Caribbean

Get Ready for St. John Carnival. It’s still on for this year. Read on to see what it’s like!

Peter Langer St. John , , , , , , ,
Get Ready for St. John Carnival. It’s still on for this year. Read on to see what it’s like!

As we prepare to celebrate the fourth of July here stateside, we thought we thought it would be fun to write about how it is celebrated on St. John.  The great news is that it is still on for this year!!!The biggest annual event in the U.S. Virgin Islands each year is Carnival. It’s held at a different time of year on each island, and they each have their own distinct flavor! The St. Thomas Carnival festivities take place during April-May, St. Croix’s is around Christmas, and St. John’s celebration culminates with the Fourth of July.

St. John Carnival, or St. John Festival is in full swing right now! There are events for a full month leading up to the parade and fireworks on July 4th. Some of the highlights each year include ‘Pan-o-Rama’- a night of live Caribbean steel pan music, the Prince & Princess and Queen selection pageants, and Food Fair- a full day of local food, drinks, crafts, and other goodies. The ‘Festival Village’, a collection of local food and drink booths surrounding a huge stage with various live bands performing each night is a local favorite.  If you enjoy adult beverages, we can definitely vouch for the drinks at the Electric Lemonade stand.  Definitely gets you in the mood to dance to the music.  Thursday night/Friday morning, July 4th at 4am is the start of another fun event- J’ouvert! Revelers gather in Cruz Bay to dance through the streets behind large trucks featuring their favorite bands.

Friday, July 4th is parade day, beginning at 11am. It’s always a fun and lively event, with great music, colorful costumes, festive ‘troupes’ dancing through the streets, Mocko Jumbie  stilt walkers, baton twirlers, steel bands, and above all, an energetic and entertaining crowd! Friday night at 9pm the fireworks display will begin over Cruz Bay Harbor. Locals and visitors alike will gather on the shore to watch the beautiful explosions erupt over the ocean! It truly is a magical sight, with the outline of St. Thomas in the background to illuminate the horizon.   The very best spot to view the fireworks is definitely right from the balcony of St. John Escape.  There will be one last night of live music and revelry in the ‘Festival Village’ to mark the end of another successful Carnival!

Here are some photos I took at Carnival last year.

 

Snorkeling on St. John – Does It Get Any Better

Peter Langer St. John , , , , , , , , ,
snorkeling on st john

Anyone that’s been to St. John, knows that snorkeling on St. John offers more great shore snorkel spots than probably any other Caribbean island. From beginners to seasoned snorkelers alike, there is something for everyone. View gorgeous underwater gardens of coral and visit with the residents; turtles, rays, octopuses, moray eels and an abundance of fish large and small.

If you know where to go, you can find a variety of healthy fish populations.. You can also find healthy soft and hard corals, including a great deal of Elkhorn Coral around the island and colorful sea fans around the island.  St John also has areas with interesting underwater topography that have cool areas to explore, like caves, big boulders and walls.

 

While there are many boat tour options on St. John that can be lots of fun, you can access nearly all the best locations for free from shore. And if you are interested in renting a kayak or a dinghy, there are a couple of great areas easily paddled to that are in fairly protected water. And no matter what the wind direction, you can always find some place calm to snorkel.

St John snorkel
We have snorkeled just about all of the spots, including those right from the beach, as well as the off shore locations. We will share our favorite spots and how to get the most out of them in future posts. If you know where to go, you can find a variety of fish species and coral. We hope to help you better understand why St. John is such a snorkeling paradise.

Escape to Ram Head and Salt Pond

Peter Langer St. John , , , , , , , , ,
Ram Head and Salt Pond

Ever wonder what you would see if you hiked the Ram Head trail?  Well tag along as we take  you on a photo and video journey to the summit of Ram Head, starting out at Salt Pond.  We start off hiking along Salt Pond Bay and then head inland, walking across Blue Cobblestone beach, past amazing cactus fields, before reaching the summit of Ram Head.  The reward for getting to the top is the amazing panoramic view.  On the way back we will pass the actual Salt Pond that the beach is named after, before we get to Drunk Bay and see the rock statues.  This is an amazing hike and one of our favorites.  Enjoy the views!!

 

 

Day 7 of Your Perfect Week on St. John

Peter Langer St. John , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Salt Pond st. john

End your vacation with a finale so amazing it will bring you back to St. John—over and over again.   Make sure to bring plenty of water and sun protection because the southeast end of St. John is hot!

