Best Water Taxis from USVI to BVI: 2026 Prices and Broker Picks

A private water taxi from St Thomas to the BVI runs $800 to $1,200 per boat one way, plus about $75 per person in government and processing fees. You land at STT, meet a driver, and step onto your yacht roughly two hours later.

Most people booking one are not paying for luxury. They are paying for two things the ferry cannot give them: a boat that waits when your flight is late, and a captain who drops you at your yacht instead of a terminal on the wrong side of Tortola.

Here is what each operator charges in 2026, who we book, and when we tell clients to take the ferry instead.

Quick Answer

• A private water taxi is $800 to $1,200 per boat one way to Tortola, whole boat, not per person. Dolphin is the exception and charges per person.
• Fees are $75 per person into the BVI and about $45 back out, on top of the boat, paid in cash.
• The ferry is $95 round trip, but the Red Hook route does not run Tuesdays or Wednesdays and the last boat leaves around 5:00pm.
• For a group of eight that is about $350 per person by water taxi against $175 by ferry. Roughly double, not slightly more.
• Our first pick is The Last Mile, the only operator publishing a full rate card and the only one picking up five minutes from the airport.

Prices checked August 2026.

Our brokers ran this exact transfer to the BVI Charter Show. Here is what the crossing looks like.

What a Water Taxi Costs in 2026

Operators quote on different bases, which makes headline prices useless. Some price the whole boat, one charges per person. Some include the government fees, most do not. Almost none include the taxi from the airport to the dock.

So here is the same trip, priced the same way: eight guests, Red Hook to Nanny Cay, round trip.

The Last Mile figure includes their 10% round trip discount. Gratuity is on top of all of these, and they call 15 to 25% customary.

The honest read: a private water taxi costs about twice the ferry per person for a group of eight, and closer to three times with Dolphin. If price decides it, take the ferry. The case for the water taxi is timing, luggage, and where you get dropped.

The Fees Everyone Pays

This is where most guides go wrong, because operators bundle these charges differently and call them different things. The fees are set by the BVI government and apply no matter how you cross.

Into the BVI, $75 per person:

Out of the BVI, about $45 per person:

Budget $105 to $120 per person, round trip, in fees alone, before the boat. Bring it in cash.

Ferry passengers pay far less. Public ferries are exempt from most of the inbound charges, which sit inside the ticket price, and pay roughly $30 per person across the round trip.

Children pay full fees. Every operator carries under twos free on the boat, but government charges apply per person regardless of age.

Worth knowing: the BVI has raised cruising fees sharply under the revised Charter Act, and some USVI based operators have stopped running BVI itineraries altogether. A figure someone paid three years ago no longer applies.

For passports, forms and what happens at the desk, see BVI entry requirements for charter guests and the taxes and fees on a BVI charter.

John has booked this transfer for clients repeatedly. His last quote was $850 for the boat, plus $65 per person in cash at the West End customs office.

Our Picks for 2026

We book these year round, and several of our brokers have ridden them getting to the BVI Charter Show. This is the order we recommend them in.

1. The Last Mile Water Taxi

Best for: groups of six to ten heading to West End, Nanny Cay or western Tortola.

Those rates cover up to eight guests and exclude customs. Round trips get 10% off, children under two travel free, and a 15 to 25% gratuity is customary on top.

Their real advantage is geography, not price. Every other operator departs from Red Hook, a 25 to 30 minute drive from the airport. The Last Mile will meet you at Crown Bay Marina, five minutes from the terminal. Nobody else offers it.

They now operate jointly with Sonic Charters. The main boat is a 40 foot Gold Coast catamaran refitted in 2022, comfortable for twelve with gear, plus a 37 foot Axopar for smaller crossings. Passport details go in ahead, so clearance is quicker.

Where they are limited: anything over eight guests is quote only, so the published rate does not simply scale.

2. Chillout Charters

Best for: anyone who hates surprise charges, and Nanny Cay or central Tortola starts.

Chillout has moved to quote only pricing, so there is no published rate to compare.

What makes them worth the call is what the quote includes: the international processing fees are built in, along with the captain, fuel and drinks. For most clients that is the difference between one number and four.

Ground transfer stays separate and is paid in cash to the driver: $135 for one to five people to Red Hook, or $65 for one to four to Crown Bay.

They also publish more operational detail than anyone else in the business, which tells you something about how they run.

Where they are limited: they price like a mini charter rather than pure transport, and peak week availability is tight because the same boats run day charters.

3. Island Time BVI

Best for: yachts at anchor, outer islands, and anyone flying into Beef Island.

Island Time is BVI based out of Nanny Cay, which matters when something goes wrong on the BVI end. They collect from Red Hook, will pick up in Cruz Bay if you are staying on St John, and will deliver you to a yacht at anchor rather than a marina.

