Grand Turk Island (Cockburn Town, Turks and Caicos)

Grand Turk Island is the easternmost of the 30+ Turks and Caicos Islands and cays. The island is a British Overseas Territory (part of the UK/dependency) with total area 18 km2 (7 mi2) and population around 4,000. Approx 120 km (75 mi) to the west-northwest of Grand Turk is Providenciales (Provo Island).

The cruise port's UK locode is TCGDT (Turks and Caicos Grand Turk). In 2006, CCL-Carnival Cruise Lines financed (USD 50 million) the construction of "Grand Turk Cruise Center" (dock and terminal) that currently has capacity to handle 3 liners simultaneously. Among the most-booked cruise shore excursions are bus tours (to historical sites), horseback riding, ATVs, water sports activities, fishing boat excursions.

Turks and Caicos are a British Crown Colony (self-governing status, like Bermuda) with total population around 8,000. Most are sand-fringed and flat isles, with desert-like terrain (scrub growth), have salt ponds, others have limestone cliffs.

Almost all of the Grand Turk's residents are in the waterfront capital Cockburn Town. This small settlement features traditional Indian wood-with-shutters and stucco-style buildings. Also here is the miles-long Governor's Beach. The 1840s-built Guinep Lodge houses the Turks and Caicos National Museum, displaying the Molasses Reef Wreck (Europe's oldest ship found in the New World). There are also exhibits on the salt industry, Loyalist Plantation Period, Taino Arawaks (the island's pre-Columbian inhabitants).

The UK's Turks and Caicos territory is sized approx 166 mi2 (430 km2), and the ocean territory is around 5000 mi2 (12950 km2). These islands are less than 30 mi (48 km) southeast of The Bahamas (another UK dependency) and approx 130 mi (210 km) north of Hispaniola Island's coast (occupied by Dominicana and Haiti) in the Greater Antilles.

After 21 months of hiatus due to the COVID crisis, Grand Turk received its first cruise ship on December 15, 2021 - Carnival Freedom (CCL-Carnival Cruise Lines).

On September 20, 2022, Hurricane Fiona (Sept 14-25) caused severe damages to Grand Turk's main cruise ship dock (pieces of its infrastructure broke off and washed up on the shore). The Category 3 storm caused damages for ~USD 200 million, affecting the Caribbean's Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, Dominicana, The Bahamas (Lucayan/Bahama Archipelago), as well as Bermuda and Eastern Canada. Hurricane Fiona's winds reached 130 mph (215 kph).

In 2024, Turks and Caicos received 311 cruise ship calls (19,2% increase over 2023) and 1,225255 million cruisers (+30,5% over 2023). 2024's peak months were July (136,990 pax), October (110,329 pax) and August (108,454 pax).

Grand Turk Island cruise terminal

Grand Turk Island tours, shore excursions, hotels

City Tours and Shore Excursions

Next are listed the most popular Carnival Cruise Lines tours on Grand Turk, with USD prices per adult:

• jeep safari ($95)
• scuba lessons ($120)
• kayaking ($70)
• Conch World ($35)
• buggy ($100)
• Stingray Encounter ($60)
• Flow-Rider ($40)
• history tours (from $30)
• horsback riding ($100)
• Cabana rental ($130)
• sport fishing ($from $120)
• combo tours - biking-snorkeling ($70), catamaran-snorkeling ($90), bot-snorkeling ($70)