St John Day Trip from St Thomas: Island Sightseeing and Snorkeling at Trunk Bay

St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

Enter a world of unsurpassed pristine beauty! Experience Cruz Bay, the capital of St. John, where a national park covers over half of the island. At Trunk Bay, you'll have the opportunity to swim and snorkel at the world famous underwater trail. Book now to have a wonderful day out in the natural surrounds of St. John.

An early morning departure from your hotel takes you on a scenic drive to the East End where you'll embark on a short ferry ride to Cruz Bay, the capital of St. John.

On this island, covered in a national park, you'll enter a world of unsurpassed pristine beauty. Your tour of the park by safari bus includes the historic Danish sugar plantation at Annaberg and a drive to the East End before you stop for lunch.

In the afternoon, you'll go to Trunk Bay for swimming and snorkeling at the world famous underwater trail. You are provided with snorkeling equipment and instruction. There are facilities for changing and showering on the beach.

Your day ends with a brief stop for souvenir shopping at Mongoose Junction before boarding your return ferry home.

Please Note: This tour is not recommended for passengers who would like to pre-arrange an island tour from a Cruise ship. US Customs and Immigration clearances tend to delay passengers disembarkation to coordinate with the early pick-up times.

USD $130.00

Review by:   Judy B,    February 2018
This tour no longer exists. The company was wiped out in the hurricane last fall. We did not find this out until we tried to call Tropic Tours to confirm our pick up time. They told us Viator had been informed of the closure long ago. Viator had sent us our online voucher just days before our departure. I have used Viator many times before and been very happy. This time, however, I am very disappointed, as we wasted several hours of our precious vacation time trying to find out the status of our tour.

Review by:   Jennifer B,    September 2017
Loved this tour....I fell in love with St. John!

Review by:   Andrea H,    August 2017
We really enjoyed this trip. We were picked up at our resort, which was a plus, and driven to Red Hook. We met our tour guide Mr. Charlie who took our lunch order and boarded our ferry to St. John. Once on St. John Mr. Charlie took us all over the Island, stopping to explain native plants and beautiful sights. We feel we really saw the whole island. Lunch was very good and Trunk Bay was amazing, so beautiful. We also saw the National Park, which is so beautiful. At the end of the tour we stopped to do some shopping before heading out to St. Thomas. All in all, a great day. Mr. Charlie and the tour took care of everything.

Review by:   Michael C,    July 2017
This was an awesome day. Our tour guide Jupiter was great, he was very knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor. He lunch and snorkeling was great. Would definitely recommend this if you've never been to the island.

Review by:   melrio913,    May 2017
This trip was the BEST. Charlie was our tour guide and was very passionate about St. John. He explained the history of the island and had us taste plants around the island. The beach ''Trunk Bay'' is HANDS DOWN the nicest beach I have ever seen. The white sand is amazing. There's hardly any rocks in the sand. If I come back, it would definitely be here to St.John!

Review by:   CHRISTINE F,    May 2017
Tropic Tours runs this tour well. Be sure to call them the day before the tour and confirm the pick-up time if you requested being picked up. Pick-up was on time, and the private ferry to and from St. John was a plus. The ferry ride was 15 minutes. Once on St. John, the open air taxi guide stopped at many plants to describe them, provided an overview of the USVI's history, and stopped the taxi numerous times to show some good views from above of the beaches. The Annaberg sugar mill ruins stop was very brief, it would have been nice to have at least 20 to 30 minutes to take a good look around the site. The lunch was wonderful, and spending 2 hours at Trunk Bay was enjoyable. Trunk Bay has a little snack shop, gift shop, and bar, as well as bathrooms and showers.

Review by:   Doyle H,    May 2017
This was an outstanding day trip. Short comfortable ferry ride to the island giving you a view of many other small islands in the area. The trip was made all the more interesting and fun by Jupiter our amazing guide. He was educational, fun and funny, and very personable, and he seemed to know everyone! He gave us info on the island, the town, the history saw an 1800's sugar mill, the flora and fauna, and the beaches. We got to spend several hours at Trunk Bay which is easily one of the prettiest and comfortable water was perfect tempbeaches in the world and has great beach access snorkeling around a small protected island with lots of fish and other animals. Had lunch at the beach and finished the day with a little shopping at the port. Something for everyone. Highly recommended day trip for all ages.

