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East of the Bahamas is a group of breathtakingly beautiful islands with aquamarine water and soft, sun-bleached sands known as the Turks and Caicos. Originally the home to indigenous peoples who peacefully gardened and fished under the Caribbean sun, the Turks and Caicos were discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492. Four hundred years later, they were formally separated from the Bahamian nation, forming the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI).
A series of unique geological events resulted in shallow plateaus and sheer continental walls, forming the island archipelago. The waters surrounding the islands and cays are teeming with marine life, and the shores are home to iguanas, migrating birds, and pink flamingos.
In the late 19th-Century, the Turks and Caicos were exporters of salt and fish. Today, eco-tourism and adventure are the primary keys to the island’s economy. Supported by near-perfect weather and stunning scenery, these eastern Caribbean islands are home to expats and serve as the preferred playground of upscale vacationers. But even on a budget, there is plenty to see and do in the Turks and Caicos.
Whether you prefer land or water, there is something to do on almost every major island. And depending on when you visit, the low season, or the heart of the tourist season, there are some unmissable things to do in the Turks and Caicos.
Go Snorkeling
The reefs around the Turks and Caicos are a snorkeler’s dream with an abundance of crystal-clear water, marine life, and healthy coral.
A private boat cruise, in deeper waters, provides greater access to unique blooms and more interesting sea floor sights. While out in deeper waters, depending on the time of year, it is also possible to spot a few Atlantic bottlenose dolphins that make the islands their winter home.
Each island has its own unique features and coral growth. The Grace Bay reef snorkeling site is by far the most popular. The second most popular is the Leeward Island barrier reef. Both of these coral reefs grow multi-colored Alcyonacea, soft coral that undulates in the ocean swells. The coral gullies and caves are also home to schools of nurse sharks, stingrays, turtles, and lobsters.
When you finish with the boat charter, allow a few minutes to explore the beach reefs. Coral Gardens, also known as The Bight Reef, is the most popular with easy access on Grace Bay’s western end. While Smith’s Reef, near Turtle Cove, is even more extensive and complex but a bit harder to find. Finally, Malcolm’s Road near Governor’s Beach and Northwest Point is an unspoiled area known for its small and mid-sized sharks.
E-Foiling Surfing
One of the most exciting ways to experience the ocean is by surfing. And a growing sport, E-foil surfing, allows individuals to glide above the crystal clear water on hydrofoil electricity.
Some of the best e-foiling locations in the Turks and Caicos are Leeward Beach, Sapodilla Bay Beach, and Turtle Tail Beach. Sheltered from the trade winds, the waters in all three spots are calm, providing an almost glassy surface.
Explore West Caicos
Several locations in the Turks and Caicos are only accessible by boat. With hidden coves and magnificent cliffs, the easiest and best way to see these beautiful areas is to charter a private boat. West Caicos is a great example of such a location. But the trip is well worth the trouble.
Once there, enjoy beautiful scenery, unencumbered snorkeling, and swimming, or explore the historical ruins for an unforgettable day.
Parasail over Grace Bay
Parasailing in the Turks and Caicos Islands is an unforgettable experience. One of the easier water sports, parasailer glides roughly 200 feet above Providenciales as a power boat pulls you gently through the air.
Your lofty viewpoint looking down upon Grace Bay Beach, one of the most beautiful bays and beaches in the world. Parasailing in the Caribbean is an indescribable feeling with warm breezes on your face and looking eye to eye with island birds.
Shopping at Grace Bay
No visit to the Turks and Caicos Islands is complete without a bit of souvenir and present shopping in central Grace Bay. There are several open-air shopping plazas throughout the island as well as small galleries and curio shops on almost every island. Most of the major plazas are on the Island of Providenciales, such as The Ports of Call Plaza or Grace Bay Plaza.
