“The beach is the only place where salt lowers your blood pressure.”
The first thought that comes to mind when I think of Turks and Caicos has to be blue water and white sand. (Maybe Margaritaville too, lol)
And boy oh boy, was I right. The beach in Grand Turk was even better than I imagined it to be!
With only 6 hours to explore the island, we had to make the most of it and do as much as we can.
A lot of cruise passengers prefer to get off and spend the day at Margaritaville – it is the largest one in the Caribbean.
Or they do planned excursions.
We love to wander off though and experience the culture.
Excursions are cool, don’t get me wrong but with the time we had, we had to see as much as we possibly could.
If you are headed to Grand Turk on a cruise, here is what I would recommend:
Your 6 Hour Grand Turk Itinerary:
Transportation:
Getting around on Grand Turk Island is really easy.
When you get off the ship, walk straight through the cruise center, walk to your left and you will find plenty of taxis.
You won’t miss it!
The taxis are all larger vans and they carry up to 7 passengers.
The rates are different for each zone. (Zone A, B, or C) In our case, we wanted to make our first stop at Pillory Beach, zone C, which was about 18 minutes drive away.
The fare to zone C was $8 per person, one way only. Not bad at all!
We squeezed into the taxi, and off we went.
Before we move on, I just have to say that the people in Grand Turk are so nice and helpful!
Our taxi driver was amazing and we had the best conversations with him!
First stop: Pillory Beach
Calm and quiet is an understatement. If we saw 5 people on the first stretch of our beach walk it was a lot!
The taxi Driver dropped us off at Bohio Dive Resort and instead of making our way towards the town, we decided to walk to the right (when facing the ocean).
There was not really anything except for seashells, sea fans and a couple of conch shell, blue water, and white sand!
To me, that is entertaining enough!
Next up: Cockburn Town
We walked all along the shore until we got to Front Street which is the main street.
Here you will find stalls and stands of handmade items by the locals as well as food.
These stores are not permanent and usually only open when there is a cruise ship in port.
Top Things To See In Cockburn Town
- Grand Turk St Mary’s Church
- Her Majesty’s Prison
- St. Mary’s Church
- Crofton Coverley House
Click here for more info on these sights.
After taking a gazillion photos we walked back toward the start of the street, where we came from, to catch a taxi to the Mega One Triton Shipwreck.
Side note: You don’t need to worry about finding a taxi.
They will be driving past you on your walk back and will most likely stop and ask if you need a ride if they have space.
At this point, we worked up a sweat and were ready for some swimming and snorkeling.
Last Stop: Governor’s Beach
Get ready to have your mind blown away!
I felt like I was in heaven on this beach!
Honestly, I could not stop taking photos but photos can’t do it any justice!
I’ll stop talking (or typing…). You will see for yourself in the pictures below.
Mega One Triton Shipwreck
Aside from tanning, swimming, snorkeling and relaxing and taking lots of photos for ‘the Gram’, there is really not much more to do.
But let’s be real, you don’t need more than that.
Just soak up all the beauty and enjoy your time here before you have to head back to the ship.
The snorkeling was so-so. We saw a couple of fish but nothing crazy.
They say the snorkeling is great about 60 to 100 feet from the shore. It really just depends where you are.
All Good Things Must Come To An End… Unfortunately
There is one catch…
There are not a lot of taxis who make frequent stops at Governor’s Beach to take you back to the cruise ship.
You will have no problem getting there, but getting back to the cruise ship may be a little harder.
You have 2 options:
1. Negotiate with your taxi driver to come to pick you up at a certain time.
(And hope he actually comes to get you! I have heard of times where people did not get picked up)
2. Walk back to the ship.
Walking back to the ship is really not that bad! We did it!
It is probably a 15 – 20-minute walk.
Here is the important part: You can NOT walk along the beach because of construction.
Grand Turk is still going through a lot of renovations after it got hit by both Hurricane Maria and Hurricane Irma in 2017.
You will have to walk back towards the street and walk along the main road.
But not to fear, there is a little walkway.
As soon as you see an open way down to the beach again, take it, and walk the rest of the way along the shore.
**There is one more must-have photo op in front of the cruise. Don’t miss it!
Extra things to do:
If you’d rather spend the day doing a planned excursion then click here for more information!
Here are some ideas:
- Scuba Diving
- Snorkeling Cruises
- Gibbs Cay
- Horseback Riding
- 4×4 Safari Adventures
- ATV Tour
- Whale Watching (Winter months only)
- Helicopter Tour
- Segway Tour
- Stand-up Paddle Boarding
- Kayaking
- Kiteboarding
- Fishing
- Dune Buggy Tours
- SNUBA (A cross between snorkeling and scuba diving)
Conclusion:
We can truly say we had an AMAZING time here.
We would love to hear from you!
Are you headed to Grand Turk soon?
If you have any questions, ask them below!
Just came back from Grand Turk?
Tell us about your experience!