Review by:   CHRISTY F,    May 2017
Tropic Tours runs this tour well. Be sure to call them the day before the tour and confirm the pick-up time if you requested being picked up. Pick-up was on time, and the private ferry to and from St. John was a plus. The ferry ride was 15 minutes. Once on St. John, the open air taxi guide stopped at many plants to describe them, provided an overview of the USVI's history, and stopped the taxi numerous times to show some good views from above of the beaches. The Annaberg sugar mill ruins stop was very brief, it would have been nice to have at least 20 to 30 minutes to take a good look around the site. The lunch was wonderful, and spending 2 hours at Trunk Bay was enjoyable. Trunk Bay has a little snack shop, gift shop, and bar, as well as bathrooms and showers.

Review by:   Mike a,    January 2017
We booked this tour only because it included snorkeling at Trunk Bay. We knew the morning tour included multiple sightseeing events which we endured because we knew we were going to be able to snorkel at Trunk Bay. Upon receiving our lunch, we were told that we would not be snorkeling at Trunk Bay due to hazardous conditions. We understand that this is not anyone's fault, BUT the tour guide stated that they knew that the conditions were hazardous prior to leaving on the tour in the morning. We were not told until lunch time and would have much appreciated this information prior to leaving on the tour in the morning. If a part of the tour is not available, it would seem as though we would have an option to not participate as it doesn't include all that was offered. In addition, the picnic lunch was served from the back of a pick up truck in Styrofoam containers- we were told the place that we would normally picnic was not available. Again, more misinformation. Our advice is to find a different tour.

Review by:   Jennie F,    January 2017
The tour guide was excellent -- very knowledgable and it felt authentic. St. John is paradise, but I enjoyed that he took the time to stop and explain what we were looking at, which just made us appreciate the island that much more.

Review by:   Karen C,    December 2016
We have a wonderful back street tour of St Thomas visiting places I would_br/_ Have never thought of._br/_ The tour was also a very informative insight into the history of the city and people

Review by:   John M,    December 2016
This was a very good tour. Our guide, Jupiter, was very interesting ... and knowledgeable. He was interesting because he has a rega band and travels all over the world. He was knowledgeable because he is VERY familiar with the local flora and fauna. The only thing I would change would be the transfers between taxi and ferry. It would be better if the guide was with us the whole time.

Review by:   Jetson N,    November 2016
Great tour. Had Charlie. He was very knowledgeable about St. Johns. We stopped at many locations. He showed us different edible plants and fruits that were on the island. Lunch was very good as well on a private beach. Snorkeling was fun on Trunk Bay. We stayed mostly on St. Thomas so highly recommend if you want to do a day tour of St. John's.

Review by:   Julie M,    November 2016
Beautiful!! The ship was comfortable, clean and spacious with the staff professional. From the time the ship sailed the 6 of us had snacks and drinks. Snorkeling gear was easily accessable and clean and the crew professionally prepared and knowledgeable on surrounding islands and history. The six of us had a fun, relaxing and fantastic time. Highly recommend this trip!!!!

Review by:   Sharon S,    August 2016
Our tour guide shared a wealth of information about the island and its people. Trunk Bay was great! Around every turn was a breathtaking view. We were very pleased with the tour.

Review by:   Polin L,    July 2016
Great tour of the island. Great snorkeling at Trunk bay.

Review by:   Tod B,    July 2016
Not quite what we expected very unorganized very minimum provided. Chairs and towels would have been nice? Not much for the monies.

Review by:   Annmarie C,    June 2016
Fun and informative trip. Charles, our tour guide was excellent and knew so much about the plants and the history of the island! We spent a couple of hours driving around the national park, stopped at an old sugar mill then had a good lunch at a beautiful deserted beach before taking us to Trunk bay. Would have liked a little more time on this beach stayed an hour and a half and a little less time driving around. It was about an hour too long. Otherwise it was a great tour!

