The British Virgin Islands; Treasure Island

An island that is said to have inspired Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island; Norman Island is a fairy-tale destination of hiking trails, hidden coves, deserted beaches and mysterious waters that enliven the imagination. The most southerly of the British Virgin Islands, this wondrous outpost is a visual and atmospheric delight that will transport you to a land of myths and legends.

Whilst Stevenson’s tale is one of fiction, history dictates that this was truly a popular spot for pirates to hide their treasures. Much time has passed and it is said all of this historic loot has been discovered, yet curious travelers’ continue to journey to these cerulean waters to hunt for valuable booty and experience the diversity of the British Virgin Islands.

They are encouraged by the magic of Norman Island’s romanticized past, a past that will sweep you too off your feet and out into the waters to join your fellow explorers on their hunt for a personal keepsake.

Even those who aren’t tracing the steps of Treasure Island can feel like a pirate at Willy T’s; a party boat, complete with gangplank, that lures people from across the islands.

Put on your snorkeling gear and enter caves that have been expertly shaped by the passage of time. Perhaps you will be the first to find a chest brimming with gold and silver, or maybe your keepsake will simply be a beautiful shell that glints and winks at you from the sea bed. Either way, the memory of lying suspended in a sea of sun beams and coral will forever be attached to this singular object. And thus it becomes sacred. It becomes priceless.

Gold, silver, sand or shell; Norman Island is a trove of treasures whose value depends on those who find it.