Photography in the Caribbean

[DrRoy]

My DW and I are cruising to the eastern Caribbean next February. On 3 of the islands that we are stopping at for the day, I am planning to rent a car and drive around with my DSLR looking for great landscape/seascape photos. Those islands are Tortola, St. Kitts, and St. Thomas. Do any of you know of particularly good spots that I should go for the best photographic potential? Please be as specific as you can about how to find them by car. Ideas would include, but not be limited to cliffs, waterfalls, unusual or rocky beaches, mountain/ocean views, etc. Thanks.



Here is a shot I took on Kauai.

 

[Nemo2]

Not 'scenery' per se, but if you're a Jimmy Buffet fan, there's this place, not far from Cane Garden Bay on Tortola:

Callwood Distillery - Cane Garden Bay, Tortola in the BVI

It certainly is [-]scen[/-](rust)ic though.

 

[48Fire]

Megan's bay in St. Thomas

 

[DrRoy]

Megan's bay in St. Thomas

Looks good to me. I would think that a view from the hill to the south would be nice. I also noticed a feature called Tombstone Rock on the south side that might have possibilities.

 

[Meadbh]

Drake's Seat looks south with an excellent view of the harbor. Mountain Top looks down over Magen's Bay.

 

[Charlotte]

If you have enough time, you can take a ferry from Tortola to Virgin Gorda. The Baths National Park is very picturesque and also just a lot of fun to explore. It's one of my favorite excursion memories in the eastern Caribbean.

I think we took Speedy's ferry service and bought some sort of package that also included a tram ride to and from Virgin Gorda's port to The Baths.


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[DrRoy]

If you have enough time, you can take a ferry from Tortola to Virgin Gorda. The Baths National Park is very picturesque and also just a lot of fun to explore. It's one of my favorite excursion memories in the eastern Caribbean.

I think we took Speedy's ferry service and bought some sort of package that also included a tram ride to and from Virgin Gorda's port to The Baths.

I came across this myself earlier. The problem is that we only have 8 hours in port. If I go here I would not really have time for Tortola too, and would also lose the time in transit. Thanks for the idea, though. I'll think about it.

 

[BTravlin]

"Sage Mountain is the highest point in the British and US Virgin Islands at 1,716 feet, with panoramic views of all the islands."

My wife and I drove the ridge top road from one end of Tortola to the other and there are excellent photo opportunities all along the route. Then we parked at Sage Mountain and made the short hike to the summit. Stunning views!

Sage Mountain National Park, Tortola, British Virgin Islands | BVI Tourism

Enjoy

 

[DrRoy]

"Sage Mountain is the highest point in the British and US Virgin Islands at 1,716 feet, with panoramic views of all the islands."

Good tip. Thanks.

 

[sengsational]

I came across this myself earlier. The problem is that we only have 8 hours in port. If I go here I would not really have time for Tortola too, and would also lose the time in transit. Thanks for the idea, though. I'll think about it.

Renting a car on a Caribbean island takes forever, even with a reservation. I figure if you have to tender(1 hr) and mess with the rental (another hour) you'll be lucky to get 4 hours behind the wheel. You might consider just getting a driver by the hour...in my experience, the like to lock-in an afternoon's work. In Hawaii, renting a car was cheap and efficient... In the islands, it was more trouble than it was worth. The scooter rental is quick and easy, but that might not be your style.

As to the photography locations, I'd consult google earth.

 

[FUEGO]

In St. Thomas (Charlotte Amalie IIRC) we walked up the hill from the cruise terminal and snapped some photos. Good vista of the bay, blue water, nearby islands surrounding the bay, moored sail boats, etc.

+1 on the time is of the essence comments - might be hard to do much touring around if you're renting a car. 8 hours in port means 6-7 max hours from the time you step off the boat till you step back on because it takes time to clear through security and they ask you to be back at least 30 minutes before the departure time. They lift the gang plank at 29 minutes before departure so you better be on board!