Exploring Necker Island’s Wild Side
For as long as it had ever existed, Necker Island was a scrubby, dry island—until one fortunate encounter in 1978. Enter space entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson. Branson bought and terraformed Necker into a high-end tropical resort. For decades, Branson himself has lived on what has become a barefoot-luxury estate, which is why it’s also called Richard Branson Island.
Necker Island flamingos - Image credit: Island Roots Charters
Our First-Hand Tour of Necker Island Resort
The Island Roots Charters family recently had a great tour around Necker Island. Getting around the island involves walking or riding in golf carts and includes frequent stops to interact with the various wild animals: flamingos, giant tortoises, lemurs, and kangaroos. We got to feed all of them and even bottle-feed the baby kangaroos! We also toured the Great House. The Great House was destroyed not once, but twice—first in a fire and then by Hurricane Irma in 2017. Necker Island was pretty wiped out by Hurricane Irma.
Necker Island is stunningly beautiful, with a very tropical feel, exotic hardwoods, open air, and a natural, kind of Bali-esque feel to it. There are snack and beverage stops along the way, and it is very informative. We learned all about Necker Island's mission of conservation and wildlife.
Petting a friendly kangaroo on Necker Island - Image credit: Island Roots Charters
Although we did not see Sir Richard Branson, it is his private residence, and he is there often. The Necker Island tour, however, does not include any interactions with him, and it would be a purely random occasion if he chose to interact with guests. The Necker Island tour focuses more on the conservation efforts of the flora and fauna of the island itself and how it sustains itself. Necker is replete with solar arrays, wind turbines, and a desalination plant. It’s pretty impressive how the entire island is maintained. For those wondering how big Necker is, it spans 74 acres.
Exotic Animals On Necker
Exotic animals, such as lemurs and kangaroos were introduced to Necker Island. Lemurs are indigenous to Madagascar. There are mixed reports that the ones on Necker came from zoos in South Africa, Sweden, or Canada. Kangaroos are indigenous to Australia, although the ones on Necker were rescues from Texas, USA.
Necker Island lemur sitting on Captain Jason’s shoulder
Necker Island Tours via Island Roots Charters
Island Roots Charters offers transportation by charter boat to Necker Island for its guests who want to include a Necker Island tour into their existing custom charter boat excursion. It’s about as far away as you can go from St. John, USVI (where our charters disembark). With that in mind, the Necker Island tour is a few hours long, so our charter guests may opt to spend the rest of the day enjoying the Gorda Sound - Saba Rock, Bitter End Yacht Club, and Oil Nut Bay.
Necker Island tours must be purchased in addition to the custom charter trip, and are offered exclusively through Sea It Clear Tours here. The cost as of October 1, 2025 is between $680-$1500 depending on how many people you have.
How To Get To Necker Island
Necker Island is only accessible by private boat or helicopter (no airport or public ferry). Only those who sign up for a tour or book as guests of the island can go onto the island. You can't just stop on Necker Island while on a private charter boat trip or rent your own boat and visit the beach there because it's a privately owned island.
Book The Entire Private Island
The uber wealthy often love renting entire islands, and Necker Island resort offers the chance to do just that. It costs $147,210 to rent this remote Caribbean island for a night. According to VirginLimitedEdition.com, Necker Island resort’s official website where visitors can reserve stays, there are options to either “book a room” or “take the whole island”. When you book the entire private island, you’ll gain exclusive use of the island’s beautiful Balinese villas, offering space for 48 adults and six children.
In the screenshot below (taken on September 29, 2025), the first available night to book this remote island is November 5, 2025.
Source: VirginLimitedEdition.com
Book A Room At Necker At $6042 A Night
If you don’t want to rent the whole private island, there is also an option to book a room at Necker by the night. As of September 30, 2025 the cost is $6042, and the first night available is October 17, 2025.
Necker Island Toilet
The Necker Island toilet that everyone wants comes with the Throne Room. This video shows a crown atop the Necker Island Toilet that can be worn while sitting there, looking out, to sea while taking care of business.
Sir Richard Branson Fact File
In 1978, Sir Richard Branson bought Necker Island from John Lyttelton for $180,000 and then spent $10 million over the next three years transforming the private island into a luxury resort for the rich and famous. To set the record straight, Sir Richard Branson may own Necker Island and has held ownership in many businesses that include the word “Virgin,” such as Virgin Records, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Virgin Oceanic (formerly Virgin Aquatic, which sold the Necker Nymph), Virgin Trains, Virgin Cola, Virgin Money, Virgin Cinemas, and Virgin Galactic. However, he does not own the U.S. Virgin Islands or the British Virgin Islands.
