Grand turk has a rich history. Filled with years of stories and culture from the original native inhabitants, shipwrecks, the salt industry, military and space operations (John Glenn was brought ashore here after his successful earth orbit), to it’s modern day function as the capital of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Grand Turk is a wild marine ecosystem. Residents and guests share the island with an array of animal life including flamingos, iguanas, whales, dolphins, ospreys and other sea birds, rays, sharks, fish and living coral. During the spring months Grand Turk is a premier location to spot humpback whales migrating north with their new born calves.

It’s possible to walk around the entire island if you’re feeling extremely adventurous (it’s about 20 miles). The various sections of beach on Grand Turk offer something for everyone - from a beach party at Jack’s Shack to a private stroll along the shore with no one in sight, to bird watching at North Creek or sunbathing at Governors Beach.

Newly built in 2010, Grand Turk Hospital is found on the northern side of Cockburn Town. The hospital has a top tier medical staff who can handle everything from minor cuts and bruises to more complex medial issues.

Operated by InterHealth Canada and outfitted with a great range of facilities, operating theaters, imaging and diagnostic equipment, this complex shares some specialized staff with the more extensive Providenciales site.

Turks & Caicos Banking Company (TCBC) is Luna Beach Club’s preferred banking partner. Three major international banks provide the community with retail and commercial banking services. TCBC can provide advisory services on the formation or management of offshore companies and trusts. They can assist our owners in obtaining the right advice for their specific personal and professional banking needs.

Getting here is easy. The Jags McCartney International Airport services the island of Grand Turk, and is the only airport on the island. This airport has a single runway and terminal and accommodates both commercial and private aviation. There are multiple flights per day between Provo and Grand Turk and direct flights from Ft Lauderdale slated to begin in 2024. Grand Turk was the point of first landfall after reentry for John Glenn after orbiting the earth. A replica of the Friendship 7 space capsule can be seen outside the airport.

Compared to the extensive dining options on the island of Providenciales, Grand Turk offers a narrower range of cuisines. However, the island does feature some great casual and island-style dining spots. Most restaurants are located in Cockburn Town near the oceanfront regions of Front Street, Duke Street, and Queen Street. This area features some of the finest British Bermudian Colonial architecture in the Turks and Caicos, and offers a great Old Caribbean atmosphere.

The Grand Turk Cruise Port is a 13-acre (5.2 hectare) complex and cruise port on the southern end of Grand Turk. This site serves as the launch point for cruise ship shore excursions, and offers onsite gift and jewelry shops, restaurants, and a spa, as well as the largest Margaritaville in the Caribbean (which features a swim-up bar). As many as three ocean liners are welcomed here each day. The beautiful Cruise Center Beach fronts the complex, and is one of the nicest cruise port beaches in the region.

Grand Turk is easy to navigate. In fact, most guests travel exclusively by golf cart. Navigating the narrow streets and alleys of Grand Turk is stress-free with a golf cart. You can easily maneuver through tight spaces and explore off-the-beaten-path destinations. Since gasoline can be expensive in the Caribbean an electric golf cart is also an affordable and environmentally friendly way to explore the island. There are several rental operators on the island based at the cruise port and Luna Beach Club has charging stations as well.

The excellent diving at Grand Turk is characterized by unique wall sites. The Turks and Caicos is situated on a shallow underwater plateau with some of the best visibility anywhere. The transitions that take place between the sandy ocean bottoms on top of the plateau, to the very deep water off of it, offer beautiful diving conditions. A variety of aquatic wildlife is present at various depths, and operators offer trips for divers of various ability levels.

Turks and Caicos is becoming increasingly recognized as one of the finest kiteboarding destinations in the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean. This isn’t a surprise considering our exquisite clear, shallow water and the forgiving sandy ocean floors of the country’s top kite spots. Statistically, the winter season is the most consistent in terms of wind, yet there’s not a huge difference throughout the year. The most predictable and consistent wind in the Turks and Caicos is the east-southeast trade winds.

Waterloo Golf Club is a 9 hole, par 3 course built in the grounds of the Office of the Governor of the Turks& Caicos Islands. Officially opened on January 3, 1998, it was designed by His Excellency the Governor and built entirely by volunteers, including the Governor himself. The course which is 2758 yards long, is open to tourists. The Green Fees are $25 per day, no matter how many times you play.

Due to the 6,000-foot (1,830 m) deep Turks Islands Passage that separates Grand Turk and Salt Cay from the Caicos Islands plateau, excellent deep-sea fishing can be found directly off the island. Pelagic fish (and the hunters that prey on them) are naturally funneled through this passage. Most of the fishing operators on Grand Turk offer deep-sea sport fishing. Marlins, wahoo, mahi-mahi, several types of tuna, mackerel, and sailfish are the typical catches.

These hardy animals were used to pull salt carts and turn pumps in the salt salinas during the salt production era on Grand Turk. They were also used to provide general transport for residents. Years ago, several escaped during a hurricane and there has been a feral donkey population on the island ever since. While usually friendly, please remember these are now wild animals and you should not approach them or feed them.

Grand Turk (and the nearby island of Salt Cay) offers great humpback whale watching during the January to April winter months. Every year, humpback whales migrate from the northern Atlantic to the warmer northern Caribbean waters to give birth and to mate. The Turks and Caicos Islands are situated on an underwater plateau rises 11,000 feet (3,350 meters) from the surrounding ocean floor. Much of this extensive subterranean shelf is relatively shallow, but a deep channel splits this plateau and separates the Turks Islands from the Caicos Islands. Whales are funneled through this passage and consequently migrate quite close to Grand Turk.

Dune Buggy tours are a popular activity on Grand Turk, and off-road “dune buggy” carts are definitely a fun adventure option. Two-person carts are the standard vehicle, and they have a rack on the back for backpacks and bags. These are similar to ATV tours offered on the island, but differ as you’re actually sitting inside a vehicle instead of straddling it as with a motorcycle. As a British territory, we drive on the left. Traffic on Grand Turk is typically quite light and a guide dune buggy leads the convoy, so navigation and driving conditions are mostly stress-free.

Built in 1852 this lighthouse is Grand Turk’s most famous landmark and is the only lighthouse in the Turks and Caicos Islands. In the early 19th century, many ships wrecked off the northern coast of Grand Turk, and it reached a point where shipping firms (primarily US and Bermudian) and the UK and US Governments insisted that a lighthouse be built to aid in navigation. The lighthouse is no longer operational, yet the grounds are open for tourism.

THE COLUMBUS LANDFALL NATIONAL PARK is the largest protected area on Grand Turk, and consists of the entirety of the island’s west coast beaches to the high tide mark, the west coast barrier reef, and the ocean between them. Included in the national park are many of the best beaches on Grand Turk, including Governor's Beach, Cockburn Town Beach, the Cruise Center Beach, Pillory Beach, and English Point. The national park also protects and includes more than two dozen scuba dive sites. Several of the country’s top wall sites are here, where the depth abruptly drops from about 50 feet (15 m) into the thousands.