Exploring Grand Turk in a Golf Cart
Search for Grand Turk golf cart rental, and you’ll quickly realize that this is one of the most popular ports for renting a golf cart. There are many rental options, both available officially through the cruise lines or you can go on your own with a third-party vendor to save money. If you go the latter route, note that you’ll have to walk a bit outside the confines of the Grand Turk Cruise Center. You’ll just hang a right once into port and head toward the taxi stand under the brown awning and keep on going. It’s a little bit of a hike, but you can get there on foot in less than 10 minutes.
The good news is that because Grand Turk golf cart rentals are so common, there are several golf cart vendors. The bad news is that because this is such a popular way to see the island they often sell out. So, if you want to explore Grand Turk via a golf cart, do not expect to rent one on the same day. You will want to plan ahead and book in advance.
What to Expect
Upon arrival, you’ll need to show your driver’s license and complete a waiver, and then you’re free to go! Most vendors will provide you with an island map, but it’s an easy space to navigate as it’s just six miles in total length, from the extreme south, where the port is located, to the extreme north. Along the way, you can visit some of these awesome locations, highlighted in my Five Things to Do in Grand Turk – Without an Excursion post.
One of the things I love about the Grand Turk Cruise Center is that it’s an ideal spot for a free beach day, with a gorgeous and clean beach located right at the port. On a recent visit, I decided to see what the hype was about and explore the island beyond the boundaries of just the port area, and, wow — I had an amazing time!
Cost of a Golf Cart Rental in Grand Turk
We rented a cart for the day from Paradise Carts, which offers a standard four-person golf cart for about $110. They provided us with a map of Grand Turk, highlighting some of the key stops along the way, and off we went! It was a bit jarring at first, as they drive on the left-hand side of the road in Grand Turk, so we had to remain mindful of that. These carts don’t exactly burn rubber, so expect also to be passed often by drivers in cars, and you’ll encounter numerous other drivers in carts, ATVS, and all manner of other vehicles along your journey.
Highlights of Grand Turk
On the way out of port, we stopped at the colorful Grand Turk sign for a quick photo opp, then headed up the western Coast, stopping at Governor’s Beach and Pillory Beach along the way. It was very windy this day, which has often been the case on my prior visits to Grand Turk, so it wasn’t optimal for a beach day, although we did enjoy a couple of hours of sand and sun. We stopped several times to enjoy the antics of the wild donkeys, visited the quaint shops of Cockburn Town, and stopped at the famous Jack’s Shack on the way back to port.
It’s amazing how much we fit into one short port call (we had to be back onboard by 3:30 PM), and this was only possible because we had the freedom and flexibility of the golf cart. While I love a good Grand Turk free beach day right at port, I’m so glad I ventured out this time to see the rest of what the island has to offer.