They are also the only operator here running transfers from Beef Island airport (EIS) out to the islands, which matters now that some fleets have moved their base to Virgin Gorda.

Where they are limited: they publish no pricing at all, so you cannot compare them without picking up the phone.

4. &Beyond YC

Best for: &Beyond guests, booked through the central agent.

$200 for the taxi to Red Hook plus $1,000 for the water taxi, so $1,200 one way, flat, regardless of group size up to ten guests. Drinks included, captain handles BVI check in. Booked through the charter company, not direct.

Other Operators Worth Knowing About

Dolphin Water Taxi

Dolphin is the largest and best known operator in the Virgin Islands, and the one you will see recommended everywhere. We have stopped putting clients on it.

To be fair to them first: they publish the clearest per person grid in the business, they have a real meet and greet counter at baggage claim, and they can move volume in peak weeks.

Add $25 per person for the airport transfer, plus the $75 and $45 in fees.

The problem is what private means. In February 2026 a party of six who believed they had booked a private boat were told mid trip they had to collect another group, then billed $461 for a private upgrade they never requested.

Other recent complaints cover refused refunds after airlines cancelled flights, and cancellation fees applied to rebookings.

If you do book them, get 100% private written on the confirmation before you pay.

Ocean Dreams, Seahorse, Tender Too and Sonic

Ocean Dreams is a family run St Thomas operation going since 2007. They publish no pricing and no BVI transfer detail, so we cannot tell you what a crossing costs.

Seahorse Taxi publishes the most transparent fee breakdown of any operator, at $60 per person inbound rather than $75. Worth a quote.

Tender Too is used regularly by &Beyond on the BVI side.

Sonic Charters is now the same operation as The Last Mile. Booking either gets you the same crossing.

Water Taxi or the Ferry?

The ferry is genuinely good if your timing works. The problem is that it often does not.

Red Hook to West End, Tortola

Arrive 45 minutes before departure. Charlotte Amalie to Road Town runs four times a day at 9:00am, 2:00pm, 4:00pm and 5:30pm, operated by Road Town Fast Ferry, Native Son and Smith on alternating days.

Take the ferry if you land before noon, you are traveling light, and it is not a Tuesday or Wednesday.

Take the water taxi if you land after 3:00pm, you have more than about six people, you are carrying dive gear, or your yacht is anywhere other than Road Town or West End.

Missing the last ferry costs you an overnight in St Thomas and the first day of your charter. If it comes to that, our guide to hotels before or after a charter covers where to stay.

When You Do Not Need a Water Taxi

Not every leg is worth paying for, and a few situations have better answers.

Tortola to Virgin Gorda: take the ferry. Those ferries are frequent and comfortable, and a water taxi means departing from East End, which eats any time you thought you were saving.

Very large groups: ask about moving the yacht instead. For a party of twelve, repositioning the catamaran to St Thomas has come in cheaper than transferring everyone across. Ask your broker to price both.

Consider flying into Beef Island (EIS). Fares run higher and connections are thinner, but if your yacht is in Virgin Gorda or the North Sound, arriving in the BVI directly removes the crossing, the clearance and both sets of fees.

Our guide to where to start your BVI charter walks through the trade off.

If your luggage does not arrive, you can still sail. Airlines routinely put delayed bags on the Tortola ferry, and your crew can collect them the next day.

Port Hours and Late Flights

This is the part that catches people out, and almost nobody publishes it.

Book a flight that lands by 4:00pm. Earlier is better. Going home, do not book a departure before 1:30pm, and expect a pickup five hours ahead of it.

If your flight is late, the captain may reroute to Road Town or apply for a late clearance, about $40 per person and not guaranteed. A badly delayed flight can mean overnighting in St Thomas.

This is the strongest argument for a private transfer. Operators monitor your flight and wait. The 5:00pm ferry does not.

How the Transfer Actually Works

1. Land at STT and collect your bags. Cyril E. King is small and bags usually appear within 20 to 30 minutes.
2. Meet your driver. Turn your phone on before leaving the terminal, because the driver will call or text. Red Hook is 25 to 30 minutes away, Crown Bay about five.
3. Board and go. The crew loads luggage, runs a short safety briefing and hands out drinks.
4. Clear into the BVI at West End. Red Hook to West End is about 20 minutes. Your captain takes the passports ashore while you stay aboard. Clearance runs 25 to 35 minutes.
5. Continue to your yacht. From West End: Nanny Cay 15 minutes, Road Town 20, Norman or Peter Island 20 to 25, Scrub or Trellis Bay 35, Virgin Gorda 40, North Sound 40 to 45, Anegada 55 to 65.
6. On the way back, you do get off the boat. Returning to the USVI you clear in at Cruz Bay, which means disembarking, speaking to a customs officer and running luggage through a scanner before reboarding.

For why your yacht home base changes all of this, see BVI based versus USVI based yachts.

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