St Thomas Shore Excursion: Mangrove Lagoon Kayak and Snorkel Tour
Recommended by 95% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Cruz Bay, US Virgin Islands
- 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Kayak and snorkel in St Thomas' Mangrove Lagoon on this tour from St Thomas' cruise port or hotels. The region's serpentine channels of clear, calm water are perfect for swimming, boating, and spotting local wildlife like stingrays and brown pelicans. Learn about the region's natural resources from your local adventure guide on either a morning or an afternoon excursion.
- Reach the Mangrove Lagoon stress-free with round-trip transportation
- Learn about the local flora and fauna with a guided adventure
- Choose pickup at the cruise port or local hotels
- Morning and afternoon departures available
What's Included
- Hotel/port pickup and drop off
- Kayak and snorkel tour
- All gear and equipment
- Use of lockers
- Water and a candy snack
- Professional guide
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
The tour starting time will be 10:00am for the morning kayak & snorkel tour and 2:00pm for the afternoon kayak & snorkel tour. The taxi will pick you up 45-30 mins before your tour depending on your pickup location. The driver will return you to the cruise ship or hotel after your tour.
Itinerary
Make your way to the southern coast of St Thomas, home to the protected Mangrove Lagoon Wildlife Sanctuary and Marine Preserve. Meet your local adventure guide to embark on one of St Thomas' most rewarding snorkeling and kayaking tours in the preserve's rich ecosystem.
Travel through the protected area to Patricia Cay and Long Point, where you'll board your kayak to glide through the may small islands in the mangrove lagoon. While paddling, look out for spotted rays and stingrays as they glide beneath your boat.
Put on your provided snorkel gear and explore the underwater world. Follow your guide's lead and feel free to ask any questions or directions, especially if it's your first time snorkeling. Peer through your mask at the coral-fringed mangrove roots and listen as your guide points out the vibrant surrounding marine life. Hop back in your kayak for the short paddle back to the marina.
If you select the hiking option, visit Cas Cay, an unspoiled deserted island. Home many endangered or threatened bird species like white-cheeked pintail ducks, brown pelicans, roseate terns and herons, this island is part of the Virgin Islands Park System. Visit the island's coral and shell beaches, volcanic cliffs, blow hole and tidal pools.
Worry-free shore excursion:
We will ensure that your activity ends with ample time for you to get back to the cruise port before your ship departs. In the unlikely event that your ship has already departed, we will arrange transportation to your next port-of-call. Please see Viator's terms and conditions for full details.
Travel through the protected area to Patricia Cay and Long Point, where you'll board your kayak to glide through the may small islands in the mangrove lagoon. While paddling, look out for spotted rays and stingrays as they glide beneath your boat.
Put on your provided snorkel gear and explore the underwater world. Follow your guide's lead and feel free to ask any questions or directions, especially if it's your first time snorkeling. Peer through your mask at the coral-fringed mangrove roots and listen as your guide points out the vibrant surrounding marine life. Hop back in your kayak for the short paddle back to the marina.
If you select the hiking option, visit Cas Cay, an unspoiled deserted island. Home many endangered or threatened bird species like white-cheeked pintail ducks, brown pelicans, roseate terns and herons, this island is part of the Virgin Islands Park System. Visit the island's coral and shell beaches, volcanic cliffs, blow hole and tidal pools.
Worry-free shore excursion:
We will ensure that your activity ends with ample time for you to get back to the cruise port before your ship departs. In the unlikely event that your ship has already departed, we will arrange transportation to your next port-of-call. Please see Viator's terms and conditions for full details.
Virgin Islands Ecotours (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Additional sanitation measures taken on site for COVID-19
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.8
based on 203 reviews
Hao_J, Mar 2026
This wasn't a great tour experience as we expected.
First of all, the management of the tour company is quite terrible. They scheduled another 60 school kids for the morning and somehow they didn't even aware. They had a bus to bring about 20 of us to the site, and they ask us to return in the afternoon! (Everything were booked way ahead of time) Some of the tourists in the bus are quite upset with them. Then they somehow managed to let us in despited get a few of tourists turning back to cruise ship. The communication was poor as well. I don't see sincere apologies from the them about this mess. Another interesting thing is that they "promised" they will provide some souvenir after the tour and end up nothing, and we don't even get to see our tour pictures the guide took.
The tour itself is lame. There isn't much in the water in that area, and barely any fish in the snorkel area (they had turtle picture everywhere in their posters which you will never see). We have much better mangrove tours before, this is a disappointing one for sure. The tour guide was pretty good, probably the only thing earns them 2 stars there.
