St. John Live Cam

Rising out of the warm Caribbean Sea, this string of small tropical islands is Caribbean in look and feel, but definitely American in character.

Located closer to South America than the United States, the three main islands of St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix have maintained a near-perfect balance between tranquil island beauty and comfortable American conveniences.

The USVIs are home to some of the most photographed beaches in the world. The reefs and cays are havens for divers, holding out the promise of such extraordinary sights as a giant manta ray "flying" by on large waving wings.

Cooled by soothing trade winds, the US Virgin Islands encompass rainforests, deserts, mangrove swamps, and over 800 varieties of tropical flowers and plants. And, although owned and influenced by the United States, the islands' own exotic West Indian music, food, and customs give just the right dash of island spice.

St. Thomas is the most American of the islands. You can run into a Wal-Mart for some suntan lotion before basking in the sun or driving up to a romantic mountaintop vista. Charlotte Amalie, the cosmopolitan capital city, is one of the busiest cruise ship ports in the Caribbean, and boasts an exciting restaurant and club scene, as well as great duty-free shopping.

St. John is the garden island, with two-thirds of its land and over 5,000 underwater acres protected by a national park. With no airport and no major city, this is the place to enjoy pure, unspoiled nature. Over 20 hiking trails cover the park, but you can discover the ancient Indian rock paintings and abandoned sugarcane plantations on horseback.

St. Croix has the most diverse terrain of the islands and contains their only rainforest. Famous for its wall diving, St. Croix has great stretches of natural underwater walls filled with trenches, valleys, and astonishingly beautiful marine life. Known as the most Danish of the islands, St. Croix's atmosphere will transport you back in time as you walk through the cobblestone streets of its two cities.

Arriving by airplane - One advantage of visiting the USVI is the abundance of nonstop and connecting flights that can have you at the beach in three to four hours from most eastern United States departures. You may fly direct to St. Thomas' Cyril E. King Airport from Miami, New York, Atlanta, or Philadelphia. Another option is to pick up a local flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Arriving by boat - Virtually every type of ship and major cruise line calls at St. Thomas, while only a few call at St. Croix. One or both of these ports is usually included as part of a ship's eastern Caribbean itinerary. Many of the ships that call on St. Thomas also call in or offer an excursion to St. John.

Most hotels on St. Thomas don't have airport shuttles, but taxi vans at the airport are plentiful. During rush hour, the trip to the East End resorts can take up to 40 minutes, but 30 minutes is more typical.

Visitors to St. John fly into St. Thomas, take a taxi to either Charlotte Amalie or Red Hook, and then catch a ferry to Cruz Bay, St. John. Also, many of the ships that call at St. Thomas also call in or offer an excursion to St. John.

In St. Croix, taxis are plentiful and will be standing by to greet arriving cruise ships at the Frederiksted pier.

The Virgin Islands are mostly made up of St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John, and lie east of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean. They were originally settled by Amerindians and later slaves were brought in to work the plantations. They were fought over by the Spanish, Dutch, English, and French, until 1672 when the first permanent settlement was made by Denmark on St. Thomas. Soon after they also settled on St. Croix and St. John. In 1917 the islands were purchased by the United States, because of their strategic position, for $25 million.