In this post I share with you how I travel from Tortola British virgin islands to St. Thomas USVI.
I made this trip on Thursday November 5 2019. When I woke up that morning I decided to drive to West End Tortola to get the ferry that will take me to the Red Hook ferry terminal in St. Thomas. I could have gotten the 8:00 a.m Native Son ferry in Road Town but I woke up too late so my other choice was the 8:30 am ferry from West End.
In order to travel from Tortola British Virgin Islands to St. Thomas USVI, you will be required to present your passport and for non American citizens, you must have an American visa. I travel with two passports, one that has expired and has my american visa which has not expired and my current passport. So I always keep them together in a passport holder.
In order to travel from Tortola British Virgin Islands to St. Thomas USVI, you will be required to present your passport and for non American citizens, you must have an American visa. I travel with two passports, one that has expired and has my american visa which has not expired and my current passport. So I always keep them together in a passport holder.
I left home at 7:50 am to drive to West End for the 8:30 am ferry. The drive from my home to West End is about 45 minutes. So I had to drive really fast to get to my destination but there was a little bit of traffic as people were going to work and school. I arrived at West End with about 3 minutes to spare but realized that I did not have my cell phone in my bag so I returned to my car to get my cell phone. As I was walking to the ferry terminal, I saw the Native Son Ferry driving off.
After finding the schedule for the next ferry, I drove to Road Town to get the 9:30 am ferry with Native Son, that was going to Charlotte Amalie St. Thomas. Charlotte Amalie is the capital of St. Thomas. The ferry fee was $40.00 for a one way trip. I did not purchase a return ticket with this ferry as I wanted to return at a particular and this ferry was not returning at the time I wanted. The departure tax was $15.00 for residents (the fee for non residents is $20.00)! I remember the days when it was $5.00!!
The trip to Charlotte Amalie took about 1 hour from Tortola. As soon as I checked through Immigration and Customs, I proceeded to the ferry counters to find out when the next ferry would be to Tortola. So I purchased another one way ticket for $50.00 this time. Apparently if I had purchased a return ticket on Tortola, it would have been cheaper than to purchase two one way tickets.
The trip was lovely, in the heart of Charlotte Amalie, there are quite a few buildings that are centuries old. The buildings have been refurbished with their original structure in tact.
As a Google Maps Local guide, I took the opportunity to get as many awesome photos to upload to Google maps and for my photography website. I saw an entrance door that really old.
You can also get a ferry that goes to Red Hook St. Thomas, this is in the country area. The ferry has to stop off at St. John where the passengers have to get off the ferry and go into the Immigration and Customs departments. After that the passengers get back on the ferry which then heads on to Red Hook, St. Thomas.
Recommendation: Check with the ferry companies for their schedules. You can always do a google search for these schedules. But please do call these companies to confirm the ferry times. Sometimes during the slow season, the schedules may vary.
This mode of travel from Tortola to St. Thomas applies to all residents of the other islands in the territory. They have to travel to Tortola and get the ferries from there.
After finding the schedule for the next ferry, I drove to Road Town to get the 9:30 am ferry with Native Son, that was going to Charlotte Amalie St. Thomas. Charlotte Amalie is the capital of St. Thomas. The ferry fee was $40.00 for a one way trip. I did not purchase a return ticket with this ferry as I wanted to return at a particular and this ferry was not returning at the time I wanted. The departure tax was $15.00 for residents (the fee for non residents is $20.00)! I remember the days when it was $5.00!!
The trip to Charlotte Amalie took about 1 hour from Tortola. As soon as I checked through Immigration and Customs, I proceeded to the ferry counters to find out when the next ferry would be to Tortola. So I purchased another one way ticket for $50.00 this time. Apparently if I had purchased a return ticket on Tortola, it would have been cheaper than to purchase two one way tickets.
The trip was lovely, in the heart of Charlotte Amalie, there are quite a few buildings that are centuries old. The buildings have been refurbished with their original structure in tact.
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| Charlotte Amalie St. Thomas United States Virgin Islands |
You can also get a ferry that goes to Red Hook St. Thomas, this is in the country area. The ferry has to stop off at St. John where the passengers have to get off the ferry and go into the Immigration and Customs departments. After that the passengers get back on the ferry which then heads on to Red Hook, St. Thomas.
Recommendation: Check with the ferry companies for their schedules. You can always do a google search for these schedules. But please do call these companies to confirm the ferry times. Sometimes during the slow season, the schedules may vary.
This mode of travel from Tortola to St. Thomas applies to all residents of the other islands in the territory. They have to travel to Tortola and get the ferries from there.