Review by:   Heather D,    June 2016
Local guide Charles was so fantastic and made it and #34;our day. and #34; Lots of fun history and stopped to tell us about the plant life. Best was snorkelling at Trunk Bay- once in a lifetime adventure. Tropic Tours company was prompt and professional. Highly recommend this tour to anyone heading to the USVI

Review by:   Douglas D,    June 2016
We had a great and memorable day with Jupiter. We recommend his tours. The island was beautiful. The tour was comfortable and entertaining. We would do it again.

Review by:   Rodney D,    May 2016
This tour was great. We were picked up at Frenchman's Reef and driven to the ferry where we were met by Charles. Charles led the tour around St. John. He gave a wonderful botanical tour of the island while being personable and warm. An excellent lunch was delivered which was followed by snorkeling. A great day.

Review by:   Stephanie A,    May 2016
My party of nine people all had a fabulous time on this trip! Our tour guide Charlie was fun and informative, and he went above and beyond to show us native plants and fruits of St. John all while giving us a fascinating description of the history of the island. Our entire party would recommend this excursion to anyone!

Review by:   Kenneth M,    April 2016
This trip included a tour of all the outstanding attractions on St. John, including the guide pointing out many of the native plants and their uses.

Review by:   Hugh W,    March 2016
Charlie was great. He started out with a horticulture tour of local plants which my 11 year old found fascinating as he got to eat roadside plants. We all enjoyed the great food at lunch. The time exploring Annaberg ruins could have been a bit longer but it's shorter to spend over 2 hours at Trunk Bay which is gorgeous! Overall the family had a great time and would recommend this as a fun way to see St. John in a day.

Review by:   Deborah L,    February 2016
Our day trip to St. John was wonderful. We usually don't do tours and like to explore on our own. However since our car rental did not allow the car on the ferry, we decided to take the tour. Make sure you ask for Charlie through Tropic Tours. He was such a fun character and shared lots of history about the island. Lunch on a beautiful beach is provided and the snorkeling was great. The scenery is breathtaking. We highly recommend this tour.

Review by:   David N,    February 2016
We had a wonderful day. Our tour guide Charlie was fantastic! A real character who was very knowledgable, helpful and friendly.

Review by:   Elaine D,    January 2016
Our tour guide, Charles, was by far the best tour guide we and #39;ve had in our trip here to USVI. He showed us everything on the island, even pulling over to pull plants/spices/flowers off trees so we could truly learn the culture. And he gave us two full hours of snorkeling at the Trunk Bay! Best trip!

Review by:   Ken M,    December 2015
The Trunk Bay snorkel and swim was amazing. Everyone in our group 14 enjoyed the beach and the beautiful water. Our tour guide was very informative and was very into the flora of the island. We enjoyed the open air ride to our different destinations and the easy-going banter of our guide. Extremely satisfying day!! My rating would be a five.

Review by:   Kelsey P,    November 2015
The guides were full of life and lots of good laughs. This trip was a great way to see a lot of St.John and not feel rushed or over whelmed with information. The truck ride through the twisted roads was an adventure and the guides hand plenty of places for us to stop at. I feel we had plenty of time at Trunk Bay which was absolutely beautiful. If given the opportunity again this would be at the top of my list.

Review by:   Brian E,    October 2015
Excellent! From the time we started on the chartered boat, to the time we left was outstanding! Our guide on St John, Jupiter was knowledgeable, interesting, and engaging. The group of folks on our tour was eclectic, and fit well together although this was by chance. You can locate many of the historic points on a map, to go there. Much of the local lore and who's who isn't available without someone who lives there. What you certainly won't get on your own unless you're a botanist or horticulturist is trying a bay leaf, sugar apple, and morenga plucked right from the bush._br/_ Snorkeling in Trunk Bay, or just hanging out, is fantastic! There's a trail, if you prefer that, or plenty to see on your own. Even if you don't snorkel bring a mask and an underwater camera if possible. There are several types of fish that will come around you when in just 3 feet of water. In spite of the unbelievably clear water they can be hard to see from the surface. We had what appeared to be a species of wrasse resting on our feet, when we were able to hold still. Plenty of angelfish and other shelf dwellers right offshore._br/_ The timing of stops at each point were perfect. Not so fast that you had to rush, and not so long you got bored. Highly suggested tour!

