Home > St. Thomas > St Thomas Shore Excursion: Mangrove Lagoon Kayak and Snorkel Tour
USD $55.00
St Thomas Shore Excursion: Mangrove Lagoon Kayak and Snorkel Tour
St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands
Hop off your cruise ship and head over to the marina on Bovoni Road for a St. Thomas shore excursion on Mangrove Lagoon! Spend a few hours on this protected sanctuary and take part in an eco-adventure of a lifetime. Kayak and snorkel through the crystal-clear waters and take in breathtaking views of the surrounding islands and tropical marine life. A perfect way to see the beautiful sights of St. Thomas before heading back to your cruise ship!
The southern coast of St. Thomas is home to the attractive and protected Mangrove Lagoon Wildlife Sanctuary and Marine Preserve. An area of exceptional natural beauty, it embraces islands, rocky cliffs, sea grass beds, salt ponds and panoramic ridge lines. These areas preserve a rich habitat for coral reef fish and invertebrates and are home to nesting egrets, pelicans, blue herons and terns.
Led by your nature guide, you’ll travel through the protected Inner Mangrove Lagoon Marine Reserve to Long Point at Patricia Cay. Here, you'll kayak among the many small islands of the mangrove lagoon.
As you paddle through the clear blue water, keep an eye out for sting rays and spotted rays, as they often glide right beneath you. Occasionally they'll jump in the air and put on a show!
Next, it's time to don a mask and snorkel to explore the coral-fringed mangroves of the sanctuary. Don't worry if this is your first time snorkeling. The professional guides offer snorkeling instruction, point out the marine life and discuss the diverse mangrove ecosystem. Following the snorkel, you'll enjoy a leisurely 20-minute paddle back to the marina.
If you select the hiking option, you'll hike the pristine deserted island of Cas Cay. An important part of the Virgin Islands Park System, Cas Cay is a 15-acre wildlife preserve for white-cheeked pintail ducks, red-billed and white-tailed tropic birds, brown pelicans, oyster catchers, roseate terns, egrets, herons and sandpipers. Enjoy many breathtaking views of tidal pools and the island's unique blowhole from coral and shell beaches at the base of volcanic cliffs.
Worry-free Shore Excursion: We will ensure your excursion ends with ample time for you to return to St. Thomas for your ship’s departure. In the rare event your ship has departed, we will arrange for transportation to the next port-of-call. See our terms and conditions for full details.
We really enjoyed this tour with Skylar and the team. Very knowledgeable guides who took us through the mangroves to the island of hermit crabs, there was so many! We walked to where the sea met the rocks, again this was a fantastic photo opportunity. We saw many fish whilst snorkelling including stingray, barracuda, conch and lobster. If you visit St Thomas, definitely take a trip out to these guys. High recommended
Review by: Sue, January 2018
We had a fantastic time with the combination of kayaking, snorkeling and also a small hike to Red Point. Our guide Ronnie was amazing. He was very knowledgeable about marine life, biology and the mangroves. We really enjoyed the small group of 8 versus 30 plus on the cruise ship. The small group was like a private tour. We were able to get to Red Point and take tons of photos of the waves crashing on the red rocks and making these wonderful huge splashes before the big cruise ship tour got there. The marine life was amazing to see in the roots of the mangroves and also at the sunken boat with a lot of fish resting there. The frozen chocolates was a special treat from Ronnie that we needed for a great source of energy for the kayak going back. Overall, I would recommend this trip if you prefer the smaller group and like a sense of adventure of kayaking to an island, hiking and seeing nature, snorkeling and kayaking back.
Review by: Katherine H, July 2017
We had a great time with Dyame who was very knowledgeable about the ecosystem.
Review by: Christina W, April 2017
This tour was amazing!
Review by: t1hebert, March 2017
Getting a taxi took us 20 minutes and 25 minutes to get there, so allow enough time if leaving from a cruise ship._br/_ Michael and Richard were great guides! Very informative and willing to answer any questions._br/_ I wish there would have been some place to test the mask out because mine had a smallannoying leak._br/_ The hike was well worth it, we saw a lot of sea life in the tide pools.
Review by: MICHAEL C, April 2016
We had a wonderful time on this excursion, I had my husband and three adult children with me, and we all had so much fun. The staff was great, and the two guides were awesome. I would suggest this excursion to my family and friends!
Review by: Mark G, December 2015
We have our own kayak but kayacking in the mangrove lagoon was simply amazing! an unforgettable experience, the tour leader was also very kind and explained in detail.
