With its name derived from a long history of sea salt production, in the southeast of the Turks and Caicos Islands lies Salt Cay – a small, inhabited island with a total landmass of 2.6 square miles. Despite its size, Salt Cay has many activities, experiences, and possibilities, but passenger ferries between the island and Providenciales are unfeasible due to its distance. Instead, there are several scheduled flights a week.
The primary settlement on the island is Balfour Town, where the main port of Deane’s Dock is located. The population peaked at around 700 people in the 1700s and 1800s. This number has generally declined since, and today, it is an example of an island that time forgot. Around 100 residents remain, and donkeys, previously used to pull ancestors’ carts, now roam freely all over Salt Cay. There are also no paved roads and very few cars.
One of the island’s icons is the Harriott White House, part of the remaining old colonial architecture in the Balfour Town and Deane’s Dock area. Remnants of the salt salinas and windmill foundations also remain. Salt Cay has been nominated to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which will be the only place of its kind in the whole of TCI. The small island is also an excellent location for diving and whale watching. The scuba diving industry has been a key driver of the Salt Cay economy since the demise of salt production in the 1930s.