Salt Pond St. John

Drive nearly four miles south of Coral Bay to Salt Pond, or you can even take the public bus which runs on a fairly reliable schedule between the Cruz Bay ferry dock and the parking lot of Salt Pond for only $1 per person each way.  From the parking lot you walk on a wide, rocky trail through arid, scrub land to Salt Pond beach where there is excellent snorkeling and another great chance to swim with sea turtles.

Ram Head St. John

 

Neighboring Ram Head point can be reached by a mile long trail beginning at the southern end of of the Salt Pond beach.  The red rock strewn path, a favorite for full moon hikes, leads to a blue cobblestone beach before switch-backing up to the the 360 degree viewpoint.

Ram Head St. John

As you stand 200 feet above the Caribbean Sea, with views of the sparkling waters below and the endless ocean stretching as far as the eye can see, you will be left humbled and awestruck–no matter how many times you take in the amazing sight.

Another quarter-mile trail from Saltpond beach leads to the pond where sea salt accumulates during the summer, hence the beach’s name.  The trail continues past the salt pond to Drunk Bay where visitors often arrange the stones of the beach to create a reminder of their adventures on St. John.

 

 

 

Day 5 of Your Perfect Week on St. John

Peter Langer St. John , , , , , , , , , , , 0 Comment
Watermelon Bay st john

On the fifth day of your perfect week we would suggest you head on over to see the Annaberg ruins and then take the Leinster Bay trail to Waterlemon Cay.  Begin by taking a taxi or park your car near the historical Annaberg sugar plantation ruins where you will see breathtaking views of Mary Point, Leinster Bay, and the BVIs.  By following the signs, you will learn about the island’s sugar cane plantation era while touring through the sugar factory ruins.

Annaberg ruins st john

A short walk down the hill from the Annaberg site, you will find the Leinster Bay trail which follows the old Danish road along the shore.  The trail leads to one of the best snorkel sites on the island, Waterlemon Cay.  Here you will have the best odds for seeing the greatest variety of underwater species, including sea turtles, starfish, spotted eagle rays, all of the colorful reef fish and maybe even a harmless nurse shark.

If you still have some energy left you can head from Watermelon to the Johnny Horn Trail, a hike that leads all the way to Coral Bay.

Here’s a video of some folks taking the Leinster Bay trail to Waterlemon.  When you do snorkel, just don’t touch the sea creatures like they do.

Travel Tip created by Leslie and Peter in association with Vacation Soup

Day 4 of Your Perfect Week on St. John

Peter Langer St. John , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment
Day 4 of Your Perfect Week on St. John

You could spend the entire fourth day of your week exploring just the north shore .  The north shore provides access to numerous white sand beaches that have calm waters perfect for swimming in the sea and relaxing in the sand.

Hawksnest Beach

The first beach accessible by road will be Hawksnest, which is perfect for a long swim and a great snorkel among the elk horn coral right from the beach.  Right past Hawksnest you can stop at Gibney/Oppenheimer beach which was formerly home to the famous tire swing.  The beach area is still beautiful, but the palm trees here have taken a hit from Hurricane Irma.  There are still some palms left and I have seen new ones sprouting up from the fallen coconuts.

View from Peace Hill

If you want a short hike to a great view point, stop at Peace Hill and you will get a terrific panoramic view of the area.  Continuing on North Shore Road, you will get to the small parking lot at Jumbie Bay, an intimate beach on the west end of Trunk Bay with views of the British Virgin Islands and the north shore cays.  There is a reef that extends out from each end of the beach at Jumbie and is close enough to shore to make novice snorkelers feel more at ease, but it also opens to the more challenging deep-water reefs between Jumbie and Trunk Bay for the more adventuresome.

Jumbie Bay

Now you could revisit Trunk and Cinnamon Bays or keep going until you reach Maho, a favorite of both locals and visitors.  Maho is a great place to snorkel with turtles in the seagrass beds about 50 yards off shore.  The landscape around Maho has seen considerable change since Hurricane Irma and will take some time to get back to what previous visitors might remember.  By following the road a couple of miles past Maho you will end your day at the sweeping beach of beautiful Francis Bay.

