ExploreSTJ.com

It’s that time of year, folks! There is starting to get a chillin the air up north, so many of you are starting to plan a St. John vacation. I know how daunting vacation planning can be. Throw driving on the left into the mix (which is what we do here in the USVI), and many people struggle over whether it’s best to rent a vehicle, or rely on the taxis. Perhaps you decided to go the car rental route, but you aren’t familiar with the island, so you really don’t know where the best beaches are, which spots have the best snorkeling, where you can grab the best Painkiller on island and so forth. Or perhaps you’d like to taxi during your vacation, but you’d like to check out the more obscure spots here on island. That’s where I come in. 🙂

I created Explore STJ Island Tours back in 2016, and I absolutely love exploring this beautiful island with guests. I offer both full and half day tours in a Jeep Wrangler, so it’s a more personalized experience. I enjoy taking guests off the beaten path and to out-of-the-way spots that they would typically never see. I can only take up to four guests in my Jeep and I never combine groups, so it’s a more private and personal tour. When I am out and about on an island tour, it’s more like I am out with friends. And I love that.

During your ExploreSTJ island tour, we will do a little sightseeing – St. John has some of the most beautiful views in the world! We will check out some of the island’s stunning beaches – who doesn’t want to dip their toes in our beautiful Caribbean waters?! We can stop at one or more of the island’s sugar plantation ruins, and we can even do some light hiking if you’d like. All of my island tours are completely customizable, so we will do exactly what you want during your full or half day tour. I can guarantee some sea turtles sightings, and we usually stumble on some of the island’s most beloved residents – our donkeys! I will share some of the island’s rich history along the way, and I can also tell you all about the current happenings (and some island gossip if you’re interested!) here on St. John. But most importantly, we will have fun!

Explore STJ island tours are great to familiarize yourself with the island during your first trip, but they’re also great for seasoned visitors. I promise I can show you something new.

Want to hear what others have to say? Please check out my favorite TripAdvisor review below. (Click this link to read all of my TripAdvisor reviews.)

Want to learn more? Ready to book? Please email me at jenn@explorestj.com or call/text203-376-3786

The community of Coral Bay is holding a large trash pickup event this weekend, and they are hoping that you will come out to help.

Get Trashed St. John, Coral Bay Community Council and the Coral Bay Yacht Club are holding the Coral Bay Cleanup even this Saturday, November 9th at 9 a.m. We all love Coral Bay, so let’s work together to keep it clean and beautiful.

Coral Bay is working in conjunctions with the University of the Virgin Islands for their Coastweeks project, so volunteers may be asked to note the types and amount of trash collected.

Corona is even getting in on the action – how fun! They’ll be providing beer to all participants at an after party at Skinny Legs. Dasani will be providing water for the event.

I don’t know about you, but it breaks my heart when I see donkeys eating trash on the side of the road out there, so let’s all pitch in to help!

If you would like to volunteer, please meet in the parking lot behind Skinny Legs on Saturday at 9 a.m. Please bring a reusable water bottle. Bags, gloves and water will be provided.

Thank you all for loving Coral Bay!

Hello everyone, and happy Monday! I’m super excited to share today’s story with all of you. The flamingos are still hanging around St. John! Where are my fellow bird nerds??!!

For those of you who are new to reading Explore STJ (welcome!), we hadn’t seen flamingos on St. John in years. One would show up here or there, but would quickly disappear, and we would, once again, become a flamingo-less island. Well, that was until February 2023 when a flamboyance of flamingos was spotted near Salt Pond, sending the island into a bird frenzy! (A lone flamingo was spotted a few months prior to that.)

So it turns out that flamingos were native to the Virgin Islands, but all were eaten or lost to development until the reintroduction on Anegada in 1992 and then another flock later on Necker Island. Anegada and Necker Island (a private island owned by Sir Richard Branson) are located over in the British Virgin Islands. According to Gail Karlsson – a St. John resident who is an environmental lawyer, author, photographer and bird watcher – there is currently a “smallish” flock on Beef Island (near the airport on Tortola), the Necker Island flock and about 300 on Anegada, according to the last bird count.

A lot of time has been since this first sighting, so I wasn’t sure if they were still hanging out. I was on an island tour last week and had guests out near Concordia when we spotted two in the salt pond behind Salt Pond Bay. I was ecstatic!

So the point of today’s story is, yes, the flamingos are still here! If you would like to see the island and possibly spot one of these beautiful, please consider taking an island tour with me! You can learn more about Explore STJ’s island tours at www.explorestj.com/tour.

Have a fantastic day everyone, and happy birdwatching!

Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour

See the island of St. John with a resident. See the nooks and crannies that many visitors miss. Explore the beaches, historical sites, perhaps a tiki bar or two, and much more. Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.

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