In the Regent Village along Grace Bay Road, there are numerous upscale jewelry shops, art galleries, and restaurants. And the dozens of boutiques, curios, and restaurants at the nearby Saltmills Plaza merge with Le Vele Plaza, to create one continuous upscale island shopping experience.
Jet ski Crystal Blue Waters
If you have never been on a jet ski, this is a must for your island adventure. Jet skis are heart-pounding, adrenaline-pumping fun. And when riding on crystal blue water under brilliant sunshine, the experience is indescribable.
The Turks and Caicos shoreline is full of coves and craggy areas that are worth exploring but almost impossible to access by foot or even larger boats. But on a jet ski, these uninhabited cays, and secluded beaches. Jet skis can also be used to explore the Russian-built freighter ship known as the La Famille Express. Also known as the Long Bay Shipwreck, this decaying ship sits roughly two miles offshore.
The jet skis are perfect for exploring the Bluffs of West Harbour at Providenciales’ southwest point-one of the more remote sections of the island. Also known as Split Rock or Pirate’s Cove, this coastal setting includes a cliffed peninsula, an open-faced cave, and a mile of secluded beach. From the cliffs, it is possible to see West Caicos to the southwest and Frenchman’s Creek Nature Reserve to the north.
Paddleboard or Kayak in the Wetlands
Iguana Island, also known as Little Water Cay, is uniquely important to the region’s biodiversity. Combined with Mangrove Cay, these shallow islands provide protected tidal wetlands and waterways. This unique habitat acts as nurseries for many sea life and avian species.
A guided eco-friendly stand-up paddleboard guided tour through these shallow wetlands allows visitors to view wildlife close-up in their natural environment with minimal intrusion. One of the most exciting adventures is to use a clear paddleboard or transparent kayak for a truly spectacular experience.
The wetlands are home to juvenile sharks and turtles, bonefish, conchs, and barracudas. There are also dozens of fish species and several types of stingrays.
Horseback Riding in Long Bay
Another great activity on the Island of Providenciales is horseback riding. There are several areas to choose from including the Kimcha Village Bird Sanctuary and Smith’s Reef, the shallow turquoise waters of Long Bay Beach, Taylor’s Bay, and the white sand beaches of Pillory Bary, arguably one of the best beaches in the islands.
Provo Ponies, a well-respected stable and one of several on the island, will provide guests with well-trained ponies and horses who are easily guided on the trail and love wading in the ocean for a refreshing post-ride dip.
Food and Drink Tours
The Turks and Caicos food scene is a unique blend of island culture and fresh-from-the-boat and garden ingredients. And there are unique restaurants on each of the eight major islands.
Providenciales has a great combination of fine dining and Caribbean cuisine restaurants.
A fish fry is part of the island culture. And many local street vendors often incorporate fried fish into easy-to-prepare dishes such as conch salad, or grilled fish. The Turks and Caicos Cuisine Tour highlights several restaurants with fusion styles or unique cultural influences.
One of the popular tours is the local Turk’s Head Brewery. There is even a guided pub crawl, island-style. And Island Time Tour’s Rum and Beer Tour allows guests to sample Turks Head Beer, the Wine Cellar, locally prepared rum cake, and regional liquors topped off with beachside coconut concoctions and live music.
Kiteboard in Providenciales
Windsurfing has evolved into a technically more challenging but thrilling sport known as kiteboarding. Requiring a combination of skill and courage tempered with a spot of insanity, kiteboarders grasp and steer a specially designed parachute kite, using wind to pull them through the swells.
Most kiteboarding is conducted on the protected Long Bay Beach, in Providenciales.
Chalk Sound Marine National Park
The Chalk Sound National Park sits on the southwestern tip of Providenciales. Because of the shallow water, there is an almost alien beauty to this protected lagoon. The stunning emerald blue color is created when sunlight is refracted off the limestone sand.
Most of the water in Chalk Sound is quite shallow, often less than five feet, and is high in salinity, ensuring easy buoyancy for snorkelers and floating boards. The coasts of Chalk Sound feature Ironshore, intricate and jagged marine limestone.
