Grand Turk Historical Sightseeing Tour
Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Maximize your time on Grand Turk without the stress of navigating—this guided open-air tram tour takes you to all of the highlights. Cover the island’s top locations in just a couple of hours while a guide brings local history to life. Visit key landmarks, including museums, historic churches, the old prison, and the island’s famous salt ponds. The tour finishes in Cockburn Town with time for shopping and a stop at the Grand Turk Lighthouse.
- An open-air tram is far more comfortable than a stuffy bus
- The tour length is the perfect fit for packed vacation itineraries
- Head between must-see locations without having to spend your vacation driving
- Kick things off at an easy-to-find meeting spot
What's Included
- Local guide
- Beverage
- Food tastings (provided by local merchants)
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
- 3 Lighthouse Entrance Fee (may be applied towards drinks, snacks or gift shop items)
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Island Tram ToursCVH4+XFW, Cockburn Town TKCA 1ZZ, Turks and Caicos Islands
Meet us at the Cruise Center main gate. Proceed to the taxi stand, then make a LEFT across the car park. Follow path to the main gate. Our guides will provide maps, wristbands and get you ready for an adventure around Grand Turk.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
Start your open-sided tram sightseeing tour of Grand Turk at the tram station near the cruise terminal at the Southern end of the island.
From there, the tram takes you all the way to the island's northern tip and back in about 3 hours. Feeling the sun and the tropical breeze on your skin is a pleasant way to tour the island while learning about its history.
Cannons, windmills, churches, inns, and other historical attractions keep your guide busy pointing out the local sights. Pass many wild horses and donkeys, the Space Capsule, and Governor's Beach on your way to Cockburn Town, where you'll stop to sample some local foods and have a cool drink (own expense). Disembark in historic Cockburn Town and visit some of the local shops and restaurants.
Back on the tram, pass Her Majesty's Prison and the National Building, both historical relics with interesting colonial architecture. On your way to the Grand Turk Lighthouse at the very northern end of the island, pass Crabtree Park and North Creek. Get a history lesson in Grand Turk's once-booming salt industry as you pass the natural salt ponds, known as "salinas". Dating back to the 1600s, these salt ponds were once the lifeblood of the islands, and are now home to flamingos and other tropical birds.
After getting your fill of local sights and history, your tour ends back at the tram station.
From there, the tram takes you all the way to the island's northern tip and back in about 3 hours. Feeling the sun and the tropical breeze on your skin is a pleasant way to tour the island while learning about its history.
Cannons, windmills, churches, inns, and other historical attractions keep your guide busy pointing out the local sights. Pass many wild horses and donkeys, the Space Capsule, and Governor's Beach on your way to Cockburn Town, where you'll stop to sample some local foods and have a cool drink (own expense). Disembark in historic Cockburn Town and visit some of the local shops and restaurants.
Back on the tram, pass Her Majesty's Prison and the National Building, both historical relics with interesting colonial architecture. On your way to the Grand Turk Lighthouse at the very northern end of the island, pass Crabtree Park and North Creek. Get a history lesson in Grand Turk's once-booming salt industry as you pass the natural salt ponds, known as "salinas". Dating back to the 1600s, these salt ponds were once the lifeblood of the islands, and are now home to flamingos and other tropical birds.
After getting your fill of local sights and history, your tour ends back at the tram station.
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 9 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
3.5
based on 536 reviews
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I'm sure this tour is usually good but on October 22 it was terrible. First they were late in picking us up for the tour. They were about 30 mins late. Then the tour was given in the ricketyest tram ever. It was old the speakers kept cutting out so we couldnt hear what the driver was saying over the very loud motor and the exhaust coming from the tram blowing into our faces in the second car of the tram. Our driver did try to fix it at our first stop and it worked for a little while then the exhaust came back. Our driver was great. Very knowledgeable about the island and he tried his best to provide a great experience but the old tram with non-working speakers and exhaust blowing in our faces was just too much to overcome.
Started 30 minutes later
No rep until last minute
Hard to find the right location from the directions on the website.
Doug was great, unfortunately we couldn’t hear him because the motor was so loud.
When smoke started coming from the engine we became concerned but made it back!
