Things to do in St. Croix
St. Croix rewards people who pick two or three things and do them properly. Here is what is genuinely worth the day.
On the water
Buck Island Reef National Monument. A protected reef island off the north-east coast with a marked underwater snorkel trail through elkhorn coral. You can only get there by permitted charter out of Christiansted, and it is the single best half-day on the island. Book it early in your trip so weather gives you a second chance.
The Cane Bay wall. A few dozen yards off the beach at Cane Bay the seabed falls away into a vertical drop-off thousands of feet deep. It is one of the rare world-class wall dives you can reach by walking into the water from shore. Snorkellers get the shallow reef; divers get the wall.
Salt River Bay after dark. A bioluminescent bay on the north shore — kayak out on a moonless night and the water lights up where your paddle breaks it. Best in the darker half of the lunar month.
Sandy Point. A long, empty stretch on the south-west end, part of a national wildlife refuge and a leatherback turtle nesting site. Access is seasonally restricted, which is exactly why it stays beautiful.
On land
Christiansted National Historic Site. Fort Christiansvaern and the Danish-era wharf buildings in the middle of a town that is still a working town, not a museum.
Point Udall. The eastern tip of the island, often called the easternmost point of the United States. Drive out for sunrise. The road there is worth the trip on its own.
St. George Village Botanical Garden. Built over the ruins of a Danish sugar works, which makes it half garden and half archaeology.
Estate Whim Museum. A restored 18th-century sugar plantation — the clearest, least sentimental account of how this island was actually built.
The rainforest drive. The west end has a genuinely green, canopied stretch of road. Short, but a complete change of climate from the east.
Rum, food and the rest
Cruzan Rum Distillery runs tours near Frederiksted; Captain Morgan has a visitor centre on the island too. St. Croix has made rum for three centuries and does not treat it as a novelty.
Christiansted boardwalk for dinner on the water. Frederiksted for the sunset side.
Building the week
A good rhythm: Buck Island one morning, Cane Bay another, one full day for the east end, one for the west end and the rainforest, and one deliberately empty day. The island is small but the driving is slower than the map suggests.
Common questions
How many days do you need in St. Croix?
Five to seven. Three days covers Buck Island, one beach day and one town day, but the east and west ends are 45 minutes apart and rushing them wastes the island.
What is St. Croix best known for?
Buck Island Reef National Monument and its underwater snorkel trail, the Cane Bay wall for diving, Danish colonial Christiansted, and Cruzan rum.
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You book with the owner, not a platform.