Anyone been to Tobago Cays RECENTLY

[fahtcha]

My wife and I were there the last week of April. Mooring was $45EC per night and the park fee was $10EC per person. Really enjoyed the beach bar b que at Big Mama’s. Lobster ended up being around $50 US and fish or chicken cheaper. I will go back when I’m in the area at the end of October. PM me in you have questions.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by fahtcha

My wife and I were there the last week of April. Mooring was $45EC per night and the park fee was $10EC per person. Really enjoyed the beach bar b que at Big Mama’s. Lobster ended up being around $50 US and fish or chicken cheaper. I will go back when I’m in the area at the end of October. PM me in you have questions.

$50 for a spiny lobster?! You can have a proper one for less in Paris

[PiAn]

I was here this season, last season 3 times, and so on. Whatever you do, St Vincent & G. is always the country where people leave far less money, per person per day, than in any other (E.C's) country. People spend so few money there that asking them 10 more EC$ looks like an agression.

[fahtcha]

Just providing current information. Nobody is forced to eat onshore. However, cconsidering the entire meal $50US seemed fine. Plus the locals are great people.

[nofacey]

2019 - Tobago Cays were lovely, definitely worth stopping, picking up a mooring and even doing a beach bbq. (Mind you we bought them out of booze, then shared ours, as well as bringing Bob Marley tunes to play = big ice breaker). The Tobago Cays are one of my top ten anchorages in the world.
My fees were less, but I’d still stop there for a couple nights at these rates

The park itself encompasses the islets & reefs to the east of Mayreau.
- following comment is from another cruiser, but reflects my experience there.

If you want to save $$, anchor in Saline Bay, get a well equipped boat boy to take you around, do a drift dive too…..but being moored up inside Land End reef was an incredible vista. It’d be a very long, rough dinghy ride, no one would be smiling afterwards.

“ This is a highly visited National Marine Park made up of five islets protected seaward by several barrier reefs, the two most prominent being Horse Shoe Reef and Worlds End Reef. There are four major anchoring areas within clear sea water with plentiful fish on display. Protected areas along the west side of Baradal Island safeguard the area's sea turtle population.Most of the anchorages are in 3 to 4 meters with good holding over a sand bottom. Anchorage in about 9 meters of sand also with good holding is possible along the west side of Petit Rameau and Jamesby Islands.
The Parks people maintain many moorings here to protect this beautiful area from the damage that anchoring does. Take a mooring and pay the Parks people for it; the money goes to the Parks and the care of this beautiful place..”

[Cheechako]

Sounds like it's up to the guy getting the money how much you pay that day to stay there.
Too bad.

Yeah, I was offered a Lobster off a fisherman's boat 22 years ago for $50! I guess $50 today cooked for you is not so bad!

[RIglehart]

Originally Posted by derfy

Get outside the reef (dinghy thru a cut east of Baradal) and do a drift snorkel. Amazing. Saw a huge manta and sharks. Don't bother with snorkeling inside the reef. It was all bleached. Also good around the cliffs of the islands, but not like the outside of the reef.

Fair Winds

Everyone. This is all great info. Thank you. I have more specific questions now...

1) If you snorkel outside the reef, do you need someone extra in a dingy to drop off and pick up? Or... Can you anchor/moor a dingy somewhere and come back to it, or are the currents too strong?

2) It looks like if you anchor, you pay. Say I anchor inside the reef and pay. Then motor out and anchor inside Worlds End Reef, I assume the anchor/mooring pass covers 24 hours, not just a spot. Correct? I am assuming moving around within the park is fine and payment is documented with a receipt of some kind in case you get hit up more than once.

[RIglehart]

Originally Posted by derfy

do a drift dive too…..but being moored up inside Land End reef was an incredible vista. It’d be a very long, rough dinghy ride, no one would be smiling afterwards.

Are you talking about here? I have been eyeballing that. How many boats can fit in that spot? Can you overnight there if the forecast looks ok?

[Ryban]

I loved the Tobago Cays, and even though the fees were not as high when I visited several years ago, and I was on a tight budget, I still would visit again.

