The Iguana Island tour, Turks & Caicos
Two hours out of Leeward Marina to Little Water Cay, where a National Trust guide walks the boardwalk with you and around 3,000 rock iguanas ignore you.
Photography is illustrative; final footage lands before launch.
A short crossing to Iguana Island
You leave Leeward Marina and cross to Little Water Cay, a protected 116 acres off the end of Providenciales. There's a raised boardwalk running through the scrub, and rock iguanas lying on it. They don't move when you arrive. A Turks & Caicos National Trust guide walks the trail with you and explains why the species held on here after it vanished from the bigger islands. No throttle, no nerves. You're back at the same dock two hours later.
The iguanas, the guide and the fee
- A Turks & Caicos National Trust guide. walks the boardwalk with you and answers whatever you ask
- Around 3,000 rock iguanas. an endangered species endemic to Turks & Caicos, basking either side of the boardwalk
- Flat water out of Leeward. gentle enough for grandparents and toddlers
- The conservation fee. US$10 or US$15 at the gate, already inside your price
What's included
Not included
What to expect
Out from Leeward, across a channel 456 metres wide, to Little Water Cay, a protected 116-acre cay off the northeast tip of Providenciales.
- 1Leeward Marina. Arrive 15 minutes early. Your captain and the National Trust guide are at the boat, out on the dock.
- 2The crossing. A few flat-water minutes across the channel.
- 3The welcome hut. You land at the National Trust hut on the cay. Your guide meets you there.
- 4The boardwalk. Raised trails through the scrub, iguanas either side of them. Stay on the boardwalk; don't touch and don't feed.
- 5Back to Leeward. The same dock you left from.
The Turks & Caicos rock iguana is endemic and endangered. It once lived across all the main islands, then declined as settlement brought cats, dogs, livestock and other invasive species. Little Water Cay, managed by the Turks & Caicos National Trust, is one of the last places it held on. Around 3,000 of them live on its 116 protected acres, most 16 to 24 inches long, some near 32.
The run of the day, confirmed per the tour brief.
Where you meet
Who this trip is for
This is the slow one. If you came to Turks & Caicos to open a throttle, book the La Famille Express run instead. What's here is a boardwalk and a guide, and nobody has to swim.
Kids and grandparents
All ages. Life vests come in every size for the crossing, and the trail on the other side is a flat boardwalk.
What to bring
Sun hats, reef-safe sunscreen, and sandals that stay on your feet. Parts of the trail are shaded.
The rules on the boardwalk
Stay on the boardwalk. Don't touch the iguanas and don't feed them — feeding makes them aggressive and unwell. Your guide covers the rest on the trail.
Best season
There isn't a bad one. The iguanas are out all year; the difference between January and July is how hot the walk is.
Exact departure point, what-to-bring and fee handling confirmed per the tour brief.
The Turks & Caicos rock iguana, at a glance
Little Water CayEndemic to Turks & Caicos and endangered. Little Water Cay is managed by the Turks & Caicos National Trust. Figures per the tour brief; to verify against current National Trust data.
Cancellation and weather
Free cancellation. Cancel or move your booking up to 24 hours before your start time, for any reason, at no charge.
Weather. If it isn’t safe to go out, we don’t go out. Message us before you book and we’ll confirm what happens to your booking and your deposit if we make that call.
The iguana questions
A crossing, a boardwalk and a National Trust guide. What people want to know is what the iguanas are actually like up close.
Is it just lizards?
They're big lizards. Adults run 16 to 24 inches, and a few get near 32. Around 3,000 of them live on 116 acres, which means they're lying on the boardwalk when you arrive and they don't move for you. The species is endemic to Turks & Caicos and endangered, and this cay is one of the last places it held on. If that doesn't interest you, it will be a long two hours.
Is it OK for young kids?
Yes. It's the gentlest thing we run. The crossing is flat water and the trail is a raised boardwalk; nobody swims and nobody climbs anything. A Turks & Caicos National Trust guide is with you the whole way.
Do the iguanas bite?
Only if you provoke one. They're wild animals that have decided you aren't interesting, and they stay that way as long as nobody touches or feeds them. Feeding is the real problem. It makes them aggressive and unwell, which is why snacks stay packed away on the trail.
Is the National Trust entry fee included?
Yes. Little Water Cay charges a conservation fee of US$10 or US$15 to walk the boardwalk, and it's already inside your price. Nothing changes hands at the hut. The fee is what pays for the boardwalk and the guides who work it.
When's the best time to go?
The iguanas are out year-round. November to April is the cooler, drier half of the year, and easier walking for it. Whatever the month, take a morning slot. It is cooler on the boardwalk and there are fewer people on it.