Necker Island Location
Necker Island is located in the British Virgin Islands in the Gorda Sound (north end of Virgin Gorda), with Anegada to the north and the USVI farther to the west-southwest. The GPS coordinates that shows Necker Island on a map are 18°31'36.4"N 64°21'31.1"W for Google Maps, or 18.52677, -64.35863 for Google Earth.
Necker’s Distance From Nearby Islands (see table below)
| Destination | Distance (km) | Distance (mi) | Direction from Necker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virgin Gorda | ~5 km | ~3 mi | Southwest |
| Beef Island (Tortola Airport) | ~22 km | ~14 mi | West-southwest |
| Tortola (Road Town area) | ~32 km | ~20 mi | West-southwest |
| Anegada | ~23 km | ~14 mi | North |
| St. John (Cruz Bay, USVI) | ~51 km | ~32 mi | West-southwest |
| St. Thomas (Charlotte Amalie, USVI) | ~60 km | ~37 mi | West-southwest |
List Of Famous People Who Have Visited Necker Island, BVI
There is a running list of famous people who have stayed on this private island which includes British royalty, an American president, a tech mogul, and a tennis star. However, it’s not a long list, which may be because it is a private island with its own well kept secrets.
| Person / People | Date (or year) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Princess Diana (with Princes William & Harry) | January 9, 1989 (holiday) | Holiday visit with her sons; widely reported and photographed. |
| Larry Page (Google co-founder) & Lucinda (Lucy) Southworth | December 8, 2007 (wedding) | Private wedding held on Necker Island. |
| Barack & Michelle Obama | Shortly after leaving office — January/February 2017 (reported) | Post-presidency vacation reported in news coverage. |
| Eugenie Bouchard (tennis player) | November 2023 | Reported social/media coverage of her stay on Necker Island. |
| Wesley Vultaggio & Michael McCarty (destination wedding reported) | Event reported in coverage (article 2022/2023 timeframe) | Vogue reported an intimate destination wedding on Necker/Moskito islands. |
Note: This table lists selected, verifiable visits reported in the press. Necker Island hosts many private, invitation-only stays (often unreported), so a truly exhaustive list of famous visitors and exact dates is not publicly available.
Necker Island Is Nothing Like Epstein Island
While Epstein Island (formally known as Little St. James in the USVI - and as of May 2023 now owned by billionaire Stephen Deckoff) had a reputation for being a destination of salacious intent by a long list of equally famous people, Necker Island wears a halo by comparison.
There are no stories of such dastardly deeds on Necker, and online searches for “Necker Island Virgin” refers to the company that manages the private island, not virgins being sacrificed to volcano gods or billionaire tech lords. There is a story of one of the island’s accountants flexing the freaky side of her personality and letting guests eat sushi off her body, and suck soy sauce from her belly button, but there’s nothing illegal about that!
Residents of the Virgin Islands actually hold Branson’s private island in high esteem and are quite protective of its reputation, criticizing anyone who dares insinuate illegal debauchery may occur there. Worst case scenarios on Necker are often accidental rather than anything intentional, like when Executive sous chef Sihle Somdaka, 37 was killed in September 2025 by accident after “losing control of an electric buggy” — which Branson himself was purportedly deeply saddened over.
Per British Virgin Islands Beach Policy Might Seem Open To The Public, But Don’t Even Try It
According to this BVI Beach Policy pdf document, “Public access: beaches are public spaces that should have free access from any part of the waters to the shores and reasonable access across lands to shores and beaches.” Generally this could suggest that any member of the public might anchor a boat in the waters off of Necker Island and access the beaches (below the high water mark), but in practice it is likely that security is carefully monitoring this private island and would likely escort or point those who try to visit Necker without permission back to their boats.
The One Exception May Have Been A Stroke Of Luck
Branson himself noted that someone had swum to the Necker island from another island to interrupt a meeting he was in to propose a business idea about putting gyms into trains. It didn’t sound like Branson was upset about it or that security blocked his attempt, with Branson commenting that it wasn’t a bad idea except that trains need all their free space for transporting passengers. But, it may have been a stroke of luck that Branson felt merciful that day, so swimming to Necker is highly discouraged.
Book a Private Island Charter
For travelers seeking a private island excursion in the Caribbean, Island Roots Charters offers both USVI & BVI private boat excursions that offer scenery that is very similar to Necker Island. For example, St. John private boat charters trips provide access to hidden beaches, secluded coves, and pristine waters.