Salt Cay Turks and Caicos Islands
A living museum, “the land that time forgot”. Little has changed since 1900 when the salt industry last flourished. A bustling port up to the 1960’s, buildings, salinas and artifacts essential to solar salt production are still visible.
Salt Cay supported a whaling company in the mid-1800’s. Now, whales pass by undisturbed during January through March on the way to their winter breeding grounds on the Mouchoir Banks. Plan ahead to extend your stay in the Turks and Caicos Islands and include a few days on Salt Cay to “See the Whales”.
South of Salt Cay, you can dive the Endymion Wreck, a 140 foot (43m) wooden-hulled British warship which sank in 1790 after hitting the reef.
Salt Cay is reached by plane or boat from Grand Turk. A resort is being developed on Salt Cay.
Often referred to as the “Island that time forgot”. Less than one hundred years ago a thriving salt industry supported a community of 1100 people. Now home to about 80 souls from around the world who enjoy a peaceful coexistence with the sea and sky.
If low key is the vacation you are seeking you can enjoy no less than five dining establishments from gourmet to authentic “island” cuisine and ten guest houses with selections from the funky to the luxurious - Salt Cay style. A list of privacy-seeking celebrities have graced the shores since movie stars Madeleine Carroll and Sterling Hayden converged in 1942 to film Bahama Passage.
A day trip on Salt Cay to view just a small slice of life truly away from it all can be the highlight of your Turks & Caicos Islands experience. Few destinations afford the opportunity to meet the people who live there - people with a story to tell and a genuine smile. On Salt Cay you will find the friendliest people in the world.
On their way to the Silver Banks to mate and calf, January through March is prime whale watching time. The humpbacks are playing so close by you can see them from shore and hear them with your ear in the water. No longer hunted for “oil” they are now enjoyed by a privileged few who can spend a day with them.
Salt Cay’s reef is still pristine, less travelled and part of the third largest reef system in the world. The top of the reef starts in only 20 to 35 feet (6 - 11m) of water. The walls have a gradual slope or a sheer drop to 7,000 feet (2,100m). Dive sites are just 5 or 10 minutes from the dock. Northwest Wall, Kelly’s Folly and Turtle Garden offer wall diving at its finest. Huge gorgonians, brilliant coral and sponges form a backdrop for a family of spotted eagle rays, turtles, dolphins, huge moray eels and jewel-like fishes. You can arrange to dive the HMS Endymion, a 1790’s British war ship resting in just 40 feet (12m) of water. Magnificent songs by the Humpbacks can be heard on most every dive.
Snorkelling, right off the beach, is unsurpassed. The Bluff, Point Pleasant and Aquarium sites offer opportunities to watch a line of squid, tarpon, barracuda, many brilliant fish, as well as colourful coral heads and fans.