Also within the area are hundreds of tiny islands and an underwater blue-hole cave. Chalk Sound is also home to barracudas, lemon sharks, and the famous Turks and Caicos Rock Iguana.
Some of the area’s coast near the larger small island group can be rocky, Chalk Sound, along with an underwater cave system.
One of the only ways to see Chalk Sound is by kayak or paddleboard. Nearby beaches of Sapodilla Bay and Taylor Bay are outside of the Park, they are shallow, warmer, and calmer and perfect for small children or a lazy family afternoon.
Day Trip to North Caicos and Middle Caicos
North Caicos and the uninhabited Middle Caicos are a short 30-minute ferry ride. With little or no development, these islands provide sandy landscapes and deserted plantations. On Middle Caicos is the famed Conch Bar Caves, the largest non-submerged cave system in the Bahamas–Turks chain. These caves shelter the original indigenous peoples and were bat guano mines in the 1800s. Ancient artifacts and fossils have been recovered from the caves.
Another popular site on Middle Caicos is Mudjin Harbour, a craggy coastline of cliffs and beaches. The area is also home to Pirates Cave, where rock scrapings and carvings can be seen.
Visit the Pink Flamingo
Flamingos are common in the Turks and Caicos, but the world’s largest American flamingo colony is actually located 40 miles away on the Bahamian island of Great Inagua. These fascinating birds are known as the Caribbean Flamingo or the American flamingo, or Phoenicopterus ruber. Because of the location, the bird is also known as the West Indian flamingo.
If you are looking for an easily accessible spot to watch the flamingos, then the best place is the ponds at the Royal Turks and Caicos Golf Club. A system of salt ponds near the center of the island, Turtle Lake, Flamingo Lake, and Juba Sound, also have a few birds. Many who frequent the Mangrove Bay Restaurant are gifted with a glimpse of these baby pink creatures.
If you are on a Pink Flamingo hunt, then Grand Turk and the country’s capital city of Cockburn Town is the place to go. The shallow salt ponds are frequented by many bird species. On the northwest of the island, near the Grand Turk Lighthouse, offers ideal bird feeding grounds.
Go Scuba Diving
Both beginners and advanced divers will be thrilled by a scuba experience in the Turks and Caicos. Whether you dive in the coves around the Northshore of Providenciales or The Wall off of Grand Turk, scuba diving in the Turks and Caicos is on every diver’s bucket list.
There are 80 miles of picture-perfect diving sites. Vibrant coral reefs support an extraordinarily diverse marine ecosystem. It is not uncommon to see a wide variety of marine life including the colorful parrotfish, or the strange trumpet fish.
Depending on the location, divers will see rays, sea turtles, or even reef sharks. And the underwater cliffs and rock formations give testament to powerful geological forces. In fact, the Great Wall, a sheer 2134-foot wall, was created by a continent plate shift.
Depending on when you are on the islands to dive, you may see Humpback whales wintering in the shallower waters or be surprised by an American bottlenose dolphin.
The island waters around the Turks and Caicos were made for scuba year-round. Arguably, some of the best diving in the world can be found in Provo, Grand Turk, West Caicos Marine National Park, and French Cay.
Visit a Historical Site
If you need a day out of the sun and water, then take around the Grand Turk for a more traditional historical tour. The island is home to Grand Turk Lighthouse, and the Turks and Caicos National Museum. The main island is also home to a Victorian-era prison, H.M. Prison, and the colonial oceanfront Cockburn Town.
If you must stay on Providenciales, then all is not lost. Why not take a plantation tour? Provo has several historical plantations, including a well-preserved Cheshire Hall Plantation, a late 1700s cotton plantation on a hilltop overlooking downtown and curated by the Turks and Caicos National Trust.
