Little Water Cay sits just off the north-east tip of Providenciales, a short run from Grace Bay. Everybody calls it Iguana Island, because of the several thousand Turks and Caicos rock iguanas that live on it and nowhere else in the world.
It is on almost every charter itinerary in Provo, including ours. Here is what it is actually like, so you can decide whether you want it on yours.
What you are looking at
The Turks and Caicos rock iguana is endemic — it exists on these cays and no other place on earth. They are grey-brown, up to around two feet nose to tail, slow-moving and entirely unbothered by people. On Little Water Cay they are dense enough that you will see dozens within a few minutes of stepping off the boardwalk ramp.
The cay is a protected area managed by the Turks and Caicos National Trust. Visitors stay on raised boardwalks that run across the scrub, which keeps feet off the nesting burrows. There are a couple of short loops and some low viewing platforms.
The honest version
It takes about thirty to forty minutes, and that is enough.
This is not a hike or a beach stop. You walk a boardwalk, you look at lizards, you take photographs, you get back on the boat. It is genuinely good — wild endemic animals at arm’s length is not nothing, and for children it is reliably the part of the day they describe when they get home — but it is a short stop, not a destination.
Where it goes wrong is when it is sold as a headline. On a four-hour charter, half an hour here plus the run each way is a meaningful slice of your day. If your group came for snorkelling and swimming, be deliberate about whether you want it.
Where it goes right is as a break in the middle. Thirty minutes of standing on something solid, in shade, between two swim stops, suits families and anyone who has had enough sun for a bit.
Practical things nobody puts in the brochure
There is a landing fee
Little Water Cay is National Trust land and a landing fee applies. It is small, it is not ours, and it goes to the Trust rather than to the boat. We will tell you the current amount and how it is handled before your trip — ask us when you book rather than finding out at the jetty.
Access is not guaranteed every day
Conditions, maintenance and Trust management can all close the landing on a given day, sometimes at short notice. Any operator who promises you Iguana Island unconditionally is guessing. We confirm on the morning and swap in another stop if it is not available, which is one of the advantages of a route that belongs to you rather than to a timetable.
Do not feed them
People do, and it is bad for the animals and against the rules of a protected area. Fed iguanas lose their wariness and their diet, and the Trust spends real effort undoing it. Look, photograph, keep your snacks on the boat.
Wear something on your feet
The boardwalk is fine barefoot, but the ramp and the shoreline are not always. Flip-flops are enough.
Which charters include it
Little Water Cay sits on the standard itinerary for our half-day private boat charter at $1,450 and our half-day luxury yacht charter at $2,500, both for up to six guests plus 12% government tax.
On a full-day charter it is optional, and often skipped — seven hours is better spent pushing out to North and Middle Caicos and the barrier reef than doubling back to a stop twenty minutes from Provo.
On the catamaran it depends on the day. Tell us if it matters to you and we will build the route around it.
What pairs well with it
The geography makes a natural circuit. Little Water Cay sits close to the Leeward end of Providenciales, which puts it near:
- Sandbars on the banks — waist-deep water, usually the stop immediately before or after.
- Fort George Cay — another National Trust site, with the remains of an eighteenth-century fort and cannon in the shallows.
- Pine Cay and the quieter beaches on the northern cays.
- Noah’s Ark and Captain Oak’s Tiki Bar, the floating bars out on the water.
A half day that runs sandbar – snorkel – Iguana Island – home is about as good a four hours as Providenciales offers.
Is it worth building a trip around?
No — and we would rather say so. Build the trip around the water, and treat Little Water Cay as the stop that breaks it up. That way, if the landing is closed on your day, you have lost a nice half hour rather than the thing you booked for.
If seeing the iguanas is genuinely the priority, say that when you book and we will put it first in the route rather than last, so weather later in the day cannot take it away from you.
Common questions
Are the iguanas dangerous?
No. They are herbivores and completely uninterested in people. They will walk past your feet. Do not try to pick one up.
How long do we stop for?
Thirty to forty minutes is typical and plenty. On a private charter you can stay longer if you want to — it is your boat.
Is there a beach there?
There is sand at the landing, but this is a nature reserve rather than a beach stop. If your group wants a proper beach we will add one, and there are good ones nearby.
Can we snorkel there?
Not really the point of this stop. The snorkelling happens at the reef sites earlier or later in the route — see our on-the-water guides.
Is it suitable for someone with limited mobility?
Getting from the boat to the boardwalk involves a shoreline landing, which is not ideal for everyone. Tell us in advance and we will be straight with you about whether it will work on your day, and suggest alternatives if not. Our guide to easy-access boat trips covers this in more detail.
How do we include it?
Mention it when you enquire and we will build it into the route for your date.