I understand why there's this sentiment that it's a bummer we can't just go visit these places for free anymore, but look at it from their perspective. People with big expensive boats are coming, and often crowding, a treasured natural resource of a very small, and resource-limited country. Why shouldn't they charge us? A lot of the boats that were in the Tobago Cays when I was there were charter boats, as well -- people that probably aren't shoe-string budget cruisers.

We're willing to pay $100-200/month so that we can stream our favorite Netflix series on our boat, but not $20/day to enjoy one of the most beautiful places on the planet, I don't know, just seems a little petty.

I do hope the money is going, in part, to help protect the resource, though.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Ryban

I loved the Tobago Cays, and even though the fees were not as high when I visited several years ago, and I was on a tight budget, I still would visit again.

I understand why there's this sentiment that it's a bummer we can't just go visit these places for free anymore, but look at it from their perspective. People with big expensive boats are coming, and often crowding, a treasured natural resource of a very small, and resource-limited country. Why shouldn't they charge us? A lot of the boats that were in the Tobago Cays when I was there were charter boats, as well -- people that probably aren't shoe-string budget cruisers.

We're willing to pay $100-200/month so that we can stream our favorite Netflix series on our boat, but not $20/day to enjoy one of the most beautiful places on the planet, I don't know, just seems a little petty.

I do hope the money is going, in part, to help protect the resource, though.

It’s not how I see that. It was one of the most beautiful places in the world when we were there in 2003-2004 and we spent weeks there at anchor. There were no boatboys, no moorings, no fees, not many boats at all, maybe 4 or 6.

Now it’s a tourist trap, with lines forming for entry etc. You write $20 per day but I see EC$65 per day for a couple, plus another us$100 for dinner.

[davethedog]

We were there a few weeks ago and can confirm the following:

You pay 60EC per 24hrs per boat (whether on a mooring ball or at anchor, the mooring balls did all seem to be very well maintained and substantial).
You also pay 15EC per person per 24Hrs.

The boat boys are not aggressive and we did the BBQ on the beach and it I did not think it was too expensive.

Now sat on the boat typing this in Bequia

[Roux]

I visit Tobago Cays once a week with guests.
The costs of 25usd for the boat and 6 usd per person is more than affordable.
The reserve is beautiful. The turtles trained to entertain guests.
Have dinner at Free Willy or one of the other guys on the beach.
Do not go while the sun is up. Many flies and India Mina Birds that will steal your food from your plate during daytime. None at night.
Make sure you use the heads before you go on land. No ablution available.

[bstreep]

I’ll jump in again. We are currently cruisers in Panama. In the past 12 months, we’ve spent mor than a week in 3 of the most expensive countries in the hemisphere. And I’m fortunate enough to be able to afford all of them: Iceland (10 days, 2 personal pizzas and 2 beers, $62), Norway (takeout sushi for 3 adults and 2 kids, $300), Grand Cayman ($2.50 per beer when you buy by the case). Tobago Cays in November of 2023 was more expensive and way crappier food. $25-30 for a chicken dinner that had 3 dried out chicken legs. Lobster more than twice as much. Sorry, won’t be back.

Question regarding Worlds End: yes, in good weather. 2 or 3 boats, maybe.

[Roux]

A few more things to take note of in Tobago Cays.
The meals are not the dine and wine type. Everything is brought to the island from Union in the mornings and back to Union at midnight. The interpreneurs pay a fee to the parks board per client that dines with them. There are about 6 people providing lobster meals. If you got 3 chicken legs you dined with the wrong chef. We usually get an extra lobster and a bottle of rum punch to take back to the boat. We are picked up and dropped off at the boat, no fee.
3 chicken legs.... it would be a bad experience if it happened.

[Ken Goodings]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

We all used a trick years ago… I bet it still works: you can check into Grenada and St Vincent simultaneously and sail back and forth. IIRC St Vincent doesn’t stamp the passport?

Don't try it. Checking out in Carriacou and in at Union Island is absolutely mandatory. And vice versa. This kind of illegal activity can get you a permanent ban from both SVG and Grenada. Even dumber to put in an open forum.