Grand Turk can easily be experienced on a full port day when arriving by ship.
We took a cruise on Carnival Freedom departing Port Canaveral sailing to the ports of Amber Cove and Grand Turk on a 5 Day Eastern Caribbean itinerary.
About Grand Turk
It’s the second most populated island of Turks and Caicos with Cockburn Town as the capital city of the country.
Grand Turk is 7 miles long, and a population around 5,000. Its size makes it easy to get around by golf cart, jeep or car.
Honestly, this port was definitely our favorite on the cruise! Here are some cool things to do and see when you visit this beautiful island of blue.
Rent A Golf Cart
We rented a 4 seater golf cart from a rental company called Drive GDT right outside the cruise port’s main entrance. We had a nice experience with them and their golf carts looked much better than some of the others we had seen prior.
Everyone within the port and outside the port were charging the same price however, you may be able to negotiate rates.
Also, if you know for sure that you want a golf cart rental, definitely book in advance online because it’s way cheaper than just waiting until you get to the port.
Unfortunately everything was booked up so we had to find a rental once we arrived and paid more than we would have paid if booked months in advance. Lesson learned!
Grand Turk Sign
Just a couple minutes drive from the cruise port is a colorful display of the Grand Turk sign.
Make sure to stop for a photo op because if you don’t, then did you really visit Grand Turk? Haha!
Beautiful Beaches
Governor’s Beach is the most popular on the island. Some prefer to make the 20 minute walk from the cruise port, but we prefer taking a golf cart. It’s hot out there!
English Point (at first, we thought this was Governor’s Beach but apparently it was not.) However, it was a pretty quiet beach with only a few people on it.
Cockburn Town Beach was definitely our favorite. It was very peaceful, the water was calm and there were literally only 4 other people there other than us.
A few other beaches to choose from are: Pillory Beach, Boaby Rock Point, White Sands Beach, East Side Beach and the Cruise Center Beach.
We did not make it to those beaches but they are recommended by many cruisers.
The Donkeys
Yes, there are donkeys on the island! It seemed to be a roadside attraction on its own. People kept stopping for photo ops and unfortunately, also feeding them food scraps which is not good in my opinion.
We just stopped and took a few pictures of the donkeys and went on our way.
Grand Turk Lighthouse
Despite using the provided map with our jeep rental, we still managed to get lost trying to find the lighthouse.
Luckily, the island is small enough that you’d eventually make your way back to somewhere familiar if you do get lost.
The lighthouse stands at 59 feet high. It is no longer accessible but you can still experience the beautiful grounds around the lighthouse.
There is also a scenic, coastal path along the limestone cliffs that you definitely can’t miss! But beware of your footing, not just because it’s a cliff, but there is also donkey poop. Still worth the view though!
We bought delicious drinks from The Lazy Donkey Bar. There is also a small food spot located in the old light keeper’s house. I’m not sure if the eatery has a name but we ordered jerk chicken and struck up a conversation with the chef who by the way makes a nice and spicy hot sauce!
We took our food and sat at the Cliff Hanger Bar – a large gondola where you can eat and listen to the calm ocean ahead.
The gift shop had super cute things (that I now wish I had bought), and bathrooms.
Please Note: It is not free to visit the lighthouse. At the time of our visit, tickets were $3 Adults, $2 Children under 10.
Oh and another note, there are some donkeys who roam the parking lot. They didn’t bother us but we watched a group of college kids trying to shoo them away from their golf carts (probably because they were feeding the donkeys when they arrived!)
Grand Turk Cruise Center
Tristan really wanted to get back to the cruise center because he asked to go swimming there before it was time to board. So we spent a couple of hours at the cruise port, enjoying the water and the music.
There are plenty of shops, food, a beach with free and paid loungers, and the largest Margaritaville (with a pool) in the Caribbean at Grand Turk Cruise Center.
Some other attractions on the island are: Downtown Cockburn Town, Turks and Caicos National Museum, Grand Turk Salt Salinas, Her Majesty’s Prison (currently closed), and snorkeling tours at Gibbs Cay (known as Stingray City!)
Is Grand Turk on your list? We definitely want to go back!
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