Review by: alicia, October 2015
Great excursion. Jason, our guide, was wonderful. My 10-year old daughter had a million questions, and he was happy to answer all of them. There was a strong current, so the kayaking was harder than I expected, as was the snorkeling. We didn't see too much snorkeling but did find one ray and some fish. The hike was beautiful, and the crabs and blow hole were a big hit. I would definitely recommend this excursion.
Review by: David T, September 2015
The mile long kayak was pretty but unexpectedly long. Snorkeling without fins was difficult and with the quantity of individuals on the tour there were many feet to the face. The water was shallow so you came upon obstacles that were difficult to navigate around.
Review by: Colleen B, July 2015
Great time. We had a small group so really got to experience everything up close and personal. Guide Jai was great especially with my 12 year old son. The snorkeling was fantastic and a great first time experience for my kids and BF. Plan to do it again next year with my oldest daughter and her husband
Review by: Charles F, June 2015
Great Tour and great guides. We were so happy we booked separate from the cruise ships. We had a group of 12 and the cruise ship group came in after us with a group of 40.
Review by: Ruth b, April 2015
They were very accommodating. The ship let us off late and they easily rescheduled us to the afternoon time or would have refunded us the cost. We really enjoyed the entire tour. Very fun. For some reason the water wasn't as clear as it normally was and we thought the coral would have been more colorful. The tour guide was fun, friendly and knowledgeable. She and they were very helpful in that we lost a pair of shoes on the island while snorkeling. She tried hard to find them. They gave us a pair of shoes to wear when we left. They found them later and mailed them back to us at no cost to us. Top notch customer service.
Review by: Ali M, March 2015
This tour was amazing!
Review by: Marilyn S, January 2015
The best thing about this trip was that we didn't book it on the ship. Then have to stand around waiting for everyone to get off the ship etc. we got off the ship got a taxi which was $9 each. There was a big group going from the ship. Our group was just us. So very one on one.
Review by: Murry M, December 2014
A great experience. The personnel were very accommodating and cared about what they were dong and the participant experience. The history the island and the stories about the wildlife made the trip interesting. Jake, our guide, was fantastic! He was personable, knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor. He made sure everyone felt confident and comfortable and that we learned some interesting background about the wildlife, geography and history of the area. Couldn't ask for a better guide!
Review by: Kent S, November 2014
This was one of our favorite excursions on the entire cruise. Learning about the Mangrove trees was fascinating. Kayaking and snorkeling were well worth it; we even saw and got some pictures of a juvenile Lemon Shark in the lagoon. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the environment and made the trip very fun. I would do this trip again!
Review by: Earnest L, August 2014
Better than expected great guid much fun
Review by: David W, March 2014
Beautiful area to see. Too many people at one place for snorkeling. Guide was just OK,
Review by: hj d, February 2014
Enthousiastic guide with know how
Review by: Susan P, January 2014
Because of the time difference between the ship and the land, we ran almost an hour late for our tour. However, our wonderful guide, Alexander, gave us a private and personal snorkel and kayak tour. He was terrific and we would definately book privately with him in the future!
Review by: lea m, October 2013
great trip and great team- travis was wonderful. we really enjoyed all parts pf the trip- the kayaking, the hiking, and the snorkeling. we could have had one huge problem if we would have taken the late itinerary- like we planned on the beggining.there's no way we could have been on the ship on time. so it's a huge mistake taking the afternoon excursion (we would have finished by 16:10- not enough time to be on board at 16:30 -the last time to return the ship). besides that- great great experience !
Review by: Lauren C, June 2013
This tour was a lot of fun and our guide (Jason) was fantastic. He was very accommodating with our group and took great pictures for us.
Review by: Jim N, April 2013
It was a fantastic journey. The water was so clear and fresh and the fish were out of this world and the guides were fantastic - great time!
Review by: Jennifer R, April 2013
My husband went on this tour and really enjoyed it very much. The guides were experienced and presented the information well.
Review by: Lisa B, February 2013
Great kayaking and snorkeling trip with Zulu. Zulu made it our own personal trip and would definitely book again.
Review by: Mariann W, November 2012
It could have been an easy paddle but it turned into a race so I couldn't really enjoy the surrounding areas
Review by: debbieparker22, April 2012
We had so much fun on our Kayaking tour, and our guide was awesome. We loved the snorkeling opportunity in the shallow water and even got to see a string ray.
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