Virgin Islands Itinerary
My 6-Day Active Itinerary - St. Thomas, St. John, British Virgin Islands
From the tasty food and drinks, to the sounds of the crushing turquoise and blue waters, the beauty of the wonder waves, the warm sand and comforting breeze, and the sunset across the Caribbean seas that had me gazing at the stars in the sky. My Virgin Islands experience was an amazing experience to remember. Every adventure fed my soul with peace and happiness.
It is a cold December morning, and I am about to experience the sunny Virgin Islands for the first time. My hand luggage is packed, my itinerary is ready, and I can’t wait to explore another slice of the earth.
Remember, a perfect experience is one where the itinerary can be easily moved around, and every unexpected experience becomes an even better experience.
Day 1: Up the Mountain Top – My Mini Welcome to St. Thomas
Day 1 was a half day since I arrived to St. Thomas in the afternoon. I was lucky to have my amazing childhood friend pick me up from the airport and drive me to the world famous mountain top (Crown Mountain) to experience the beautiful view of Magen Bay.
In this location, you will walk through a large souvenir shop and you can also enjoy a banana daquiri. It is an amazing location to welcome yourself to the beautiful Virgin Islands. Take your time and take in the beautiful scenery.
Day 2: Explored the beautiful Island on a ‘Flavors of St. Thomas’ Walking Food Tour
I booked this tour on Viator. It was a wonderful tour with an enthusiastic and fun tour leader who had great insight about the people of St. Thomas and the island. I thoroughly enjoyed the delicious food and drinks, and meeting and sharing great laughs with 8 other people.
The tour started and ended at Fort Christian, so I had the opportunity to wander around the beautiful Main street after the tour.
If you want to walk around St. Thomas learning about some culture and history, whiles enjoying great meals and drinks at different restaurants and cafes, then this tour is for you.
Read more about my food tasting tour here.
Day 3: Beach Hopping on St. John Island taking in the breathtaking beauty.
Picture this – a ride on a ferry on the beautiful Caribbean seas, a ride on a safari taxi up and down winding hills with amazing water views, beach sand, warm sun rays, and the changing colors of the beautiful sea – that was my experience.
I had a wonderful experience beach hopping on St. John Island. I took the ferry from Red Hook in St. Thomas to Cruz Bay in St. John. I was able to jump on a safari taxi right outside and head to Trunk Bay Beach. Don’t miss Trunk Bay Beach – the beach is simply gorgeous, the waves are calming, and you will find food and drinks here.
My beach hopping experience also included a visit to Maho Bay, Cinammon Bay Beach, and Hawksnest Beach. I had an amazing time at each beach relaxing, walking, and enjoying the beautiful turquoise water and breeze.
Read more about my beach hopping day on St. John Island.
Day 4: A Gorgeous Afternoon on the British Virgin Island
The original plan was to visit the Baths National Park on the British Virgin Islands, but…..I ended up on the opposite side of the island when I took the wrong ferry. Oops! As always, I made the best of the situation, and found myself at an amazing beach – Cane Garden Bay in Tortola. The area is filled with restaurants, shops, bars, mountains, and the oldest rum distillery.
I enjoyed fried plantain, beef patties, and a pina colada on the warm sand. I did a lot of walking too, and crossed the street to the rum distillery, but it was closed on a Sunday.
This is a great place for a day trip from St. Thomas. It is less than a 30 minute ferry ride.
Day 5: A beautiful day on the trails (Lind Point Trail, St. John Island)
This was an absolute happy and active day. I rode the ferry from St. Thomas with my amazing childhood friend and her son to Cruz Bay in St. John. The goal was to hike Ram Head trail in St. John, but when transportation to the trail head was proving difficult, we switched plans, and walked 5 minutes from the ferry port to the Lind Point trail head. It was a wonderful hike which lead us to absolutely beautiful beaches – Salomon Beach and Honeymoon Beach.
You can make this a hike and beach day. Read more about my experience here.
Day 5 Continued: On a whim I booked a Sunset Sail
On the ferry back from hiking on St. John Island, I booked a sunset sail. This was one of the best decisions I made on this trip. From the exceptional crew, to the amazing people I met on the boat, to the beautiful sunset, views of the mountains and all round breathtaking views, I simply did not want this sunset sail to end. I enjoyed great conversation, good music and drinks.
Don’t miss out on this experience.
After the boat docked, I followed the sound of steel drums in the distance and spent another hour and half dancing to great live music by a pool with the beach as a backdrop. It was a special night.
Day 6: Up the Mountain Top – My Mini Farewell to St. Thomas
My last day on the Virgin Islands was bittersweet. Someone once said, “Don’t be sad that your trip is over, be grateful you had the chance to have the experience”. I tried to hold on to this on my last day on the Island.
The best part, my childhood friend and I made it up Crown Mountain again to experience the beautiful Magen Bay before I leave. This time I purchased some souvenirs, and we enjoyed delicious banana daquiri.
Tip: Don’t forget to be very flexible with your itinerary. Things happen on vacation, so don’t let it ruin your experience. Smile and move things around.
As disappointing as unexpected changes can be in a moment, the alternative experiences can be even better.
Here are a few unexpected changes I had to make on this trip:
Day 2: A cancelled Sunset Sail. I originally booked the Sunset Sail for Day 2. This was so exciting because our boat was going to be in the once a year lighted Christmas boat parade. Unfortunately, due to heavy rains it was cancelled. As disappointing as it was, this experience was replaced by a fun evening with my wonderful childhood friend and her beautiful family on a warm rainy Caribbean night.
Day 4: A missed opportunity to visit the Baths National Park. Imagine my surprise when I realized I took the wrong ferry to the British Virgin Islands. I ended up in Tortola instead of Virgin Gorda on a day when ferries were not running frequently. The experience that replaced this – a pristine beach and an unexpected historical tour of a beautiful town.
Day 5: No bus or taxi to take us to Ram Head trail. We quickly found another trail 5 mins walk from the ferry at Cruz Bay in St. John. This change in trail took us to the two most beautiful beaches I have ever seen.
Day 5 Evening. 
. Remember the canceled Christmas parade Sunset Sail from Day 2? On a whim, I booked a Sunset Sail for Day 5. On this sail, I met the most wonderful boat crew who put everyone at ease so much so that, I got over my fear of being on a boat. I also got the chance to listen to amazing live music from steel drums after the sail.
A perfect experience is one where an itinerary remains flexible, and every unexpected experience turns into an even better experience.
I hope you always choose open roads to a new adventure.
~Eliza
Questions about my itinerary? Email me at choosingopenroads@gmail.com
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