Francis Bay

Travel Tip created by Leslie and Peter in association with Vacation Soup

Honeymoon Beach Update

Peter Langer St. John , , , , , , , , , , , 0 Comment
St John Honeymoon Beach

Like most every beach on St. John, most people are struck with just how much Honeymoon captures the whole “paradise on earth” theme.   There is no doubt that this perception of Honeymoon will not change for people who visit after Irma.  This beach is still gorgeous, and is in fact, wider than before the storm.  Honeymoon contains the magnificent qualities common to all of St. John’s north shore beaches, sugar white sand and clear, turquoise water.

Currently,  there are only two ways to get to Honeymoon.  You can go by boat or dinghy, but nowadays since Caneel is closed, almost everyone arrives by Lind Point trail.  We’ll cover this trail in another update, but walking along this forest path trail gives you the chance to really enjoy the peace and beauty of the unspoiled interior of St. John.

We prefer walking to Honeymoon on the Lind Point trail, right from St. John Escape.    It is a little over a mile from Cruz Bay to  Honeymoon.  The trail starts at the steps just beyond the National Park visitor center.  Since the option of parking at Caneel and then walking over is not possible at the moment, you can actually catch a dinghy ride offered by Virgin Islands Ecotours roundtrip to  Honeymoon right from the beach in front of Grande Bay.

Here’s a short video clip to give you a sense of how Honeymoon is #stillbeautiful.  If this doesn’t make you want to visit, I don’t know what will 🙂

 

Travel Tip created by Leslie and Peter in association with Vacation Soup

Day 3 of Your Perfect Week on St. John

Peter Langer St. John , , , , , , , , , , , , , 0 Comment
Day 3 of Your Perfect Week on St. John

Here is an adventure involving a hike that most active visitors will really enjoy, but you must wear comfortable shoes (no flip flops) and bring along plenty of water.  The Reef Bay trailhead begins nearly 5 miles from Cruz Bay on Centerline Road and descends about 2.5 miles down to the south shore beach.  Along the shady, damp trail you will find a diversity of plants and the remains of sugar cane estates and abandoned farming communities.

There are usually two options to do the Reef Bay trail hike.  The hard core way is to hike down and back up for a total of 5 miles.  If you are in decent shape it shouldn’t be too difficult.  The other option is to take the guided walk organized by the National Park Service, whereby you walk down with a guide and then take a scenic boat ride back into Cruz Bay.

There is a not to be missed short side trail near the bottom of the hike.  About 1.5 miles down the Reef Bay Trail, you can follow signs leading to the petroglyphs–rock carvings attributed to early Taino Indians marked along freshwater pools.  If you are lucky enough to do this hike shortly after it rains you will be rewarded with a beautiful waterfall.

 

When you reach the bottom of the Reef Bay trail you also have the option to wander down the Lameshur Bay trail, which continues another 1.2 miles from the junction with the Reef Bay trail.  Once you get to Lameshure Bay you will be treated to a south shore beach with white sand and turquoise waters.  There are also some great photo ops of the ruins that you will find there.

If you still want to hike some more there is another spur trail that leads to a salt pond and a coral rubble beach at Europa Bay.

Travel Tip created by Leslie and Peter in association with Vacation Soup

Day 2 of Your Perfect Week on St. John

Peter Langer St. John , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment
Day 2 of Your Perfect Week on St. John

If you’re the active type, why not start the day by working up a sweat on the Cinnamon Bay trail, followed by cooling off and relaxing at Cinnamon Bay beach.  Head a few minutes past Trunk Bay down the North Shore road until you reach Cinnamon Bay, either in your own jeep or take one of St. John’s open air taxis.

Cinnamon beach is the National Park’s longest beach.  It’s almost a mile long and is perfect for walking, snorkeling, water sports, and of course, lounging.  Right now Cinnamon is still recovering from Hurricane Irma, so the water sports concession is closed as is the campground.  The beach however, is open and still beautiful.

Ah, now for the working up a sweat part.  Before you head to the beach you can take an uphill hike that begins right after the Cinnamon Bay Campground entrance off of the North Shore Road.  The moderately strenuous trail follows an old Danish plantation road and provides breathtaking views down onto Cinnamon Bay and the British Virgins Islands in the distance.  Those that make it to the top will see the ruins of an old plantation that happens to be one of my favorite photo ops.

Travel Tip created by Leslie and Peter in association with Vacation Soup