US Virgin Islands

The US Virgin Islands wear two very different faces, and both of them are unforgettable. Here in this small chain of islands, the wild unspoiled beauty of protected national parkland exists side by side with the swaggering, sun-soaked history of the Caribbean's most notorious pirates. The result is an archipelago unlike anything else in the region — part paradise, part legend, entirely captivating. I came here looking for beautiful photographs and left with something closer to an adventure.