its prickly pear, Turk's cap and pipe-organ cacti. Beaches wrap Vixen Point and the north coast; hawksbill turtles nest on them. Salt ponds ringed by white and black mangroves (red mangroves on the south shore) shelter coots, black-necked stilts, blue-winged teal, white-cheeked pintails and Wilson's plovers. Trails lead from the Sandbox beach bar at Vixen Point across to quieter north-shore beaches with views of Eustatia and Necker. The north side is fringed by the barrier reef. Land only by dinghy; take your trash back.
Best for
Beach walks, birding and a lunch swim inside North Sound
