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The
Caribbean Islands - Turks and Caicos IslandsThere are eight principal islands visitors will want to explore during their stay, as well as many uninhabited ones that will delight with their pristine qualities. Island-hopping by boat or aircraft is a popular and easy way to get around. The Turks Islands include Grand Turk and Salt Cay.
For more than 400 years, Grand Turk has served as the archipelago's administrative and political hub; today, it is also the financial and business center. In Cockburn Town, the homes and public buildings that line the narrow streets offer many fine examples of Bermudian colonial architecture, the result of an influx of Bermudian immigrants from the mid-1600s to the early 1900s. The leading sightseeing attraction on Grand Turk is the Turks and Caicos Islands National Museum. Its central exhibit is the Molasses Reef wreck, the oldest authenticated European shipwreck in the New World.
An archaeological research group spent more than 10 years excavating and studying the vessel's artifacts. Visitors can see the remains of the ship's hull, as well as the largest collection of 16th-century wrought-iron breech-loading cannons in the world. Also on display are the ship's giant anchor, carpenters' and blacksmiths' tools, and other items. In addition, the museum has an exhibit highlighting the island's rich cultural diversity; it features artifacts from the African, North American, Bermudian, French, Hispanic and Amerindian settlers.
In Grand Turk's countryside, there are caves once used as dwellings by the Lucayans, the earliest inhabitants of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Another interesting sight is the remnants of the salt industry that was introduced in the mid-1600s and flourished through the mid-1900s; it was developed by Bermudian immigrants.
Salt Cay is the smallest of the populated islands in the chain. At one time, it was the world's largest producer of salt. A visit to the speck of land will provide visitors with a visual history of the salt islands. Among the remains are windmills, salt sheds, salt ponds and the White House, a home built by early Bermudian salt traders. Salt Cay is an excellent vantage point from which to observe the migration of humpback whales through Columbus Passage during the winter months.
Among the major inhabited Caicos Islands are Providenciales, North Caicos, Middle Caicos, South Caicos and Pine Cay. Providenciales, locally called Provo, is the principal tourist island. In recent years, luxury resorts and private homes have been built on its rolling green hills and near its gorgeous beaches, making Provo the most developed of all of the Caicos Islands. Provo boasts an 18-hole golf course and a casino as well.
As for sightseeing, there are two charming plantation houses on Provo--Cheshire Hill and Richmond Hill, both constructed by British loyalists. Visitors fascinated by marine creatures should visit the Conch Farm and Island Sea Center. The farm operation strives to protect conchs from extinction and also produces a commercial supply of the mollusks. Tourists can observe the various stages of the conch's development.
The JoJo Dolphin Project is another marine conservation program. Frolicking around the reefs is a friendly, yet wild, seven-foot bottlenose dolphin. The sea mammal has made the waters surrounding the Turks and Caicos Islands his home and often delights visitors with his appearances. Declared a national treasure by the Ministry of Natural Resources, JoJo has his own warden, who studies his behavior and looks out for him.
North Caicos, which receives a significant amount of rainfall, is blanketed in lush vegetation. Because of its fertile soil, sea grapes, sugar apples, mangoes, oranges and other fruits and vegetables thrive. A favorite locale on the island is Flamingo Pond, where the striking pink birds come to roost.
Middle Caicos is the largest and least populated of the islands. On its northern coast, limestone cliffs and long sandy beaches create dramatic scenery. The main attraction is the Conch Bar Caves, which were sacred to the ancient Lucayans. Visitors will marvel at the stalactites, stalagmites and salt lakes, not to mention the bats. South Caicos was once a salt-producing island; today, it is known for its fishing industry. From the Sail Rock Hills, there is a magnificent view of the encircling reefs and Columbus Passage. Pine Cay is a privately owned resort island. It has several nature trails and freshwater lakes, and visitors can go bird-watching and bonefishing.
Beaches:
With hundreds of miles of glorious white-sand shores,
the Turks and Caicos Islands will spoil any beach lover.
Beachgoers can bask in the sun on an elongated stretch
or hide away in one of the many tiny isolated coves.
Traveling by boat is the best way to explore uninhabited
islands with stunning beaches, as well as intriguing
dive sites in the surrounding waters.
Grand Turk's outstanding shore is Governor's Beach, a long white strand located on the west coast. Salt Cay has lovely beaches on its north coast. On Providenciales' northeast side is a 12-mile stretch of fine white sand. Sapodilla Bay and the northwest point of the island are also great beach areas. North Caicos' beaches include Pumpkin Bluff, Whitby Beach and Horsestable Beach. Middle Caicos has an unusual scalloped coastline with secluded beaches discreetly situated beneath towering limestone cliffs.
Activities:
The Turks and Caicos Islands are renowned for the spectacular
diving that can be experienced in their surrounding
waters. Scuba divers who travel to the islands often
return again and again to explore the 200-square-mile
reef system found there. The Grand Turk Wall, which
drops 7,000 feet, is covered with gorgonians and other
corals. Underwater, divers can swim through and around
magnificent coral gardens, canyons and tunnels.
Off Provo lies an 85-foot freighter wreck that rests
on the edge of a sloping wall; it's filled with tigerfish,
eel, lobster, snapper, grouper and various other tropical
fish. In the waters off West Caicos there is terrific
diving off dramatic limestone cliffs. White Face and
The Gully are two of the more popular dive sites. Off
the Northwest Point can be found the Shark Hotel, an
area where reef sharks abound. There are also giant
sponges, pillar corals and a split wall called the Crack,
where divers can catch a glimpse of West Indian spider
crabs. Snorkeling in the offshore
waters and windsurfing the consistent trade winds are
two other water sports popular in the Turks and Caicos
Islands. Sea excursions and charter vessels for deep-sea
fishing are also available. On land, there's bicycling,
golf, tennis, hiking and horseback riding.
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