Day Trips to Mudjin Harbour on Middle Caicos

From expansive Dragon Cay to the serene Praying Hands… a visit to remember

Keep your eye out for the stone pathway.

Look out for the second staircase.

There, you’ll see the Praying Hands statue.

You would think these were clues on the reality show “Amazing Race” but you are actually visiting Mudjin Harbour on Middle Caicos. More precisely, Mudjin Harbour Beach area. This stretch of coastline is along the northern part of Middle Caicos, the largest of the Turks and Caicos Islands. It was originally called “Bermudian Harbour”, but over time the name morphed into the much easier pronounced name of “Mudjin”. With high limestone cliffs, soft sandy beaches, and a unique rock formation called Dragon Cay, this incredibly scenic place attracts the world’s photographers.

“This, honestly, should be a bucket list item for anyone who loves the beach and the ocean,” raved one tourist on TripAdvisor. “This place will always stay in my memory as it was so unbelievably gorgeous. It was the highlight of our T&C trip.”

The scenery is stunning. Dragon Cay takes its name from the sleeping dragon shape it resembles. It is a rocky and rugged limestone formation and at low tide is connected by way of a sand bar to the rest of the main island. Dragon Cay offers some protection from the Atlantic Ocean, but even on a calm day the waters can still get rough in this area. When the conditions are right however, it can be a fantastic spot for beachcombing and even snorkeling enthusiasts.

But it’s not the immediately visible things that make Mudjin Harbour so interesting. It is the unseen and the surprising discoveries that are exciting for tourists. The land formations and walking trails give way to some remarkable finds. At the end of one of the paved pathways is a narrow stairway that leads to one of the many caves of Middle Caicos Island. Some of the steps here are cut into the rock itself while others are made of concrete. The cave leads to another stairwell to the beach below. Here blocked off from the rest of the shoreline is the quintessential private beach known by both descriptive monikers as “Secret Beach” or “Hidden Beach”.

Said one visitor on TripAdvisor, “It is hard to describe the sheer beauty of this place. It feels like you stepped into another universe.”

The rugged cliffs, and the volcanic rock of Dragon Cay, and the clarity of the aquamarine waters demand a tourist’s attention. But it’s the sight of a unique statue that catches any visitor off guard. High atop the cliff sitting on a small stone pillar is a bronze casting of Praying Hands. The statue is several feet high and sits, along with several stone benches, in the middle of a circular stone lookout area called the “Circle of Hope”. It is part of a pathway built in 2000 by Mike and Mikki Witt, an American couple, who established the Blue Horizon Resort at Mudjin Harbour.

The area is like a back yard patio. Overlooking the ocean, the quiet surf sound in the air, and under the warm Caribbean sky, it is the ideal spot for the traveller to take a break and read a book or the romantic location for couples to tie the knot.

Middle Caicos is a quieter island in the Turks and Caicos Islands. But its splendid vistas over Mudjin Harbour, and its tranquil Bambarra Beach offer a wonderful chance to explore and appreciate the breathtaking beauty.