BTW, if they told you that you can hold up-side-down jelly fish for pictures and you have sensitive skin, don't do that - my wife had itchy skin after that and last for more than a day.
If you like to have a kayak / snorkel tour in St Thomas there are much better options out there, this is a quite waste of time and money.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you for your feedback - we’re very sorry the experience didn’t meet expectations.
Occasionally we host local school groups as part of our commitment to environmental education in the Virgin Islands. While we’re proud to support these programs, this should never disrupt our scheduled guest tours, and we sincerely regret the impact this had on your day and the confusion around timing and transportation.
We also apologize for the gaps in communication -this is not the standard we aim to deliver. We will be addressing this internally with our team.
Regarding the experience itself, our mangrove ecosystem is a natural environment, and the sea turtles that live in the mangroves and the wildlife sightings can vary day to day. That said, we understand how expectations may not have aligned with what you encountered and appreciate you sharing that perspective.
We’re glad to hear your guide made a positive impression.
If you’re open to it we’d appreciate the opportunity to follow up directly and will reach out to you.
Julia_R, Feb 2026
Fun kayak and snorkel. Knowledgeable guide. Only issue was that we were supposed to get picked up at the cruise ship and that didn’t happen. The company did refund us the taxi ride. They said they would fix it
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thank you for the kind review! We’re so glad you enjoyed the Mangrove Lagoon Kayak & Snorkel Tour and found your guide knowledgeable. 🌿
We do apologize again for the pickup mix-up and appreciate your patience while we made it right with the taxi refund. We’re glad to hear the overall experience was still a fun one, and we’re continuing to fine-tune our procedures.
We hope to welcome you back to Virgin Islands Ecotours on a future visit!
Warm regards,
The Virgin Islands Ecotours Team
Wilson_B, Jan 2026
Kayaking was so much fun with Nash!
He was a great tour guide. It was a perfect day to snorkel too, saw lots of fish and sting rays
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you so much for your kind review of the St. Thomas Shore Excursion: Mangrove Lagoon Kayak & Snorkel Tour. We’re happy to hear you had such a fun day kayaking with Nash and that conditions were perfect for snorkeling and spotting fish and stingrays. This tour is a great choice for guests looking for a relaxed yet engaging experience in calm mangrove waters with plenty of marine life to see. We truly appreciate you joining us and hope to welcome you back again.
Tobie_C, Jan 2026
Great day on the kayak and really enjoyed the snorkeling. The staff were great to work with and so helpful!
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you for your kind review! We’re so happy to hear you had a great day kayaking and really enjoyed the snorkeling. It’s wonderful to know our staff made the experience even better by being helpful and easy to work with. We appreciate you joining us and hope to see you back again soon! 🌊🚣♂️
Susan_S, Dec 2025
We included pick up and drop off in our excursion and it was well worth it. The driver was waiting for us at both the ship port and the excursion location.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Hi Susan! Thank you for sharing your experience! We’re so glad to hear the pickup and drop-off made your day smooth and stress-free. Our team works hard to make transportation easy and reliable, and we’re happy it added to your overall experience. We hope to welcome you back again soon!
Elaine_T, Aug 2025
Excellent guides (Kyrell) with incredible knowledge of the mangroves and sea life. We were 7, ages 18 to 55, and every single one had a blast in the kayak and snorkel experience.
If I have a criticism for bettering the experience it would be to have the pick up person dressed in an identifying shirt or hat or with a sign or even a green umbrella! Our driver was in jeans and a black t-shirt, sitting on a pylon and smoking a cigarette; it took me about ten minutes of asking around to get to him as our driver.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Hi Elaine! We’re so glad your whole group had such a great time with Kyrell—he’s wonderful at bringing the mangroves to life! We’ll be sure to note your feedback on the taxi pickup, as we work with third parties and always strive to provide a seamless customer experience. We’d love to welcome you back for another adventure soon!
Erin_W, Jul 2025
Everything was well handled. Kas was an amazing guide and very knowledgeable. All staff were friendly and kind.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you! We’re so glad you had a smooth, enjoyable experience. Kas and the team will appreciate the kind words! 😊
David_M, Jul 2025
Great excursion! Kaz and Nashan were fantastic kayak guides, sharing tons of information about the local fauna and wildlife both in and out of the water. Snorkeling was great too! The van service picked us up and dropped us off right near our cruise ship- super easy to find and the tour operator was very communicative.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Hi David - Thank you so much for the great review! We're thrilled you had an awesome time and that the team made the experience informative and fun. We’re glad the transportation was smooth and easy for you - hope to see you again on your next visit!
