12 packing essentials every St. Thomas visitor brings in 2026
Reef-safe mineral sunscreen is the first thing we'd put in your bag for St. Thomas. Since 2020, the U.S. Virgin Islands has banned sunscreens containing oxybenzone, octinoxate and octocrylene, which means the bottle sitting in your bathroom cabinet may be illegal at Magens Bay or Coki Beach. Zinc-oxide cream wins out for three reasons: it's legal, it's kinder to the reef, and it holds up through a full snorkel day.
The reason zinc oxide comes first is the shape of your days on St. Thomas. At Coki Beach, next to Coral World Ocean Park, the reef begins a few metres off the sand, so whatever you put on your skin reaches the coral within minutes. The island's sunscreen law covers that cove and every beach on the island, Magens Bay included. Shops in Havensight and Red Hook carry compliant tubes, though a small one can run $20 or more, and a tube bought at home before the flight into Cyril E. King Airport (STT) tends to cost less. A tinted mineral cream also holds to skin better than a spray in the trade winds, which matters on the roughly 20-minute ferry from Red Hook to Cruz Bay and later on the sand at Gibney Beach on St. John.
The most common mistake is leaving the passport at home. U.S. citizens can land at STT without one, but a day trip to Jost Van Dyke or Tortola crosses into the British Virgin Islands, and the ferries from Red Hook and Charlotte Amalie check documents at the dock. Visitors also skip rain gear, even though hurricane season runs June through November and short squalls can sweep over Crown Mountain on autumn afternoons. Small bills matter too: the open-air safari taxis between Havensight, downtown Charlotte Amalie and Red Hook usually take cash, and drivers rarely break a $20 for a single fare. Shoes are the last regret. The 99 Steps climbing Government Hill toward Blackbeard's Castle are uneven brick, and flip-flops slide on them after a shower.
Mineral sunscreen isn't the right first purchase for everyone. Some zinc formulas leave a chalky cast on deep skin tones, so test a tinted version at home a few weeks before the trip. Cruise passengers docked at Havensight for one day, with plans for duty-free shopping on Main Street and a walk past Fort Christian, may get more out of a broad-brim hat. The same holds for guests at a Frenchtown guesthouse who plan to spend the week in Charlotte Amalie's restaurants and museums without going in the sea. Either way, they can put the hat ahead of the tube, though the island's reef rule applies the moment they wade in at Lindqvist Beach or Sapphire Beach.
The full list
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Reef-safe zinc oxide sunscreen
This is the only kind of sunscreen you can legally wear into the water at Coki Beach, Magens Bay, or Sapphire Beach, and a tinted cream stays on through a morning of snorkelling by the reef at Coral World better than a spray does.
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Valid U.S. passport
You won't need it on arrival at STT, but the ferries from Red Hook to Jost Van Dyke and from Charlotte Amalie to Tortola enter the British Virgin Islands. Without a passport, you watch the boat leave.
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Long-sleeve UV rash guard
It covers your back and shoulders at Coki and Secret Harbour, where an hour face-down over the reef burns faster than you'd expect, and it means less cream goes into the water.
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Water shoes with a firm sole
Some entries at Coki, Secret Harbour, and Hull Bay are rocky with sea urchins in the shallows, and a rubber sole also helps on the hot sand at Magens Bay around midday.
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Small U.S. bills ($1s and $5s)
The open-air safari taxis running from the Havensight cruise dock into Charlotte Amalie and out toward Red Hook charge a few dollars per person, mostly in cash. Exact change keeps boarding quick.
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Well-fitting snorkel mask
Coki Beach has rentals, but a leaky mask can ruin your best reef day, and if your own mask fits you can swim out at Sapphire Beach or Lindqvist Beach whenever the water is calm.
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Picaridin insect repellent
No-see-ums come out at dusk around Magens Bay and the Red Hook marinas, and dengue has circulated in the territory in recent years. Picaridin works without the greasy feel of DEET.
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Packable rain shell
In the stormy months, autumn squalls blow over Crown Mountain and soak the open-air safari taxis, and a shell that folds into a pocket weighs almost nothing in a beach bag.
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Roll-top dry bag
Spray comes over the rails of the Red Hook to Cruz Bay ferry and the small Crown Bay boat to Water Island, and a 10-litre bag keeps your phone, passport, and cash dry.
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Wide-brim hat
There is little shade on a Main Street shopping walk or on the climb to Fort Christian and Blackbeard's Castle, and a hat with a chin strap stays on in the wind at Drake's Seat.
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Polarized sunglasses
They cut the glare off Magens Bay and make it easier to see reef patches before you swim out at Coki, and they help on the drive along the winding Route 30 roads.
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Insulated reusable water bottle
Walking downtown Charlotte Amalie or up to the Mountain Top viewpoint in the midday heat dries you out fast, and many Red Hook cafes will refill a bottle so you buy fewer plastic ones.
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