Affordable Tropical Island Camping Destination

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Do you want to travel to an island for your vacation, but you don’t think that you can afford it? If you are willing to take your tent, you may be surprised about where you can go on a small budget. I am sharing with you my favorite paradise on Earth, so don’t tell too many people about it. This is the most beautiful tropical paradise on the Caribbean Sea.

The US Virgin Islands

The US Virgin Islands are an organized unincorporated territory of the United States where both those people with deep pockets and those with a tiny budget can vacation in style. You can show up in your yacht and drape yourself in diamonds on Saint Thomas and stay in a luxury resort on Saint John, but perhaps the best experience is camping next to the beach in your tent. You will be smiling about how much more you get for a fraction of the price of that resort. There are three main islands in the US Virgin Islands, Saint Thomas, Saint Croix, and Saint John. You will need to fly in to Saint Thomas and take a ferry to Saint John.

Saint John

Saint John was first inhabited by the Arawak Indians, but the Carib were there when Christopher Columbus was the first known European to visit the islands, calling them “eleven thousand virgins”. The Danish later claimed the islands, starting sugar cane plantations and bringing in slaves to grow the cane. In 1917 the US purchased the islands and Laurence Rockefeller bought up a lot of land on Saint John to make a millionaire’s paradise. He later donated most of his land to the US National Park Service to preserve the island, and now 60% of the island remains undeveloped because of his generous gift. Depending on your airfare, approximately $300-$750 depending on where you live, you can do this vacation with less than a grand per person.

Cinnamon Bay CampgroundCinnamon Bay, USVI

You can enjoy the unspoiled jungle and the most beautiful beach on the island thanks to Laurence Rockefeller. From your jungle campsite you can take a short stroll to turquoise bathtub warm waters, and in the mornings and evenings you may be the only person on the beach. While all of the cruise ship tourists head to Trunk Bay, the next bay over, you will be able to enjoy Cinnamon Bay in peace and quiet.

Rentals

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Message left for me on the beach when I snorkeled to Maho Bay alone.

You can rent snorkel equipment or grab a beer or some rum in an old cane plantation house on the beach that also houses the archaeologists and a collection of artifacts recovered nearby. You can rent boats on the beach to kayak to Maho Bay, to wind surf, and I have even seen someone doing yoga on the water on a paddle board. There is a restaurant with a bar at the campground where you can purchase three delicious meals a day, for around $10-$25 per meal, or you can bring your own food and use the grill at the campsite. There are bathrooms with electricity and outdoor showers that you might share with a mongoose, be warned the water is cool and refreshing. If you need a refrigerator and electricity, you can also rent an affordable cottage at the campground. There are also tents set up already if you don’t want to bring one, but I never see people staying in these. There are no shower upgrades.

Wildlife

Dining at the restaurant can be an entertaining experience as you watch the pearl-eyed thrashers hustle some food from the frustrated cook. They line up on the palm trees and in between the pigeon nails waiting for an opportunity to grab something while the cook has their back turned. You can’t leave your food unattended either and will be yelled at by a lady if you don’t throw it all in the trash when you bus your plate. The local feral cats also work the tables for morsels of BBQ chicken and grilled Mahi-mahi. Take a close look at their ears and you won’t want them to get too close. For a great video, while in the jungle throw a piece of food on the ground and watch hundreds of thrashers call each other in as they attack it. It feels like a scene from a horror film.

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Local deer posing for the tourists.

Deer at the campground aren’t scared of you too much, so you can get some great photos and videos of them. The crabs are a bit more skittish, but you will see them running to their holes as you walk the paths. Iguanas can be seen sun bathing near the beach, and you may see an occasional donkey. There are no large predators on the island. I also had a mongoose and night heron hang out near my tent. Frogs will serenade you at dusk, so bring earplugs if that sort of thing bothers you. Need I mention the mosquitoes? They aren’t there all year, but avoid the wet months for a more peaceful stay. Also a vegan diet seems to keep them away while a rum diet seems to attract them the most, this was scientifically tested by me and my boyfriend.

The coral and the fish are the main attraction at this paradise. Although all coral is experiencing disease and die offs around the island, this is one of the best places to snorkel. I’ve seen octopus, cuddle fish, nurse sharks, sea turtles, lobster, rays, hermit crabs, and a rainbow of reef fish all within a short swim of my tent. Brown pelicans gorge themselves on fish in the morning. You can snorkel to the the small cay or follow the reef along the rocks next to the beach to Maho Bay if you are a strong swimmer. Maho Bay is where the sea turtles graze the sea grass, and I usually see chickens on this beach.

If you rent a jeep, I recommend that you snorkel around the mangroves. The way the roots float up and down is a bit creepy and the water around them shallow, don’t stir up the bottom, but the coral is actually doing better in the mangroves than anywhere else. You will see nurseries of fish and brightly colored sponges. This is not for everyone.

Good Food Secrets

You can take a taxi anywhere on the island, the drivers are organized and fares are set to different locations. The best kept secret is Vie’s Snack Shack. You may want to rent a jeep for a few days to visit, as a taxi on the east side of the island isn’t guaranteed. She runs out of her delicious coconut tarts early, so a Tuesday or Wednesday might be the best days to visit. After eating fresh fried chicken or conch fritters, you can rent a private beach from her for a few bucks nearby. The snorkeling was incredible with cuddle fish and octopus in abundance.