Aisha_B, Jun 2025
This is a perfect excursion for shorter port call. Kass and Patricia were our guides and they were wonderful…very knowledgeable on the sea life and the fauna. Pick up was easy right at the windmill when you get off the ship. Highly recommend.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Hi Aisha! Thank you for the lovely review! We're so glad you had a great time with our talented guides - hope to welcome you back on another adventure soon!
Robert_T, Jan 2025
Great partial day excursion in St. Thomas. We were on a cruise and this was a great way to spend half a day. Kayaking was fun and not too stressful. Opportunity to snorkel helped cool off on a warm day and a good amount of various sized fish to see. Tour guide was friendly and informative. Pickup and dropoff from cruise terminal was a plus.
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Hi Robert - Thank you for your great review! We’re so glad you enjoyed your time kayaking, snorkeling, and exploring St. Thomas with us. It’s wonderful to hear that the pickup and dropoff made things even easier for your cruise stop. Hope to see you again on your next visit!
tinathorn, Jan 2025
We enjoyed the Kayaking and snorkling, although I believe it got cut short due to time issues. Pick up was not communicated well and we had to find someone to actually call an find out if pickup was still happening. As such, we were picked up late.
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Hi Tina - Thank you for sharing your feedback. We’re glad to hear you enjoyed the kayaking and snorkeling portions of your tour! However, we’re sorry to learn that communication regarding pickup and timing didn’t meet expectations.
We strive to provide seamless experiences for our guests, and we appreciate you bringing this to our attention. Your input helps us improve our processes, and we’ll be reviewing our communication to ensure a smoother experience for future guests.
We truly appreciate you choosing Virgin Islands Ecotours and hope to have the opportunity to provide an even better experience in the future!
Shimon_S, Jul 2024
Ansley was amazing, showing me how to snorkel and didn’t let me give up. His patience and knowledge of the underwater life was incredible!
Response from Host, Sep 2024
We're so happy to hear you had a great time! Thanks for choosing Virgin Islands Ecotours!
Megan_G, Jun 2024
Our tour guide (Slim) was amazing. He’s a marine biologist and herbalist, so he gave us cool facts from animals to plants. FYI : told the best joke! We kayak through the mangroves then snorkeled by the reef. Pice was fair and service outstanding.
Response from Host, Sep 2024
It means a lot that you took the time to leave us a review. Thank you for exploring with us!
Karen_C, Apr 2024
We had a fantastic morning kayaking out to the Mangrove Lagoon with Pat, our guide. He was a great guide, very friendly and enthusiastic, always looking for things to show us. Our 2 teens enjoyed it immensely as well. We also had a nice driver who picked us up/dropped us off and gave a great recommendation for what beaches to visit. Would definitely go again next time we are in St. Thomas!
Julia_B, Mar 2024
Pat was an awesome guide and a genuine person. We loved it!! We got to see a bunch of ocean creatures and enjoyed the day.
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Hi Julia - We're thrilled to hear about your great time with us on tour with Pat! Your feedback fuels our passion for what we do. Until next time, happy exploring!
Beth_K, Feb 2024
Crew was not helpful in assisting my parents on the tour after I spoke with the manager about their needs. Also got many insect bites by the mangroves. The kayak I was in did not track correctly this made the trip difficult.
Response from Host, Feb 2024
We appreciate your feedback and have already taken steps to address your concerns. We have issued a refund as a gesture of our commitment to customer satisfaction. If there is anything else we can do to make amends, please don't hesitate to let us know. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back for a better experience in the future.
Karl_U, Jan 2024
The excursion itself (kayaking and snorkeling) was great. We had an awesome guide, Jay, and we felt like we got our money out of the time spent and the experience. The mangroves were fascinating and the snorkeling was a blast. Jay was knowledgeable about the creatures and plants we saw, and kept a good pace for our small group.
Everything before the actual excursion was somewhat of a nightmare though. There was improper communication about where we were to be picked up, and we ended up having to take a taxi to get to a different part of the island before we found our driver. One couple in our group ended up getting left behind due to this poor communication, and the other pair would never have made it if we didn't overhear them talking about kayaking. There were larger groups that booked with the cruise line, and they had a much smoother experience.
Response from Host, Feb 2024
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We apologize for any inconvenience you encountered during your visit. We appreciate your valuable input as it helps us improve our services. Thank you for your understanding.
Traci_W, Dec 2023
This was such a great trip - perfect amount of time for us! The team was in constant contact with us to make sure we were ready in the lead up and with the driver - who took us there and back from our cruise boat.
Our guide, Lauren took us through the lagoon and shared how important this mangrove ecosystem is. Then we got to snorkel to see angelfish, octopus, and lion fish! Exactly what we were looking for in an excursion!
