Turks and Caicos Disabled Travel Accessibility
Unfortunately, the Turks and Caicos lags behind many Western, Asian, and Central and South American nations when it comes to accessibility for people with disabilities and special needs. Many businesses, restaurants, and services in the Turks and Caicos are not accessible.
While not every business is accessible, there is a sufficient number of local accommodations and businesses on Providenciales that are accommodating to physically disabled travelers and can help you have a wonderful vacation.
The island of Providenciales has the greatest number of businesses, resorts, and facilities in the country. While it isn't particularly accessible, it's generally speaking the most accessible island in the archipelago.
You can also find relatively accessible infrastructure at the Cruise Center on Grand Turk—where all cruises to the Turks and Caicos Islands disembark.
Accessibility of Turks and Caicos Beaches
There are no beaches in the Turks and Caicos with wheelchair mats. To travel across the beach and sand, travelers who use wheelchairs will want to use a beach wheelchair for the best experience.
Beach Wheelchairs
On Providenciales, local business Island Access rents beach and ocean wheelchairs (which have oversized tires that ‘float’ over the soft sand on the beaches). The Ocean Club East, Ocean Club West, and Beaches Turks & Caicos resorts have beach wheelchairs for the use of their guests.
Public Restrooms
Except for the bathrooms near Rickie’s Flamingo Café on Grace Bay Beach, there are no functioning public beach restrooms on Providenciales. The public bathrooms near Rickie's are not wheelchair accessible.
Best Grace Bay Beach Accesses
The best accesses for wheelchair users to reach Grace Bay Beach are the paths near Royal West Indies Resort and Point Grace. Both accesses allow you to drive right up to the beach and feature a shorter path than other accesses to the sand and water.
Accessible Attractions
Accessible attractions in the Turks and Caicos Islands are very limited. Grace Bay Beach is the most accessible beach for wheelchair users, given that it has the greatest number of accesses and parking of any beach on Providenciales. Both the Saltmills Plaza and Regent Village offer accessible shopping, with almost all of the tourism shops located on the ground floor of both plazas.
The Grand Turk Cruise Center
There are a few attractions that you can visit at the Cruise Center that are step-free and accessible for wheelchair users, including the port shops. Generally, all shops and bathrooms have ramps to enter.
Visit Turks and Caicos is not aware of any beach wheelchairs available for rent at the Cruise Center.
Street Crossings and Sidewalks
There are no accessible traffic signals, audible cues, or tactile markings (way-finding systems) in the Turks and Caicos that help blind or visually impaired people navigate pedestrian areas and road crossings. Given the many reckless drivers in the Turks and Caicos, crossing the street can be quite dangerous. In the Grace Bay area, most sidewalks are in fairly good condition and have dropped curbs that can accommodate wheelchair users.
Service Dogs
Most resorts in the Turks and Caicos do not allow pets (including service animals) on resort grounds. A few businesses, such as Crest & Berry, are pet-friendly and allow animals inside the restaurant. Other cafés in the Grace Bay area, such as Turkberry and Lemon 2 Go, permit patrons to have dogs in their exterior dining areas.
Unfortunately, bringing animals including guide dogs to the Turks and Caicos can be difficult. You must get the necessary documents, tests, and permissions—the whole process can take several months—before arriving. One way to make the process easier is by booking a travel consultation service with local veterinarian Bark + Bliss.
Keep in mind that certain dog breeds are prohibited from entering the Turks and Caicos Islands, regardless of whether they are service animals.
Wheelchair Accessible Transportation
Unfortunately, handicapped transport options are limited. Visit Turks and Caicos is not aware of any car rental companies that rent wheelchair accessible vans or vehicles.
There are a few wheelchair accessible taxis on Providenciales.
Disability Parking
Many of the larger and newer resorts, restaurants, and shops in the Turks and Caicos have clearly marked handicapped parking spaces. That being said, the use of these spaces by non-handicapped drivers is an ongoing problem. With only a few exceptions, parking in the Turks and Caicos is free and usually easy to find. Those misusing these spaces simply want to shorten an already short walk from a car to their final destination.
Domestic Flights and Ferries and Accessibility
Domestic travel between the islands will unfortunately be difficult for disabled persons. Most transit between islands occurs either by small and cramped aircraft or small passenger ferry boats. The staff of local transportation are typically happy to do everything they can to accommodate you, yet the typical inter-island vessels are intrinsically a little difficult to get into and out of. See Domestic Flights and Ferries for more information on vessel types.
Food Allergies and Special Dietary Requirements
Several restaurants in the Turks and Caicos claim to be able to accommodate persons with food allergies.
Unfortunately, many of the establishments that can cater to specific allergies and food intolerances are the higher priced gourmet restaurants. There are not as many budget restaurants that can accommodate food allergies and other restrictions.
Many restaurants in the Turks and Caicos have at least one gluten-free and vegetarian dish on the menu, with a few restaurants specializing in plant-based dishes. While the availability is typically more limited than visitors are accustomed to, specialty foods such as non-dairy milks, gluten-free grains and pastas, and more are typically stocked at Graceway Gourmet and Graceway IGA.
Beaches Turks and Caicos, an expansive family all-inclusive resort, is typically able to cater to special dietary needs and has culinary concierge staff that work with guests prior to arrival to ensure all needs are met.
If you have a life-threatening food allergy, you may want to consider staying at a rental villa. Most local property managers are happy to ensure that your kitchen is sanitized ahead of time and can pre-stock the villa as required. If you’d rather not cook while on vacation, it’s also easy to arrange a private chef.