The family gathered at Gecko’s Island Adventures office in Frederiksted, St. Croix, before setting out on the Original ATV Tour to celebrate Peter’s 30th birthday. Five years into living on St. Croix, I still manage to find things I’ve never done — and this time it came in the form of a Gecko’s Island Adventures ATV tour. That’s one of the things I love most about this island: there is always something new, something unexpected, something that reminds you why you chose to make this place home.

Family lined up on ATVs before Gecko's Island Adventures tour in Frederiksted St. Croix
Ellen, Charlie, Lauren, and birthday boy Peter ready to roll at Gecko’s Island Adventures in Frederiksted

This particular adventure came with a reason to celebrate: my son Peter’s 30th birthday. We were looking for something the whole family could do together that would give Peter a memory worth keeping. A friend recommended Gecko’s, and I’m glad we listened.

What Is Gecko’s Island Adventures?

Gecko’s Island Adventures is a family-owned ATV and UTV tour company based out of Frederiksted on St. Croix’s west end. They’ve been operating since 2009 — over 15 years of taking visitors and locals alike through the island’s rainforest, historic ruins, mountaintop overlooks, and coastline. They’re a TripAdvisor Traveler’s Choice Award winner from 2020 through 2025, and it shows. From the moment we arrived, the operation was professional, welcoming, and well run.

They operate Polaris ATVs with automatic transmissions and provide hands-on training before every tour — no prior ATV experience needed. That mattered for us, because my wife Ellen had never been on an ATV before.

Our Birthday Adventure: The Original ATV Tour

We booked the Original ATV Tour — their most popular offering. At $175 per person, the 2-hour, 16-mile ride covers the west end coastline, the Sub-Tropical Rain Forest, the summit of Mt. Stewart, and 1700s-era plantation ruins. The group: me, Ellen, our son Charlie, Lauren, and the birthday boy, Peter.

Andrew riding an ATV on Gecko's Island Adventures Original Tour on St. Croix
Riding through the dusty trails of St. Croix’s west end on Gecko’s Island Adventures Original ATV Tour.

Our guide Jackson was fantastic. Knowledgeable, patient, and entertaining, he made everyone feel comfortable — especially those new to riding. The owners were on-site and equally warm. It’s the kind of small business where you can tell the people running it genuinely love what they do.

The Ride

We started at the Gecko’s office in Frederiksted with a safety briefing and hands-on training, then headed out. The tour begins along the west end coastline before climbing into the rainforest. It’s been a dry stretch on the island lately, so the trails were dusty rather than muddy — we didn’t get the rain-soaked experience some groups enjoy, which honestly sounds like a blast and reason enough to go back. But the dust and trail conditions were part of the fun in their own right.

The highlight was the mountaintop overlook at the summit of Mt. Stewart. From up there, you get a perspective of St. Croix that most people never see — green hills rolling toward both coastlines, the Caribbean stretching to the horizon, and a quiet sense of scale that the island doesn’t always show you from sea level. After five years here, I’ve seen a lot of this island. But not like this.

Panoramic view of St. Croix from Mt. Stewart on Gecko's Island Adventures ATV tour
The view from the top — one of the highlights of the Gecko’s Original ATV Tour, looking out over St. Croix’s green hills and the Caribbean Sea.

 

We also stopped at plantation ruins from the 1700s, where everyone had time to get off the ATVs, walk around, and take photos. Jackson weaves island history throughout the ride, which adds real depth to what could otherwise just be a thrill.

A Note for First-Timers

Ellen had never ridden an ATV before this trip. By the end of the tour, she was smiling and already talking about going back. The training is thorough without being intimidating, the machines are manageable, and the guides read the group well. If you’ve been on the fence because you’ve never ridden before, that’s not a good enough reason to skip this.

Book Your Gecko’s Island Adventures Tour

Whether you’re celebrating something special, looking for something to do with visiting family, or just ready to see St. Croix from a completely different angle, this is the tour for you. Options are open to ages 5 and up, and they offer sunset tours that end with a champagne toast on a West End beach.

Happy birthday, Peter. Five years in, and St. Croix still has surprises.

Explore St. Croix Real Estate

St. Croix has a way of showing you something new every time. If moments like this have you thinking about making the island home, our team at Sea Glass Properties is here to help. Browse our current homes for sale on St. Croix or explore our Sea Glass Properties exclusive listings.