Repeat island tour guests invited me to take the ferry to Jost van Dyke with them yesterday, and we had so much fun! It was such an easy process that I thought I would share the details with all of you.
Let’s start with logistics. Jost van Dyke is an island in the British Virgin Islands. It takes about 30 minutes to get there by boat. Because it is another country, you need a passport to visit and, upon arrival, you will need to clear through customs and immigration. Jost has numerous popular beach bars, including Soggy Dollar Bar and Foxy’s, as well as beautiful white sandy beaches. It is a great place to spend the day.
There are several ways to get to Jost. You can rent a private boat (Dulce Vita Sails, Flyaway Charters, Island Roots Boat Charters, Palm Tree Charters, or Sunshine Daydream Boat Charters are all great!), or you can hop on a group trip. If you simply want to go to Jost and back, the ferry is an easy alternative.
Inter Island Boat Services offers ferry service between Cruz Bay and Jost van Dyke every Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday. The cost is $120 for adults and $100 for children ages three to 11. Children two and under are free. There is an additional $30 per person for customs that you pay directly to the British Virgin Islands government upon arrival. Children five and under are exempt from this fee.
The ferry leaves at 8 a.m. They ask that you arrive 45 minutes early, which is rough for this island girl. We arrived at 7:40 a.m., and we were some of the last passengers on the boat. The ferry left promptly at 8 a.m., and we pulled into Great Harbour, Jost van Dyke at 8:30 a.m.
We waited in line for about 15 minutes before we handed our passports over to get stamped at the first window. We then paid $10 each at the next window. After that, we went outside and then back inside to a separate section of the building where we had to pay an additional $20 departure tax. We were told to keep the stamped receipt, which we needed to show when we left at the end of the day. By 8:53 a.m., we were walking down the street to Tipsy Shark for breakfast.
Mike, Dalton, and I sat for breakfast and enjoyed the view for about an hour before taking a taxi over to White Bay, home of Soggy Dollar Bar. We had a great breakfast at Tipsy Shark, and it was reasonably priced too. I would definitely go back.
The taxi from Great Harbour (where Foxy’s, Ali Baba’s, and Corsair’s are located, among other great spots) to White Bay (Soggy Dollar, Gertrude’s, and Hendo’s are a few spots here) took about five or so minutes. The cost for the three of us was $20.
The taxi dropped us off at Soggy Dollar Bar at 10:15 a.m. and we stayed there until 3:30 p.m. It was the perfect amount of time. Dalton made a ton of new friends throughout the day, so he was busy playing in the water and building sandcastles while Mike and I visited with friends and indulged in a cocktail or two. I was excited to see that Soggy Dollar now offers blended drinks. I tried the Buskwacker (two actually!), and they were delicious!
A taxi was waiting for us when it was time to head back to Great Harbour to catch the ferry back home. It left promptly at 4 p.m. and we were in line at US Customs & Immigration at 4:30 p.m. We were at the end of the line, so clearing in took about 15 minutes. We handed the officer our passports and were on our way within minutes.
Taking the ferry is an inexpensive option when you simply want to visit Jost van Dyke, but it in no way can replace the experience of hiring a licensed boat charter company. The ferry was simply a way of getting from A to B. I prefer booking a private charter when looking to get the real British Virgin Islands experience. Regardless of how you get there, I love a good BVI boat trip day. Yesterday felt like a vacation, and that was beyond lovely.
And for those of you who enjoy watching Dalton’s adventures, you can follow him on Instagram now at www.instagram.com/daltonsislandlife.
Have a great day everyone!
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Thank you for the updated information! We wanted to take the ferry in 2023 but was unsure how it worked. This is awesome first hand info. Thank you
Thanks Jenn – we are headed there in early Feb with visitors – this is so helpful!
Thanks for the info! Coming in August. Gonna book a tour with you too!
sorry for a negative reply but taking a ferry from Cruz bay to Jost which is a 30 min. trip costs $120 pp then $30 to the goverment is just crazy! Keeps us home. Have spent time at both St. J and jost many times. Some of the most beautiful and magical places for sure. But like everything today is out pricing itself.