St Thomas and St John are home to tourist destinations like Magens Bay and Trunk Bay. During our recent visit to the US Virgin Islands we were determined to find more secluded areas or secret beaches on the islands. We found paradise at three beaches – Sandy Beach and Neltjeberg Beach in St Thomas and Little Cinnamon Beach in St John. This post shares how to access Neltjeberg Beach in St Thomas, along tips for visiting.
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How to Visit Neltjeberg Beach
Neltjeberg Bay is on the north side of St Thomas. It can be accessed by boat or by hiking from Dorothea Beach. We chose the hiking option during our visit and really enjoyed the experience. This beach is for adventurers who enjoy exploring off the beaten path.
From Charlotte Amalie visitors can follow Google maps to Dorothea Beach. One can not drive to Neltjeberg, Dorothea Beach is the closest place to park and hike.
When we arrived at Dorothea Beach we were not sure if we had in fact arrived. There was not a sign for Dorothea Beach. It felt more like driving into an apartment or condo complex then a beach area. It was clear that this area had not yet recovered from the hurricanes. There were still units boarded up. After driving around the buildings and triple checking google maps we decided we were in the right area and parked next to the beach. We did capture video footage of arriving at the Dorothea Beach area in our travel video.
From doing research we knew there used to be two options to hike to Neltjeberg Beach. One is to follow the rocks along the coast to Neltjeberg Bay. The other option was to hike through the trees. After parking we walked to the left along Dorothea Beach toward the trees to try and locate the trail.
We thought we may have found a possible trail, but it looked quite over grown. We had not read of anyone taking the trail since the hurricanes and opted to hike/climb on the rocks along the coast. We preferred this option anyways as we love to climb. If anyone has taken the trail through the trees recently let us know in the comments!
We hiked along the coast during low tide. The rocks along the coast were quite large and fun to climb. The hike took us around 20 minutes.
We first happened upon a small beach area that we thought could be Neltjeberg Beach. Since we were not sure we decided to keep going and very quickly realized we had not reached Neltjeberg. We were able to see a much larger beach area in the distance. If you think you’ve arrived and the beach seems small, climb over the next rock area and you will probably see Neltjeberg Beach.
When we arrived we had the beach to ourselves.
We wished we had more time to spend on this beach, but we started the hike about an hour before sunset. We were not up for hiking back on the rocks in the dark. If we would have arrived earlier we would have snorkeled in the bay and set up our hammock and beach blanket to relax. This destination was absolute paradise for us.
We did see damage from the hurricanes – mainly palm trees that had been broken off or displaced. Even though the damage was still visible, the beach was beautiful and peaceful.
We had a hard time leaving this paradise.
The setting sun hurried us along the hike back on the coast.
If we return to St Thomas, Neltjeberg will be first on our list of beaches to visit again!
If you are adventurous and curious about enjoying this paradise check out our video highlighted below. Neltjeberg is the second of three secluded beaches in the video. Footage includes arriving at Dorothea Beach, hiking along the coast and time at Neltjeberg Beach.
Tips for Visiting Neltjeberg Beach
- Plan your Visit: Check the tides. We would recommend visiting during low tide so one has the option of hiking along the coast to the beach. We did not visit during high tide to see how high the water rises along the coast. We do not know if it is realistic to hike along the coast during high tide.
- Easy Navigation to Dorothea Beach: Prior to traveling, download the Google map for St Thomas. This will allow a smart phone to utilize GPS on the map even if the phone does not have cell service or wifi. Even if your phone can not navigate, you can follow along on the map if you know what roads to take.
- Access to Neltjeberg Beach: Use Google maps to verify you have arrived at Dorothea beach, where the hike to Neltjeberg starts. When we visited there was not a sign identifying the Dorothea Beach area.
- Path to Neltjeberg Beach: Visitors either need to hike/climb on rocks along the beach or hike on a path through the trees. We would recommend wearing sturdy shoes that can get wet. We wore water shoes which worked, but it would have been better to have a little more support. Bring protection from the sun (hats, sunscreen, etc). Bring snacks and water, especially on a sunny day. *This hike along the coast is much more than just a leisurely stroll to a beach. It involves navigating on large rocks for at least 15 minutes. One must assess their own abilities and choose to visit at one’s own risk.
- Safety while Visiting: Dorothea Beach and Neltjeberg are off the beaten path in St Thomas. Be aware that you may not see any others during your hike so plan accordingly and keep safety in mind.
- Time at Neltjeberg Beach: Think about how you would best enjoy your time at Neltjeberg. There are so many options at this beach – pack a lunch to enjoy on the beach, bring snorkel gear for the bay, pack a beach blanket to soak up the sun or bring a travel hammock to relax in the shade.
More US Virgin Island Secluded Beach Options
While Neltjeberg was our favorite beach to visit on St Thomas and St John, we know this type of experience is not for everyone. It can be dangerous if one is not comfortable hiking/climbing on rocks.
We also visited Sandy Beach on St Thomas and Little Cinnamon Beach on St John. These options are a little easier to access. Sandy Beach involves a 1 mile walk/hike on a paved path.
Little Cinnamon Beach involves either hiking over smaller rocks for less than 5 minutes or swimming from Cinnamon Beach.
All three beaches are highlighted in the travel video below.
We also created travel vlogs for our time on St Thomas and St John:
If you enjoy our content, subscribe to our blog and YouTube Channel Explorcation! Our next post will feature how to visit Little Cinnamon Beach on St John.
To hear more about Jamie & Skylar’s journey listen to the podcast interview on “If I Could Tell You One Thing”:
you had me at palm trees!
beautiful pictures!!!!!
Thank you ☺❤ we can never get sick of pics with palm trees!
I enjoyed reading this it will be useful for us when we got the chance to go in the future! I love the pictures and it looks like you have a good time!
Thanks April ☺ we hope you get to visit in the future!