In “The Caribbean’s Flattest Island Has Miles of White Sand, Endless Lobster, and a Beach Called “Cow Wreck,” Guy Britton (Caribbean Journal) writes about the pristine beauty of Anegada, in the British Virgin Islands. Here are excerpts. Please read more on lodging, cuisine and restaurants, transportation tips, interesting information about the island, and thoughts on why Anegada feels different at Caribbean Journal.
Anegada is almost level with the water. The highest point reaches about 28 feet above sea level, a faint rise in a landscape otherwise defined by horizon. Sail toward it and the island appears late, a thin strip of white and green that seems to float on the Caribbean. Early Spanish explorers called it “Anegada,” meaning “drowned,” a reference to how low it sits and how easily it blends into the sea. The name held. So did the character.
This is the only coral island in the British Virgin Islands, formed from limestone and reef rather than volcanic rock. There are no peaks, no switchback roads climbing into the clouds. Just open sky, salt ponds, scrub and some of the widest beaches in the region.
On the north shore, that geography delivers something extraordinary.
Cow Wreck Beach.
Cow Wreck Beach is one of those places that resets your expectations of what a Caribbean beach can be. It is expansive without feeling empty. It is quiet without feeling remote. You can walk for 20 minutes and pass only a few other people. You can swim out and still see the sandy bottom below you.
This is the north shore of Anegada, and it delivers.
The Beach That Carries the Island
The sand at Cow Wreck is powdery and bright, edging into dunes and low vegetation. The reef offshore breaks the Atlantic swell before it reaches the beach, leaving a wide, swimmable stretch of water that stays calm most days. The color shifts from clear at your feet to deep aquamarine farther out, with darker blue where the reef runs parallel to shore.
You can wade far before the water reaches your shoulders. You can float without drift. You can walk east or west and feel like you have the island to yourself.
There are no towering resorts behind you. Just a scattering of beach bars, guesthouses and private villas tucked behind the trees. The infrastructure is minimal. The experience is direct.
This is what draws people back to Anegada. The clarity of beach, water and sky. [. . .]
Read more at https://www.caribjournal.com/2026/02/24/caribbean-flattest-island-anegada/
[Photo above by Guy Britton: Cow Wreck Beach in Anegada.]
In “The Caribbean’s Flattest Island Has Miles of White Sand, Endless Lobster, and a Beach Called “Cow Wreck,” Guy Britton (Caribbean Journal) writes about the pristine beauty of Anegada, in the British Virgin Islands. Here are excerpts. Please read more on lodging, cuisine and restaurants, transportation tips, interesting information about the island, and thoughts on