Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Boat
VISeatrans( 340-776-5494;
www.goviseatrans.com
)
sails to Charlotte Amalie twice
on Friday and Saturday, and once on Sunday and Monday (round trip $90, 90 minutes).
Departures are from Gallows Bay, about a 0.75-mile walk east of downtown.
Taxi
The taxi stand is at Kings St, near Government House. Rates are set by territorial law.
Prices are listed in the free tourist guide
St Croix This Week
.
The following table shows rates per person to popular destinations from Christiansted. The
price drops when more than one passenger goes to the destination. There's also an added
$2-per-bag luggage fee.
DESTINATIONCOST
Gallows Bay
$6
Airport
$16
Frederiksted
$24
Cane Bay
$24
Buck Island
Buck Island floats 5 miles east of Christiansted. For such a small landmass - 1 mile long
by 0.5 miles wide - this island draws big crowds. It's not so much what's on top but what's
underneath that fascinates: an 18,800-acre frenzy of fish amid the coral reef system sur-
rounding the island, known as
Buck Island Reef National Monument (
www.nps.gov/
buis
)
. President John F Kennedy designated it the first US underwater national monument
in 1961. Unfortunately, coral bleaching has damaged much of the original protected area.
The sea gardens and a marked underwater trail create captivating
snorkeling
on the is-
land's east side, and there's shallow
diving
around the point to the northeast. Snorkelers
will see elkhorn coral grottoes and tropical fish (from blue tang to barracuda) along the
marked trail. Be aware that during the fall and winter, the trade winds often blow hard at
Buck Island, creating cloudy visibility and a significant chop on the reef, which can make
it rough for newbies to the mask and fins.