In Cruz Bay you should grab a fruit smoothie from Our Market Smoothies. I even meet the owner on one visit who was extremely nice. They will blend you up anything, I had them make me several kale smoothies, and they will even add rum. I recommend a coconut pineapple banana smoothie. Also in Cruz Bay is Jake’s a restaurant with the most delicious breakfast.

Somewhere on the island is a floating bar out on a bay, you just need to find it, as it moves around.

Be Nice

Nothing is more annoying than an entitled American crashing around the place, talking loud while drunk, and expecting good service without so much as a smile. Tip well, and always have conversations with the locals rather than demand something from them without even introducing yourself. Start out by asking how their day was, sharing something interesting about yourself, and genuinely being open to making new friends. I’ve meet and hung out with so many interesting locals and other tourists this way. One person even gave me free taxi rides all week to anywhere I wanted to go, like a local. Otherwise you will be complaining about how rude the people on the island are when really you were the rude one.  Also relax and slow your pace down to the island’s pace. There is no need to be in a rush.

Here is a video I made several years ago of the first time I camped at Cinnamon Bay.

Video of Cinnamon Bay Campground

 

 

 

Working Among Wild Things

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Growing Up Outdoors

As a child, I spent summers swimming and hiking, and I spent winters trekking through the snow in a marshmallow suit with a sled. We only had about 3 television channels with limited cartoon content, and practically nothing for a child to watch during the Gulf War when the channels were taken over by journalists reporting the war. My love of nature developed early as I followed my father into wild places, and I was one of those kids who always wanted to know how things like memory worked or why cows ate grass. I naturally became a scientist like my father, the physicist, but focused my attention on nature and biology.

I grew up in a strict Christian household, and attended private school my whole life, so I think my eyes truly didn’t open up to the way nature actually works until my first biology class at a public university. My high school biology teacher once told us to “filter science through the Bible”, and I trusted him on that for several more years. Once my eyes were opened about biology in college, I started to question other aspects of my beliefs and the rules of my limited understanding of life. I traveled abroad and fell in love with a Muslim, to the heartache of my parents, although neither of us were really religious anymore and were both open to new ideas.

Wild Things and Places

After graduation, I found my first job in California, working first as a botanist in the desert then as a wildlife biologist, where I spent years hiking sand dunes while doing surveys. I quickly became a generalist, loving work with all creatures in the mountains and desert. I was paid to spend mornings conducting bird surveys, days chasing endangered butterflies and keying out plants, and nights wading through riparian areas listening for toads.

High in the mountains to the east of San Diego, I was camping near a creek after some biology surveys. The California tree frogs were chatty, something that often required me to use earplugs at night. Another biologist and I had just turned out the lights in our separate tents when we heard an eerie wolf howl echoing through the canyon. The frogs went silent. My heart sped up and the instinctual fear of hearing my first wolf was strange. After the howl ended I called out to my friend “Are there wolves in California?” to which she replied, “I’ve heard that a Mexican wolf sanctuary is somewhere around here.” Then there was another wolf howl, and now several wolves joined in on the chorus. That feeling of being in a wild place like that with the moonlight serenade of several wolves has stuck with me over my life as being one of the best moments of my life.

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Working in sand dunes.

Most people have not had the privilege of experiencing the spiritual aspects of nature. I’ve gone on to work in most of the western states in the United States. I often walk miles in wild places alone with my binoculars and notebook, yet I don’t feel scared. I feel most at home outdoors. I’ve encountered mountain lions, hundreds of venomous snakes, grizzly bears, elk, and even dozens of moose without any of them harming me. I once had a young bull moose share my campsite, and we mutually respected each other. Another time around 5:30 in the morning while I was counting birds outside of Yellowstone, I thought I saw my dog running through the dark and deep forest. I chased her for about 30 seconds until I realized that it really was a wolf that I was chasing. I would go on to encounter several more wolves in Canada later, sometimes I wouldn’t even see them but could sense they were there watching me from the Bush as I went on walks or was feeding the cattle in the back pasture. It is a feeling that elevates the blood pressure and yet reminded me that I was part of nature.

Human Isolation From Nature

Why have we as humans separated ourselves so much from nature? We no longer live in jungles, except for a select few, nor do we stick things with wooden spears and live off the land. Only a small percentage of us are farmers these days and no one needs to hunt when we have cleanly packed meat and processed food lining grocery aisles. Kids today don’t know the names of vegetables and fruit while the government calls pizza a serving of vegetable. As a species we seem to be generally stressed out despite removing ourselves from human predators, securing our food supply, and living in our urban bubbles with cars and watertight houses. Have you ever wondered if there is more to life than buying things and following the traditional life trajectory of finding a mate, buying a house, having kids, and dying in a nursing home? Then this is the place for you.

As an adult I still question everything, analyzing why we humans do things rather than just accepting my born role as a female Christian consumer in my present day society. I look at all people and animals with compassion. I respect nature and it respects me back. I hope to explore topics on history, science, values, and lifestyle, and I invite you to join me on this self journey.