Spotlight: Caribbean - Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

Spotlight: Saint Croix is the largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands, an unincorporated territory of the United States. The territory also includes St. John, St. Thomas, and a few minor islands. The territorial capital is Charlotte Amalie, located on St. Thomas. St. Croix covers a land area of 215 km² with a population of 50,600. Christopher Columbus landed on its shores in 1493, and was attacked by the Kalinago who lived at Salt River on the north shore. Control of the island was traded among various European powers including Spain, the Netherlands, the Knights of Malta, Great Britain, and France, who sold it to the Danish West India Company in 1733. The Dutch controlled the island for nearly 200 years. In 1916, Denmark sold the islands of Saint Croix, Saint John and Saint Thomas to the United States for $25 million in gold. In 1927, the islands' inhabitants were granted U.S. citizenship. Despite being under Dutch control for so long, an English-based creole known as Crucian is the most common language spoken on the island.

Location: Saint Croix is located south of the British Virgin Islands, south-east of Puerto Rico.

Cost: The Salt River Kayaking excursion costs $139.00/person. Touring Fort Frederik (the Red Fort) was about $5/person.

Time: The Salt River Kayaking excursion is 3 1/2 hours. You can explore the Fort Frederik in 20-30 min. It is open on weekdays from 8:30-4:00 and on Saturdays from 1:00-4:00.

Description: For our shore excursion, we went kayaking in the Salt River at Salt River National Park. We didn't bring our camera because we didn't want to take the chance of it falling in the water if the kayak capsized. As we started out, we noticed some iguanas hanging out in the trees near the dock. We also saw a flock of egrets and many other birds. On the tour, we paddled down the river to the site of the old Taino Village and Burial Grounds. We also landed on the beach where Christopher Columbus and his crew landed and heard about their interactions with the natives. The water was smooth at first, but it got rougher (and tougher to paddle) the closer we got to the ocean. We spend about 20 minutes on the beach before paddling back.

getting ready for kayaking tour

Iguanas hanging out

     After our excursion, we still had time in St. Croix, so we explored Frederiksted a bit. We visited Fort Frederik which was built in 1760 and was the site of a major emancipation rally to free the slaves in 1848. The rooms were furnished with furniture from the time period, and had several artifacts from when it was in use during the 18th and 19th centuries. It is right off the pier and worth the price of admission. Right next to the fort is the Eliza James-McBean clock tower and Emancipation Park.

Fort Frederik & Eliza James-McBean clock tower

central plaza

fort bedroom

solitary confinement cell 

old cannons lying in the courtyard

     We also walked around and looked at lots of the ruins from Hurricane Hugo (1989). Possibly the most interesting place we found was an old cemetery that looked as if it were the inspiration for the grounds of the stereotypical haunted houses you see in old movies. Evidently, it was ravaged by the hurricane, and nobody bothered cleaning it up since they focused on fixing dwellings for the living. We also ran across a quaint church, St. Patrick's, with roosters running around the courtyard. Before boarding again, we spent an hour or two enjoying the beautiful beach.

hurricane damage

Old cemetery

St. Patrick's Church

Roosters and other animals often wandered free

Rating: 3 1/2 stars for the tour, 4 stars overall (out of 5)

Things You Should Know: - NBA star Tim Duncan is from Saint Croix.
- St. Croix has suffered several devastating hurricanes. The ones that have caused the greatest damage were Hurricane Hugo (Sept. 1989 - Category 5), Marilyn (Sept. 1995 - Category 5), and Omar (Oct. 2008 - Category 1).
- For kayaking, wear a swimsuit, sunglasses, a T-shirt, a hat, and water socks or sandals that you won't mind getting wet. Also, don't forget to put on sunscreen and insect repellent.

Nearby: British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Anguilla, Saint Kitts and Nevis