Tour started 30 minutes late and half way through the tour they ran out of fuel. We had to wait another 30 minutes before the tour continued. The audio system didn’t work well. Only one speaker was working. Additional, there isn’t much to see on this island.
Late arrival
Not suitable for people who have mobility issues as pick up out of port area and not signposted
Terrible tour guide
Unable to hear commentary
Exhaust fumes terrible if in 2nd cart
Broke down
Poor excuse for poor quality trip
1. Late starting was supposed to start at 9am started at 9:35am
2. Speaker difficult to hear as speakers don't work
3. This vehicle should in the junkyard as exhaust nearly killed me breathing that.
All on this trip should be refunded
My booking was scheduled for 11:30 someone had to call her to let her know it was about 20 of us waiting for her then she asked us to walk to the table and wait it was after 1:00 before she came got us and some people left but the experience was nice
Arrived at gate at 8:45. Tour agent arrived at 9:00 and said the tram would be 15 minutes late. She gave us a map and a wrist band and then instructed us to walk about 1/4 mile to another location and wait at picnic tables. We waited 40 minutes and agent drove up and said the tram was coming. Five minutes later at 9:45 the tram arrived. The tour was very good but the wait was quite annoying.
The tour was good once it got started. They were 45 min late picking us up. We waited in the sun and heat without any updates if the driver was coming or not.
One of 2 new businesses owners are hopefully working out the kinks on. Had to walk considerable distance past tourist hub, other tour vendors, taxis, parking lot and trail to meet guide and at end of tour. Transport not suitable for walker. No free drink or food perhaps due to low price. We were taken away from tourist areas to open air beach bar where we waited for other participants to finish snorkeling and for them to eat the Conch salad. As tram was supposedly not functioning properly, guide offered to take the 4 of us in her very, small car with AC, although getting everyone in & out was uncomfortable.
Guide drove us around many areas giving personal stories of residents. We had photo stops at Lighthouse, space capsule, flamingo pond and time to visit a museum featuring history on the aboriginal people, shipwrecks, and the islands once prosperous salt industry. (Which reinforced stories of why there were “wild” unclaimed donkeys meandering around the island)
A wonderful your around Grand Turk with Carly. She went out of our way to adapt the tour so we could snorkel at Anuki resort on the lovely beach and we bought delicious conch salad and local beer:( Carly then travelled by car with another couple around the island ( air conditioned which was very nice) and saw the pink flamingoes, lighthouse museum main town and space capsule. Carly gave us a great commentary and was so friendly. Thanks Carly definitely recommend:)
Booked well in advance for 9.00 trip. Gave CC details. 2 days before trip I received the tickets. Evening before the trip I received an email to say 9.00 trip was overbooked and we were moved to 11.30 slot. I told them it was doable but not preferable. Their response was to thank me for my understanding, which I found irritating! The day of the trip there was an issue and we didn’t get picked up until after 12.30. The vehicle was in very poor condition, it broke down twice, the driver/owner was clearly used to this happening as he carried a mobile jump start kit on board. On top of that his PA system failed twice and he ended up shouting information of stopping the tram to talk to us. I was concerned about breaking down and getting back to our cruise ship on time. He told us he was having a nightmare of a day and it’s good to have thd bad luck all in one go- for him perhaps but not for paying customers!
On the plus side, the driver/owner was fun and gave us alot of information.
The tour was good value for the money. However, the logistics and equipment need to be updated. The tour started an hour late and the instructions for pickup were a little confusing. However, once we started the tour, the guide was very informative and funny. We ended up spending 4 hours on the tour instead of two so it was a really good deal if you have enough time. The PA system and the tram need updating. The PA system was not working for most of the so the guide had to pull over to give us explanations. He did a really good job of explaining the history and culture of the island and we had ample time for shopping and leisure activities and taking pictures. He was also very accommodating with picture taking and generous on time at points of interest. That's it
The operator gave us an ear full when it came to Grand Turks. He stopped at a few places so we could take pictures and he also bought us a snack from one of the locals. In addition to that he stopped and we had rum punch which was delicious. We had time for history, shopping, the lighthouse, etc. and we weren’t rushed. We made it back to drop off point in plenty of time to explore shops before going back to the cruise ship.
