St Thomas Shore Excursion – US Virgin Islands

When arriving in port at St. Thomas, in the US Virgin Islands, you can not help but be in awe of the beauty of the place.  Rolling hills, vast landscapes, the resorts, the houses perched on the hillsides, and deep blue water.  It is all just breathtaking.  St. Thomas was the second stop (after Amber Cove) on our 7 day Eastern Caribbean cruise with Carnival and it was one of our favorites.  Before we had even gone on our St Thomas shore excursion, we were in love with the place!

Disclaimer: We were guests of the USVI Visitors Bureau. However, as always, all opinions are my own.

Picking a St Thomas Excursion

It’s never easy picking a shore excursion when cruising, there are always so many great options. St Thomas has excursions for all kinds of traveler. Zip lines, parasailing, snorkeling, kayaking, rum tours and secluded beaches to name a few.  With help from the local Visitor Center, we decided on a guided snorkel, hike, and kayak excursion at Mangrove Lagoon.

TOP TIP: Always make the time to go to the Visitor Center or Tourism Office – not only will you receive a warm welcome, but you can get advice on great lunch spots, a map and any other tips you may need!

Where to eat in Havensight, St Thomas

After checking in for our tour and getting lunch recommendations at the Visitor Center, we explored a little. Havensight is the area nearest the St Thomas cruise port.  There are lots of shops, restaurants and entertainment on offer. Havensight is about a 5-10 minute taxi ride from downtown St Thomas.  We enjoyed the shops, picked up a few souvenirs, and then enjoyed lunch at The Smoking Rooster.

Payton enjoyed a baked macaroni and cheese that was served in a sizzling skillet. John chose the wings, and I decided on the fries covered in brisket and cheese.  Everything was delectable!  The Smoking Rooster offers indoor and outdoor seating – and we chose to enjoy the weather outside.  There was also live music playing while we dined. The atmosphere was relaxing and welcoming, so I would recommend it when you’re exploring Havensight.

Our St Thomas Shore Excursion: Kayaking at Mangrove Lagoon

Getting to the Mangrove Lagoon

The lagoon is approximately 20 minutes drive by taxi from Havensight. Thankfully, I was not the one driving us to the excursion, as they drive on the lefthand side of the road here!  Up until this point, we had enjoyed lunch, a casual stroll in the market, and a little shopping for souvenirs, and a taxi ride to the excursion. Only to find that we were late and had missed the guided tour!  

How embarrassing – I am a travel agent that is very familiar with time changes.  We had misunderstood ship time as local time which was not the case.  Thankfully, the staff at Mangrove Lagoon were very understanding and helpful.  Instead of turning us away, they provided us with a map, instructions, and a kayak so that we could explore on our own!

Kayaking on Mangrove Lagoon

We kayak a lot in our home state waters, so we were comfortable with the equipment. Mangrove Lagoon is great for beginners though. The waters are shallow and calm; and there is so much wildlife to see.  We enjoyed kayaking and relaxing on our way through the lagoon in the direction of the ocean.

Hiking to the breakwater

We arrived at the beach area easily, only to find the kayaks that belonged to the group we were assigned to be with.  Better late than never I suppose! After pulling our kayak up on shore, we proceeded to hike the surrounding area.  The waters and grounds were simply gorgeous!

We hiked all the way to the transition line of the breakwater between the ocean and the lagoon. It was amazing to watch the invisible line that broke all of the waves and turned them into calm and still waters.  Nature is an amazing spectacle when you take the time to really see all that it has to offer.  After spending some time here, we walked back to our kayak and headed back to the quiet lagoon.

Wildlife

After returning to the kayak, Payton wanted to play in the water with the fish swimming nearby before starting the journey back. The water was unbelievably clear. One of the trip guides introduced us to ‘George’, the barracuda. A regular visitor to the kayak tours apparently!

St Thomas Shore Excursion

St Thomas is one of those enchanting places that makes you want to stay longer. The people are friendly, the waters are clear and captivating, and there’s so much to do on your shore excursions! As we watched the sunset over the harbour from the cruise ship (on our way to Puerto Rico) and vowed to return to St Thomas.

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