Response from Host, Jan 2024
Hi Traci - Thank you for choosing Virgin Islands Ecotours! We're glad we could be a part of your memorable adventure. We look forward to welcoming you back in the future!
Team Ecotours
Robert_C, Aug 2023
Very fun event and informative guide. Went about 2 miles across lagoon in kayak to beach where we did a hiking tour to learn about native trees, history, and see wildlife including thousands of free roaming hermit crabs! We then snorkeled for about 45 mins and saw a lot of coral and marine life.
The only two complaints are that kayaks aren't comfortable to sit - back braces are too low and you are sitting on hard plastic, and the life jackets all appear to be children sized so very uncomfortable for the adults in our group. As they try to "sell" you photos and other items, it'd be nice if they'd spend a small amount to address the comfort of the customer.
Otherwise highly recommend!
Response from Host, Sep 2023
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We apologize for any inconvenience you encountered during your visit. We appreciate your valuable input as it helps us improve our services. Thank you for your understanding and we're glad your tour was enjoyable overall!
Steph_E, Jul 2023
Jamal was excellent! It was awesome learning more about the ecosystem of the island and being able to ask questions. He was also great about going at our own pace for the kayaking and making sure we had what we needed- water, time for more sunblock and etc. We saw a squid, and a bunch of other fish on our snorkel. It was my husband’s favorite excursion of our trip.
Response from Host, Jul 2023
We're delighted that you enjoyed your time on tour with Jamal! Providing informative and enjoyable tours is our top priority. We hope to welcome you and your husband back again soon!
Cedric_J, May 2023
We had never kayaked before period so we didn't know what to expect, but what we found was a very fun, exhilarating experience. Also left us very tired at the end of the day. We are experienced at snorkeling but our swim was soooooooo fun and we saw so many schools of fish. Our tour guide, Delron, was very knowledgeable and witty.
Response from Host, Jun 2023
Hi Cedric - We're delighted to receive your glowing review! It's fantastic to hear that our guides provided an enjoyable and informative tour, making your kayak and snorkeling experience truly memorable. Thank you for choosing us as your adventure partner, and we can't wait to create more incredible moments with you on your next visit!
Alicia_B, Apr 2023
Fantastic trip! Our guide Aslem was so knowledgeable and friendly. We learned about island history, flora , and fauna with lots of great views and snorkeling. Highly recommend!!!
Response from Host, May 2023
We're delighted that you enjoyed your time with us and that Slim made the experience all the better! Providing informative and enjoyable tours is our top priority.
Melinda_L, Apr 2023
Our 3 L or superb. Very knowledgeable and patient with all of us. We had a very large group. The hike was informative. Definitely bring sunscreen and wear a hat and a rash guard. You’re out in the sun for a long period of time. They do offer rentals of lockers because everything inside your kayak will get wet and so you don’t want valuables in there.
Response from Host, May 2023
Thank you for choosing our tour, we're glad to have been a part of your vacation experience!
Paula_P, Apr 2023
We spent a memorable afternoon with our guides kayaking, hiking, and snorkeling. They were very knowledgeable and interesting, with a strong focus on ecology. It was great to get to do so much in a short time frame.
Response from Host, May 2023
Thank you for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear that you had a fantastic experience with us.
Constantino_M, Jul 2022
Great adventure!! Our guide Pat was awesome! We tandem Kayaked through the mangroves and observed some ocean life on the way to the beach. The beach had great snorkeling and hermit crabs on land. So much fun! Bring a waterproof bag to carry your belongings on the kayak & a ton of sunscreen & a hat that won’t fly off your head & you’re good to go! Water is provided.
Marsha_N, Jun 2022
Great guides in Jelani, Andy, & Angie. Waters were calm which made for a relaxing snorkel. The guides were great at finding sea life and sharing with the group
Brandi_R, Apr 2022
Our guide made the trip a lot of fun! Swish was very knowledgeable of the plants and wildlife. He made sure to capture the entire trip on camera so that we can take our memories home to our family.
Christy_C, Apr 2022
Great day on the water, kayaking through the mangroves and snorkeling in the water! We had a great time!
Debbie_S, Mar 2022
Swish, Patrick, and Kyrell were all amazing! Great tour by Kayak, short hike and snorkeling. They explained fun points of interest. Made sure we made it to our cruise ship on time. Had lots of fun.
Leonard_T, Nov 2021
Excursion was as advertised / our family group all enjoyed it. Fun to kayak & snorkel & we enjoyed the short hike
From $89.00
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St Thomas Shore Excursion: Mangrove Lagoon Kayak and Snorkel Tour
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