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Turks and Caicos Islands |
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Turks and Caicos Islands
Turks & Caicos is poised at a beautiful point: developed enough that there are numerous luxury accommodations, but not so developed that the white powdery sand is ever crowded or you ever have to jostle for space on a dive boat. Best of all, with a government committed to sustainable development, it’s likely to stay that way.
Activities and Attractions:
The British Overseas Territory of Turks & Caicos is made up of two island groups: the tiny Turks Islands, and the larger Caicos cluster. Altogether, there are eight main islands and about 20 smaller cays, many uninhabited.
Most international travelers arrive on the Island of Providenciales, in the Caicos group. Some are put off at first by the flat, dry landscape. It’s the opposite of the tropical jungle most people expect of the Caribbean, but everyone comes to appreciate the warm, dry, breezy climate where the sun shines 350 days a year and hurricanes are a rarity.
Besides, Provo’s best attributes are found around Grace bay, a warm, clear body of water tinted an unreal shade of blue. You can laze on the incredibly soft sand, or swim in the calm water. Parasail, angle for bonefish, or free-dive for conch.
Strap on a mask, and you’ll be astounded no matter what your level of diving prowess. Scuba Diving Magazine once named Turks & Caicos one of the ten-best dive spots in the world. Between the Turks and the Caicos island groups, within sight of land, the continental shelf plunges into a trench more than a mile deep. This environment draws everything from tiny minnows to deep-sea fish. In the winter you can literally snorkel with whales. Few other places offer the chance to see this kind of biodiversity so easily.
Another focal point in Turks & Caicos is Cockburn town, on Grand Turk. This is one of the mellowest capital cities you’ll ever see. Horse-drawn carriages ply the streets. True, they’re for tourists, but you’ll still feel like you’re back in a simpler, slower time as you stroll the bougainvillea-entwined lanes of the historic quarter, where many buildings are more than 200 years old.
Offshore, Grand Turk might have the best diving in Turks & Caicos. Just 900 feet from the beach a famed wall drops 7,000 feet. Here you can see giant rays, grouper, humpback whales, and other open-ocean creatures. In addition, the reef harbors bioluminescent larvae, making a night dive an exciting adventure.
Though Provo and Grand Turk receive the most visitors, try to get out to one of the outlying cays. There are many tours, and it’s easy to charter a boat out of Grace Bay. See the rock iguanas on Little Water Cay. On Middle Caicos, watch for rare birds or go spelunking in Conch Bar Caves National Park. Or comb the beaches of an uninhabited island—it’s not unheard of for Spanish pieces of eight to turn up on the formerly pirate-infested shores.
Insider Tip:
English is the official language of Turks & Caicos, but a few pronunciation tips will help you fit in with the locals. First, Caicos is pronounced “KAIK-us.” Secondly, don’t fall into the common Cockburn Town trap—the name is pronounced “CO-burn.” And don’t worry if you can’t manage “Providenciales.” Everyone just calls it “Provo.”
-Exclusively for Perfect Escapes by Nicole Clausing |
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