Review by:   Leidy G,    August 2015
The tour started once we were picked up from our hotel, if you require pick up, make sure you call 24 hrs ahead of time to request. You then will be handed over to another person at Red Hook, unfortunately can't remember his name he is very funny and he will take your lunch order. Once this is done, you board the ferry into St. John. Once at St. John you will be handed to another guide, we had Jupiter, he was super hilarious, very knowledgeable. He made a few stops around like a small bakery Try the Apple Fritter, AWESOMENESS, remember that most of St. John is national park, the scenery is beautiful so be sure to have your camara handy. I would definitely recommend doing this tour.

Review by:   Samik B,    June 2015
Loved the trip and everything about it. Guide was energetic and took very good care of us.

Review by:   Diane R,    May 2015
Very unorganized, passed off to 4 different guides throughout the tour._br/_ The guide on St, John was horrible, we spent the first half hour of the trip sitting on the tour bus in a parking llot hearing the guide talk about himself. Guide and your both horrible

Review by:   Diamond,    April 2015
This tour was very informative..

Review by:   Lindsey B,    April 2015
The tour was great. Our guide was Charles and he was very knowledgeable about the island and native plants. We wished there was more beach time during the tour and maybe less driving and stopping to talk about plants.

Review by:   MaryAnn D,    April 2015
This tour was by far one of the best things we did! Our tour guide, Charlie, was amazing! By the end of the tour you didn't want to say goodbye. We really got a feel of what it's like to live on St. Thomas. This tour is a must and we would do it again in a heart beat.

Review by:   Candace R,    December 2014
This tour was amazing!

Review by:   Freida S,    July 2013
Tour guide was very knowledgeable and entertaining. Snorkeling was awesome!

Review by:   Justin R,    June 2013
The guide Charlie was outstanding. He was so knowledgable of the islands flora and fauna as well as the history of St John. It's was a lot of fun!

Review by:   C. R,    November 2012
It would be nice if we had the opportunity to go out of the bus and look at the view and take some photos instead of just sitting inside watching the view. It was really difficult to see anything, when you sat in the right side of the bus as we did. The snorkeling was great, but the one hour shopping afterwards was a disaster - there was hardly any shops, and the ones that were there was just a joke...

Review by:   allan h,    October 2012
The trip started off with a local drive through the neighborhoods where we learned about several tree and plant species. Our driver was very knowledgable and enthusiastic about the vegetation on the island. There were several stops along the way to discuss different varieties. We made a stop at a local bakery for a drink and then went to the sugar plantation which was quite interesting to see, however, the time there was not long enough to see everything except at a whirlwind pace. Lunch at the east end and Coral Bay did not happen. We went from the sugar plantation straight to Trunk Bay for the rest of the day where there was someone waiting with our sandwiches for lunch. I asked the driver if we were going to Coral Bay and he seemed guilty when he shook his head and say, "No." I asked a few other tourists and they remembered we were to go there also. I was disappointed, as that was one of the reasons I signed up for this tour. I have a complaint pending with the company about this and am still waiting to hear back after 1 1/2 weeks .It is said to be in review. Overall, it was an interesting day, but next time I will rent a car and see the whole island.

Review by:   Tiffany P,    September 2012
Amazing tour with an amazing tour guide Jupiter! Lunch was pretty good and the best thing about this tour was TRUNK BAY!!

Review by:   Volodymyr Z,    December 2011
That was really amazing tour with fabulous views, beautiful beach, and nice snorkeling experience. St. John is lush, quiet, and well maintained island. One can enjoy nature there. The guide was affable and told a lot about the island.

