On Your Own: Kayak in the Mangrove Lagoon

Recommended by 98% of travelers

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St Thomas, US Virgin Islands

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5+ bookings last month.

7 hours (approx.)
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Overview

Kayak through St. Thomas' mangrove lagoons on this self-guided tour. Perfect for independent travelers, this tour includes a single or double kayak, paddles, life jackets, and snorkel gear to explore the lagoon on your own. Paddle through the Inner Mangrove Lagoon and Bird Island, searching for wildlife and beaching your kayaks to dive in and make use of the snorkel gear whenever you wish.

Use of kayak, paddles, and life jackets
Snorkel gear to explore the underwater world
Learn about the ecosystem firsthand through independent exploration
Perfect for independent travelers

What's Included

Use of kayak equipment
Life jackets included

bring your own beverages and snacks.

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Virgin Islands Ecotours - St. Thomas
6526 Estate Nadir, St. Thomas Mangrove Lagoon Wildlife Sanctuary & Marine Reserve, St. Thomas, VI 00802, USVI
Please note: Transportation to the meeting point is not included.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Virgin Islands Ecotours

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Minimum age is 5 years
Not wheelchair accessible

Service animals allowed
Most travelers can participate
Additional sanitation measures taken on site for COVID-19
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Bert_R

The warm sun and walking the trail and the snorkeling the staff was very friendly didn’t have any issues

Reviews

4.7

based on 48 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

We like to kayak so it...

Tara_R, Jan 2026

We like to kayak so it was good for us to be out on our own, but also would have been good with a guide to learn history and such. The guys working the office desk were very nice and helpful.

Response from Host, Jan 2026

Thank you so much for your thoughtful review! Our On Your Own Kayak Rental in the St. Thomas Mangrove Lagoon Wildlife Sanctuary and Marine Preserve, located on the southeast end of St. Thomas, is a favorite for guests who enjoy paddling at their own pace and spending quiet time on the water. Many experienced kayakers love the freedom to explore independently, especially in such a peaceful and protected setting. We also find that many guests enjoy doing a guided tour first, learning about the mangroves, wildlife, and history of the lagoon, and then coming back later to explore on their own with a deeper appreciation for what they’re seeing. While kayaking independently is wonderful, our guided tours are something we’re especially proud of, and guests often tell us they end up being the best day of their vacation because of how much they learn while still having fun and adventure. Thank you again for your kind words about our office team and for choosing Virgin Islands Ecotours. If you’re ever back on St. Thomas, we’d love to welcome you again — whether on your own or on a guided adventure.

Great snorkeling area and hiking.

Patrick_C, Jun 2024

Great snorkeling area and hiking. I'd say the thousands of hermit crabs of the island were the highlight

Response from Host, Sep 2024

We're so glad you enjoyed your time with us! Thanks for the review, and we can't wait to welcome you back!

Floating on the Water

Kate_K, Apr 2024

Relaxing, taking the time to be at peace in nature. Paddling into the wind an seeing so many hermit crabs.

It was great

Bert_R, Jan 2024

The warm sun and walking the trail and the snorkeling the staff was very friendly didn’t have any issues

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Hi Bert - Thank you for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience with us.

Fun for hiking, NOT for snorkeling.

jean87510, Jan 2023

My husband and I enjoyed the kayaking and hiking experience. However, the snorkeling was not enjoyable. Apparently one must snorkel wearing life jackets. I gave up after 3 minutes. Its ridiculous and impossible to enjoy snorkeling in shallow water with life jackets. We didn't mind no fins rule. We probably would not bother bringing our snorkeling gear again and just hike and kayak. I wish we had been informed beforehand about this or maybe we were and I missed it. Only reason I'm mentioning it is for fellow travelers who may not want to bother bringing their stuff and just hike which is amazing and more fun.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Thank you for choosing our tour in the Mangrove Lagoon. Had you have not given up within the first 3 minutes, you may have discovered the joys of swimming in the calm shallow waters with your life jacket keeping your body level on the surface so that you could inspect all our precious creatures in the shallow waters. The floatation keeps your body floating. Had you have worn fins without flotation you would have been more vertical at times your paddling fins would have destroyed and stirred up the delicate shallow bottom to ruin the visibility of any snorkelers behind you and unknowingly you potentially would have destroyed delicate creatures in the shallows. We take our time and show you interesting sea life. It’s a very different snorkeling location from a deep coral reef in the ocean that you may have imagined expiring with your fins. Our location is a juvenile marine habitat in a mangrove lagoon which requires no fins and relaxing with the life jacket so that the ecosystems can remain sustainable for future snorkelers. I regret that we didn’t explain that clearly enough to you during the orientation and we will discuss this with all the guides so that they can reduce the disappointment of expectations set by future explorers. Thank you for bringing it to the attention so that this discussion can be shared. Kind regards, Team Virgin Islands Ecotours

Kayaking in the Mangrove U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

Nyree_A, Mar 2022

This was the highlight of my birthday trip first time kayaking and snorkeling amazing staff beautiful eco environment I saw stingray anemones barracudas and an assortment of beautiful fish up close go early it will feel like you have the whole place to yourself then had an authentic Caribbean meal afterward while waiting out the rain all in all a GREAT experience

Great for Single Travelers!

Gwendolyn_B, Dec 2021

A great experience! It was relaxing to be out on the water by myself away from the noise that is the island. I got to see some interesting creatures and fish while snorkeling and enjoyed my hike along Cas Cay! I wish I could have stayed out longer. The only weird bit was when I pulled back in, no one came to help me get out of my kayak and onto the dock. Overall a great experience though!

Good time

Tanya_B, Jul 2021

It was a fun time. The people were helpful and had everything ready. We were self guided so they gave us a map. It was fine, but we wished we had signs somewhere along the way to reassure us we were in the right areas. But overall it was good

Response from Host, Jul 2021

What a great idea! Often our guests use their cell phones and their google maps to see exactly where they are. So much fun! Thanks for visiting us!

just walk in or call them to book...

Em_329, Jul 2021

There's no option for a half day so I paid 2x as much rather than if I would have walked in.. You don't need to book online for this, it'll be same price or cheaper if you just walk in. The experience is definitely for more experienced kayak riders but we made it by the grace of God and very little instruction.

Response from Host, Jul 2021

we recommend beginners to take a guided tour in all examples. Some experienced and repeat kayak sets prefer to rent in their own. If you rented a kayak instead of selecting a guided tour to save money, we apologize that you were overwhelmed. Also, it’s $59 to rent a kayak for the full day and $40 for the afternoon. We do not offer half day rentals in the morning because we rotate the kayaks at midday, and most people who rent in the morning may be exploring until the afternoon. Thank you for pointing those things out as they may be helpful to other people. We hope to welcome you back some day as a guest on a guided tour.