At the start of the new year, Island Buggy Excursions (IBE) announced their official opening in Havensight.
The buggy excursion tour, located at the end of the cruise ship dock, offers tourists an alternative to riding on a safari or renting a traditional vehicle. By booking an excursion, tourists are given the ability to decide where they want to go, how long they want to stay at each destination and the freedom to explore the island at their leisure.
IBE owner John Henriques lived in Baltimore, Maryland and would visit the Virgin Islands frequently. He was always enthralled by the charm of St. Thomas and in 2023, he sold everything he owned and moved to the island, unsure of what he would be doing once he arrived.
Henriques became interested in purchasing a dune buggy for himself so that when friends and family visited, they would have a fun vehicle to drive around in. He found a particular model of dune buggy built in New Mexico, a modern replica of a 1967 buggy, and decided to make the trip to see the buggy in person.
Henriques was so impressed with the dune buggy that rather than buying one for himself, he bought multiple and formed a business plan that utilized the buggies.
“We pride ourselves on providing you with one of the best ways to explore the crystal clear blue water beaches and the scenic and tropical landscapes while having fun and creating forever memories,” IBE notes on their website.
IBE offers suggested excursion sites based on customers’ interests and the parts of the island that they would like to visit. IBE can even pre-organize a complete excursion tour that renters can follow via GPS, hopping from location to location with ease.
The cost for a day excursion is $394 for up to four people, which includes the buggy, a full tank of gas, insurance, and a mapped-out itinerary, should you desire one.
How Will Tourists Know Where To Go and Is it Safe?
While on an excursion buggy drivers are going out on their own and often have never visited the island before. This does raise certain concerns about the safety of tourists as they embark upon an excursion. When asked about the safety of his excursions, Henriques told the Source, “Every buggy has a GPS, so we can track where the buggies are at all times, and I am constantly checking in on them to see how they are doing. If they need any assistance, they know that they can always reach me.”
To ensure that tourists are not going into these excursions blindly, Henriques gives every customer a safety briefing prior to an excursion, highlighting the fact that they will be driving on the left side of the road. He also urges renters to be cautious of any potholes that they will likely encounter on their way to a destination.
Ongoing Challenges Faced by Island Buggy Excursions
Getting his business up and running proved to be far more challenging than Henriques had anticipated. Henriques was denied by the Licensing and Consumer Affairs Department (DLCA) three times and it ultimately took him over 11 months to acquire a business license.
Now that IBE is open for business, Henriques continues to face challenges. The location of the buggy excursion site is right on the cruise ship dock, so Henriques initially thought that attracting tourists to his business would be no problem. However, he is finding that with the placement of the safaris in front of his business, the tourists are missing him all together and getting right onto a safari instead. Henriques is currently speaking with neighboring Havensight businesses to try to make his buggies more visible to cruise ship passengers.
IBE is currently open Monday through Sunday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
For more information on how to book an excursion for your next island excursion, visit https://islandbuggyexcursions.com/info or see their contact info below:
Location: 6 REM, 6B NEW QUARTER, Estate Thomas, St Thomas, VI 00802
Phone: 340-998-0592
Email: islandbuggyexcursions@gmail.com