Do not meet at the address provided on here. It says that the meeting point is in Cockburn. We paid $40 to get there by taxi only to be told island tram tours is at the cruise port and had to pay $40 to get taken back to the port. The tour itself was fine. The guide was knowledgeable and friendly. It’s not a big island so it didn’t take too long to see everything.
The tram driver was 20 minutes late to pick us up. And he stopped by his house to drop off a trailer which I thought was extremely unprofessional.
Open air tram was very old and the microphone was cracking and made it difficult to hear the guide. The museum was worth the $5. The lighthouse was in very poor condition. Guide did not allow much time for pictures.
This excursion was the worst I ever had, the vendor was late, the tram was old and it was cutting off, it was smoking and burning oil, no.seat belts, it was loud and in disrepair, the speaker system was old scratchy and most times inaudible, we did not visit any noteworthy sites during the 2 hrs we were on this "tour".
We rolled around non tourist areas we stopped at street vendor areas for about 35 minutes, then to the lighthouse where all the donkeys and donkey poop was, but again no noteworthy or picture worthy sites. A true disappointment! The ride was so rough and smokey, the young men in front of me covered their faces with their shirts to avoid the smoke from the burning oil from the engine.
The tram bounced area so badly some of the ladies lifted out of their seats. The operator kept saying that "Betsy" was going in for service and the other 2 was in the shop, " Betsy " should not have been on the road!
I would not recommend this tour operator at all!!!! @Viator I really want a refund for this wreck of a excursion!!
It was good team was a little loud but the private beach they took us too made it worth it!! We will be back!!
I was never able to find the guide. I did find another person from my cruise - who also wasn't able to find the guide. I also found scammers trying to tell me that my tour was already gone so I could rent one of their carts (even though we were 15 minutes early, so it couldn't be true). I called Viator and they weren't able to get a hold of the tour operator so finally we gave up and I did get a refund, but if you have your heart set on a tour here, you can't rely on this supplier to provide it.
Tour started late. We were not advised of change of time. Long walk to get to area we were asked to await arrival of tram. Once started could not have desired better. Felt safe and had a good informative and scenic tour. Doug is a very knowledgeable tourguide. He made the tour interesting and has a great sense of humour.
Audio could be improved...at times we were unable to hear as we journeyed...
Will recommend this couple who were very engaging.
No signage to start point. Started one hour late. Compressed tour. Our vehicle ran out of gas. Needed to rescued.
If you are looking for a ritz carlton tour, it is not. If you are looking for a real local to show you around their island, then this is the one. We stopped by a secluded beach, had time to swim, was provided drinks. The guide was very knowledgeable and made special request stops
Over a hour late picking us up, then the tram caught a flat tire twice . The driver was great but I did not appreciate being left in the hot sun waiting over a hour
Very informative and Friendly. Unfortunately, our bus had tire trouble so we did not get the open tram, but we did get a air-conditioned van.
Great trip with lots of history. Even a stop at a private beach. Got a free rum punch. Guide was great!
I couldn’t have asked for a better tour or tour guide for Turks and Caicos. I saw and learned so much as the tour guide was a resident since childhood and taught me so much more than I think I would’ve learned had I booked a tour through the cruise line. The tour guide was also so gracious as to bring me my cell phone that I left on the tour bus. I would recommend that anyone who is on a cruise that is coming to Turks and Caicos, Grand Turk, they book this tour.
The loud noise from the tram engine made it impossible to hear the tour guide. Cockburn Town was a waste.
This tour is an excellent and relaxing way to see the island. The tour guide was a native of the island and very knowledgeable about the history of the island and all of the sights to see. The beautiful island water, wild horses and donkeys were all amazing to see. We really enjoyed the ride and the two stops, where we able to do a little shopping and have a quick drink.
Great all around tour. Saw lots more than ship tour. Only issue was tram motor was very loud, compartment needs better sound insulation. Thankfully we were seated right under a speaker.
Doug is a very knowledgable tour guide. However time management needs a bit of work. Late start and late finish. If you are tight for time make sure you take an early tour... Tram was unreliable had to boosted several times... He did however treat everyone with kindness, assisting the older passengers, and waiting on those who needed a bit more time.
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Grand Turk Historical Sightseeing Tour
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