Little Water Cay (Iguana Island)

An interesting attraction of the Turks and Caicos are the rather large iguanas that are native to the little island archipelago. While they may seem to jar with your traditional notion of a Caribbean getaway, these green guys are actually native to the islands. To find them, head on over to Little Water Cay (known locally as Iguana Island) for some white sand and good old fashioned lizard-hunting.

Little Water Cay is just shy of 500 yards from Providenciales, so it’s easy to spot while looking for things to do on the island. You can take a tour boat or ferry over to the island, and the exercise enthusiast or outdoorsman of the group will enjoy a brisk kayak over to the shores of Little Water Cay - but be careful of the currents that run between the two islands (for this reason, a swim is not recommended).

Once here, there’s little to do aside from hoofing it around the island, lazing about on the white sand beaches, or exploring what is Little Water Cay’s best attraction – the Turks and Caicos Rock Iguana. Little Water Cay has two boardwalks installed that make loops around the north and south of the island. These are perfect opportunities to get out and see the iguanas in their natural settings without disturbing them – and not disturbing them is a good thing – the Turks and Caicos Rock Iguana is protected as it’s an endangered species; the introduction of cats and dogs to the islands all but wiped them out.

So do yourself a favor and see them while you can – the little green charmers are oddly appealing. Find them sunning on rocks and scurrying through the brush!