White Sands Beach
Grand Turk
White Sands Beach is a secluded 1.5-mile (2.4 km) stretch of coast on southeast Grand Turk. The water here is very shallow with large amounts of seaweed, so it’s a poor location for swimming or snorkeling. For cruise ship visitors looking to explore on their own, White Sands Beach is a one- to two-mile (1.5–3 km) walk down the beach from the Grand Turk Cruise Center.
Exploring Grand Turk
For those vacationing on Grand Turk on a cruise ship stopover or a day trip from Providenciales, exploring the island’s sights and attractions by rental car is a top recommended activity.
The undeveloped coasts, bluffs, and salinas near White Sands Beach are interesting places to discover.
The adjacent Hawkes Nest Salina typically collects the greatest amount of crystallized salt of any of the disused salinas in the country. Sometimes, it appears as a reflective sea of white.
To the north of White Sands Beach are the wetlands of South Creek (inland red mangrove-lined waterways that shelter birdlife).
To the south is Boaby Rock Point Beach, which has the island’s finest shore snorkeling.
Gun Hill
Scarcely anything remains of the historical site today, but the low bluff of Gun Hill on the northern end of this beach was once home to a small British cannon battery. This late 1700s or early 1800s light fortification was probably built in response to possible threats from France and the Haitian revolution.
Record-keeping on such matters unfortunately wasn't thorough in the past—however, several of the cannons on public display on Grand Turk likely came from this site, as well as the previous site of Colonel Murray’s Fort to the north.
Getting Here
This beach is more difficult to access than most of the other beaches on Grand Turk. A poor-condition track does lead to White Sands Beach along Hawkes Nest Salina, but the easiest way to get here is to walk up the coast northeast from Boaby Rock Point.
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