Big Ambergris Cay is a private residential island and home to Ambergris Cay Private Island Resort, located within the

Turks and Caicos Islands The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI; and ) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and n ...

. Not to be confused with

Ambergris Caye Ambergris Caye ( ; Spanish: Cayo Ambergris), is the largest island of Belize, located northeast of the country's mainland, in the Caribbean Sea. It is about long from north to south, and about wide. Where it has not been modified by humans, it ...

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

, Big Ambergris Cay is situated to the southeast of the main chain of the Caicos islands. Adjacent to Big Ambergris Cay is Little Ambergris Cay, which is an uninhabited natural reserve. Little Ambergris Cay is a unique and significant habitat for a wide range of birds and marine life. Big Ambergris Cay island is approximately long, wide, and in total. The island was named for

ambergris Ambergris ( or , la, ambra grisea, fro, ambre gris), ''ambergrease'', or grey amber is a solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull grey or blackish colour produced in the digestive system of sperm whales. Freshly produced ambergris has a mari ...

, a waxy substance that migrating sperm whales regurgitate and is prized as a fixative for perfume and cosmetic products. Ambergris used to wash up along the of island's shoreline but is rarely found on the island today. Big Ambergris Cay is known for its shallow, turquoise waters. It is surrounded by sandbanks and coral reefs. To the east of the island, the water deepens as part of the Turks Island Passage. Big Ambergris Cay has been a private island since 1811 and is today home t
Ambergris Cay
a private island offering an all-inclusive resort experience.

History

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Loyalists settled on Big Ambergris Cay, raised cows, made pottery, and built houses, stables, and cisterns. The ruins of these early colonial settlements can be seen today on the island. As the island is privately owned and managed, prior permission to visit is required. John Lightbourne was the island's first owner, having purchased it from the Bahamas administration in 1811. Then, Horatio Stubbs of South Caicos purchased the island, the dwelling house, and a female slave in 1826 for the cost of 6,000 bushels of salt.

Sisal Sisal (, ) (''Agave sisalana'') is a species of flowering plant native to southern Mexico, but widely cultivated and naturalized in many other countries. It yields a stiff fibre used in making rope and various other products. The term sisal may ...

was raised on the island toward the end of the 1800s. In 1978 an investment group from the state of Arizona tried to purchase Ambergris Cay, with the goal of building a university on the island. This effort was rejected by the government. Canadian businessman Henry Mensen bought Big Ambergris Cay in 1995. Mensen started the development of the island to establish a luxury and exclusive residential community. Through this project, the island today has the Calico Restaurant and Bar (a reference to the famous 17th century

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

), a clubhouse, and robust infrastructure for island's self-sustenance. Since late 2017, Big and Little Ambergris Cay is managed by Turks and Caicos Collection. The island boasts 20 private villas, 10 beachfront pool suites, a spa center water sports center, the longest private runway in Caribbean capable of accommodating most private airplanes, reverse osmosis water purification, independent electrical generation systems, and a cell tower that provides phone and high-speed internet access.

Transport

Ambergris Cay International Airport is located on the island. At , it is the longest privately held airstrip in the Caribbean. The flight time from the main airport in Turks and Caicos Islands,

Providenciales International Airport Providenciales International Airport , on the island of Providenciales in the Caicos Islands, is the main international airport serving the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom. It is operated by Turks an ...

(PLS), to Big Ambergris Cay is approximately 18 minutes. The size of the airport allows the residents and guests to fly into the island with private airplanes.

Wildlife

Fauna

The reefs are home to dolphins, tarpons, bonefish, turtles, conch, and Caribbean lobster. Reports from local fishermen indicate that green and hawksbill sea turtles nest on the island. The island is home to the native

Turks and Caicos rock iguana The Turks and Caicos rock iguana (''Cyclura carinata'') is a species of lizard endemic to the Turks and Caicos islands. This small iguana can reach and becomes mature at seven years and may live for twenty. A single clutch of up to nine eggs is ...

(''Cyclura carinata''), which is critically endangered. The

San Diego Zoo The San Diego Zoo is a zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, housing 4000 animals of more than 650 species and subspecies on of Balboa Park leased from the City of San Diego. Its parent organization, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, is a p ...

has an ongoing research study on the island's fauna. The island also provides habitat for the Silver Key anole (''

Anolis scriptus ''Anolis scriptus'', the southern Bahamas anole or Silver Key anole, is a species of lizard in the family Dactyloidae. The species is found in the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI; and ) ...

''), the Caicos least gecko (''

Sphaerodactylus caicosensis ''Sphaerodactylus caicosensis'', also known as the Caicos banded sphaero or Caicos least gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae . It is endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geogr ...

''), and the Turks and Caicos curly-tailed lizard (''

Leiocephalus psammodromus ''Leiocephalus psammodromus'', commonly known as the Turks & Caicos curlytail or Bastion Cay curlytail lizard , is a species of lizard in the family Leiocephalidae ( curly-tailed lizard). It is native to Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean ...

'') The Caicos gecko (''

Aristelliger hechti ''Aristelliger hechti'', known commonly as Hecht's Caribbean gecko or the Caicos gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae. The species is endemic to the Caicos Islands. Etymology The specific name, ''hechti'', is in hono ...

'') occurs on Little Ambergris Cay.

Flora

Endemic to the Turks and Caicos Islands, silverbush (''

Argythamnia argentea ''Argythamnia'' is a genus of plants of the family Euphorbiaceae first described as a genus in 1756.Limonium bahamense ''Limonium'' is a genus of 120 flowering plant species. Members are also known as sea-lavender, statice, caspia or marsh-rosemary. Despite their common names, species are not related to the lavenders or to rosemary. They are instead in Plumbag ...

'') and orchid (''

Encyclia caicensis :''Encyclia'' is also a Greek term for the Codex Encyclius ''Encyclia'' is a genus of orchids. The genus name comes from Greek ''enkykleomai'' ("to encircle"), referring to the lateral lobes of the lip which encircle the column. It is abbreviated ...

'') are plant species found on Ambergris. Most importantly, the island is a significant habitat for Turk's Head Cacti (''Melocactus''), the cactus species from which the name of Turks and Caicos Islands derives. The cactus is known for its similarity to the Turkish hat, ''

Fez Fez most often refers to: * Fez (hat), a type of felt hat commonly worn in the Ottoman Empire * Fez, Morocco (or Fes), the second largest city of Morocco Fez or FEZ may also refer to: Media * ''Fez'' (Frank Stella), a 1964 painting by the moder ...

,'' and is therefore, called the 'Turk's Head or Cap'.

References

{{Authority control Caicos Islands Private islands of the Caribbean