If you have a few hours to spare, take a ferry to North Caicos and Middle Caicos is Wade’s Green and Haulover Plantations, both loyalist cotton plantations during the height of European colonial control of the entire British West Indies.
However, West Caicos’ Yankee Town, a late 19th Century abandoned settlement that was once used for cotton farming, is only accessible by boat.
Visit Salt Cay
The smallest inhabited island is Salt Cay. It is also the most distant, at the southeastern edge of the Turks and Caicos. This unique island is constantly exposed to the trade winds.
Salt Cay is frozen in time with no tourism or all-inclusive resorts. There are no paved roads, only a few cars, and a small airport. The main settlement is Balfour Town. Quiet and peaceful, the buildings stand alone. Only a handful of people live on the island, but there are three fresh seafood kitchens for those that visit.
Grand Turk Whale
If you have come to the Turks and Caicos Islands by cruise ship, you will land at the Grand Turk Cruise Center on the southwestern tip of Grand Turk Island. Once you disembark, if you have a few minutes visit the Grand Turk Whale on the port’s private beach. This larger-than-life sculpture, created by California-based Storyland Studios, depicts a pair of humpback whales breaching the water.
Humpback whales are massive, baleen whales that are common in the region’s waters. During the winter months, these gentle giants migrate to the islands for the winter. Whale watching and dolphin watching are featured on many island cruises.
Freedive the Great Wall
If extreme sports or challenges are in your wheelhouse, then free-diving the Great Wall may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Freediving is simply the challenge of deep diving on your breath. The equipment commonly used is similar to typical snorkel gear, and it’s possible with only a little practice to reach depths past 40 feet (12 m).
The underwater plateau that supports the Turks and Caicos transitions quickly from shallow to deep. In several places, the depth drops from 40-50 feet to several thousand. This sheer drop-off is The Great Wall, and most of the top scuba dive sites are supported by this subterranean cliff.
While a great challenge, freediving is not without risk. It is vital to have proper technique before attempting any type of diving.
Day Trip to South Caicos
A visit to South Caicos, whether by ferry or a small island plane, is well worth a day trip. While there is little commercial development on the island, it does provide a unique look at the historical culture present from a small fishing and salt island perspective.
The only settlement on South Caicos, Cockburn Harbour, is the center of activity. It is known as the fishing capital of the Turks and Caicos, with two fish processing plants.
The island is home to Admiral Cockburn Land and Sea National Park and a U.S. Coast Guard Air Station. Conch Ground off the southwest tip of the island is famous for the annual sloop race, South Caicos Regatta.
Explore the Island by ATV or 4×4
A great way to explore the island is by ATV for the sandy beaches or 4×4 rentals for the more difficult terrain. Or if you are looking for something unique, opt for a Love Buggy for an unforgettable island tour.
If you are looking for a traditional tour of the island or a get acquainted with the island tour, the main roads are the best. These circumnavigate the island of Provo and offer extraordinary views with little or no traffic. It is possible to see much of the area by way of the Turtle Tail area, Chalk Sound Drive, and the outer coastal routes along Blue Hills Road. While you are near Blue Hills Beach, stop by Da Conch Shack. This iconic restaurant sits in the northwestern part of Provo and is one of the most popular restaurants on the island.
If you’re tired of paved roads and looking for more adventure and excitement, the west coast national parks, such as Northwest Point National Park, offer challenging roads where 4x4s are better suited.
Catamaran Cruise
There is nothing more relaxing than a leisurely journey under wind-swept sails. And there are numerous luxury sailing catamaran cruises on the islands. From champagne and sunset cruises aboard the Lady Grace with gourmet food to family-centric catamaran cruises for snorkeling, island hopping, and in the winter, whale watching.
Enjoy a Fun Filled Vacation to Turks and Caicos
A trip to Turks and Caicos might be many things but boring definitely won’t be one of them. With so many unique things to do and super fun excursions to go on, you and your loved ones will be dreaming about your vacation to Turks and Caicos for years to come.