Review by:   Connie F,    November 2011
This was an amazing tour. Well worth the money. Our guide was fabulous and knew all about St. John. Our connections from hotel in St. Thomas to ride to ferry, ferry to St. John, meeting up with tour guide on St. John and getting ferry back plus a ride back to our hotel went very smoothly. Like clockwork. Stress free. I have used your company before for other trips and will continue to use it for my future travels.

Review by:   Jerry F,    October 2011
Really enjoyed the tour of St. Johns and the snorkeling at Trunk Bay. Would have liked the tour shorter and the snorkeling longer.

Review by:   Lynda P,    March 2011
We had confirmed a pick up at Secret Harbor on the 3rd but no one showed up. We rescheduled for the 5th as I was taking my friend there to snorkel for the first time as a birthday gift. The day started off great, nice tour and lunch then at 1 p.m. when we were dropped off to snorkel for a couple of hours the life guard had put up a red flag as the water was rough. Then it rained the rest of the day!!! I know its hard to know what the weather is but if we had gone on the Thursday as first planned we could of snorkeled!!! The man I had made the confirmation with on the 3rd had put us at a different hotel and that's why we didn't get picked up at the right place. All in all it was a nice tour.

Review by:   Richard S,    January 2010
The overall trip is worth the price! Have your printed voucher with you when you get picked up from your hotel or you will not be let on the taxi. If you don't take this trip don't rent a car, take the ferry and then a taxi when you get to St. John to get to Trunk Bay. The roads on St. John are very steep and have many hairpin turns once you reach the park area. CONS Unfriendly on the phone when we called to reconfirm our reservation as required according to the voucher. Taxi driver that picked us up from our hotel was also not friendly. I was told the shopping was very good in downtown St. John but we never had the chance to explore it, the part of downtown that we did see was very unimpressive and not worth seeing. The stop at the local bakery was also a waste of time and the bakery items were not very good. Not enough time at Trunk Bay and somewhat crowded due to a cruise ship excursion that was also there. PROS Beautiful beaches and island views! The island tour brought you to places that you would most likely not find on your own. The stop at the old mills was worth the stop for some good pictures and history. Our driver was a 77 year old local man who was very knowledgeable about the area but was difficult to understand at times due to his accent but was very friendly. The tour stops at several locations along the road for photos and views. Trunk Bay has many great features, lifeguards, an underwater snorkel trail, bathrooms and changing areas & concession stand that also rents chairs. The beach area itself also has some tress for shade.

Review by:   Richard S,   United States of America, August 2009
The overall trip is worth the price! Have your printed voucher with you when you get picked up from your hotel or you will not be let on the taxi. If you don't take this trip don't rent a car, take the ferry and then a taxi when you get to St. John to get to Trunk Bay. The roads on St. John are very steep and have many hairpin turns once you reach the park area. CONS Unfriendly on the phone when we called to reconfirm our reservation as required according to the voucher. Taxi driver that picked us up from our hotel was also not friendly. I was told the shopping was very good in downtown St. John but we never had the chance to explore it, the part of downtown that we did see was very unimpressive and not worth seeing. The stop at the local bakery was also a waste of time and the bakery items were not very good. Not enough time at Trunk Bay and somewhat crowded due to a cruise ship excursion that was also there. PROS Beautiful beaches and island views! The island tour brought you to places that you would most likely not find on your own. The stop at the old mills was worth the stop for some good pictures and history. Our driver was a 77 year old local man who was very knowledgeable about the area but was difficult to understand at times due to his accent but was very friendly. The tour stops at several locations along the road for photos and views. Trunk Bay has many great features, lifeguards, an underwater snorkel trail, bathrooms and changing areas & concession stand that also rents chairs. The beach area itself also has some tress for shade.

Review by:   Daniel A,    August 2008
The St. John tour could be a little shorter and more snorkeling. The driver that we had was on the rude side. Worth doing again though.

Review by:   Jim P,    August 2008
It's beautiful and driving on your own would be too much of a hassle.