Abundance characterises every aspect of a Turks & Caicos vacation. From pristine, powdery beaches adorned with crystalline whale-dotted waters and incredible reefs to streets lined with colonial buildings, lands where 18th-century plantations sit, quaint harbours hosting lively fishing communities, and landscapes highlighting rugged cliff tops and lush soils, you will definitely have a plate full of things to do in Turks & Caicos Islands. Whether you love water sports, fish barbecues, fine dining, historic sites, mind- and body-soothing ventures, nature-related activities, or wildlife explorations, Turks & Caicos is a great bet. Below are a few ideas to get you on track with what to expect from your getaway to the idyllic Caribbean destination.
Whale Watching
How many travellers can claim that they have sat on a cliff or hopped on a boat and seen majestic humpback whales on their journey to reach the peaceful, warm waters of Silver Banks to give birth to their offspring? If you visit Salt Cay Island between January and April, chances are you will be able to witness a spectacular show featuring fins and tails splattering in the water. Take your time and enjoy the spectacle that takes place at the archipelago, specifically the Turks Head passage, as the northern trade breeze refreshes and cools the atmosphere.
Join a Thursday Night Evening Fish Fry
Every Thursday, the island of Providenciales locks the attention of both locals and visitors with an evening dedicated to delicious tastes, where salty and fresh dishes are the protagonists. The popular event takes place near Grace Bay and a place called Bight Park. Besides mouth-watering fish cuts, probably the best grilled fish on the island, and large flows of rum that comes out after sunset, also expect lots of dancing, live samba music, culture-related events, market stalls selling conch bracelets, and chilled Caribbean island vibes, just before the local Junkanoo Band fills the air with the distinguishing steel drums!
Sharpen Your Golfing Skills
The Caribbean golfing scene revolves around Provo Golf Club in Providenciales Island. The 18-hole championship golf course offers a challenge to everyone wishing to try their luck in golf!
Provo is adorned with multiple certificates and recognitions, including the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence and the 5th Best Caribbean Golf Course award according to USA Today’s Readers Choice.
Expect chalk-white bunkers, premium Titleist golf clubs for rental, four sets of tees to suit your golfing level, a sprawling land distinguished with pine blooms, swaying palms, lush fairways, coconut plants, designated putting and shipping regions, practice warm-up net, and the company of migrating flamingos and herons!
As for the dress code, things are simple and relaxed, so a pair of shorts, a skirt and a t-shirt will be just fine! And, for the time you get hungry, you can treat your palate with grilled local fish and dishes that will make you drool served at Fairways Bar and Grill!
Kiteboard and Windsurf
The waters surrounding Providenciales Island are the most ideal for kiteboarding (also great if you need to rent or buy equipment, have lessons, or join one of the many kite safaris and tours). Nevertheless, almost all Turks & Caicos islands that experience the effects of the northern trade winds offer excellent kiteboarding spots, especially Middle Caicos and North Caicos islands.
Caicos Banks stands out among all southern cays and welcomes kiteboarders and windsurfers alike, though, with amazing turquoise waters filled with small sharks, barracudas, turtles, stingrays, and scenic landscapes.
As for more adrenaline-pumping ventures, you could always check out the beaches at Water Cay, Pine Cay, Wild Cow Run, Cedar Point, and Mudjin Harbour, all located on the north coasts of the central Caicos islands. Along the way, you will pass by scenery featuring secluded cays, deserted sea lagoons, and pristine wildlife.
Snorkel
Although all Turks & Caicos islands impress with their subterranean plateaus, the Caicos islands group is definitely a winner when searching for snorkelling adventures involving barrier reef explorations. So, although the island of Providenciales is, hands down, where you will find the most snorkelling options (mainly around Smith’s Reef and The Bight Reef), Grand Turk and Salt Cay are also nice picks for exciting snorkelling endeavours. The same applies to the North Caicos and Middle Caicos islands, which provide access to a lively barrier reef, but, at the same time, raise the bar, making snorkelling a challenge due to the ocean conditions in the area. In any case, you will be pampered with heart-stopping aquatic views, rich marine life, shipwrecks, and plenty of schools of fish, including Eagle rays, lionfish (keep an eye out for those as their spines are poisonous, though), and sponges.
Learn About Local History
One of the best places to dive into the nation’s rich past is the Turks & Caicos National Museum which is housed in a beautiful colonial-style building (aka Guinep House, from the 200-year-old guinep fruit tree in front of it) with a charming red-tiled roof and beautiful facade. You will find it waiting to welcome you to its impressive interiors featuring exhibits like the reconstructed remains of the Spanish caravel shipwreck called Molasses Reef Wreck which is believed to be the oldest in the Americas. The Cockburn Town gem also displays items that speak of the life of the first settlers of the islands, the Lucanyan people, way before the Europeans decided that they want to make Turks & Caicos their colony.
Treat Your Palate With Delicious Local Cuisine
From lobster tacos and crab salads to conch ceviches and mahi-mahi in extra-hot locally-made sauce, nothing can prepare your taste buds for the upcoming explosion of flavours and textures as you sample the local cuisine. It doesn’t matter if you will go after a fine dining experience or not, as the outcome will be equally satisfying. Infused with local ingredients, the freshest herbs, and a plethora of fish and seafood, the Turks & Caicos gastronomy is an exciting mix of various influences, where plantains, black-eyed peas, okra, peppers, conch, snapper, jerk chicken, and so many more ingredients introduce you to unprecedented culinary ventures that you can experience at beachfront restaurants with fantastic ocean views, sun-kissed patios, or romantic settings amidst swaying palms!
Abundance characterises every aspect of a Turks & Caicos vacation. From pristine, powdery beaches adorned with crystalline whale-dotted waters and incredible reefs to streets lined with colonial buildings, lands where 18th-century plantations sit, quaint harbours hosting lively fishing communities, and landscapes highlighting rugged cliff tops and lush soils, you will definitely have a plate full of things to do in Turks & Caicos Islands. Whether you love water sports, fish barbecues, fine dining, historic sites, mind- and body-soothing ventures, nature-related activities, or wildlife explorations, Turks & Caicos is a great bet. Below are a few ideas to get you on track with what to expect from your getaway to the idyllic Caribbean destination.
Whale Watching
How many travellers can claim that they have sat on a cliff or hopped on a boat and seen majestic humpback whales on their journey to reach the peaceful, warm waters of Silver Banks to give birth to their offspring? If you visit Salt Cay Island between January and April, chances are you will be able to witness a spectacular show featuring fins and tails splattering in the water. Take your time and enjoy the spectacle that takes place at the archipelago, specifically the Turks Head passage, as the northern trade breeze refreshes and cools the atmosphere.
Join a Thursday Night Evening Fish Fry
Every Thursday, the island of Providenciales locks the attention of both locals and visitors with an evening dedicated to delicious tastes, where salty and fresh dishes are the protagonists. The popular event takes place near Grace Bay and a place called Bight Park. Besides mouth-watering fish cuts, probably the best grilled fish on the island, and large flows of rum that comes out after sunset, also expect lots of dancing, live samba music, culture-related events, market stalls selling conch bracelets, and chilled Caribbean island vibes, just before the local Junkanoo Band fills the air with the distinguishing steel drums!
Sharpen Your Golfing Skills
The Caribbean golfing scene revolves around Provo Golf Club in Providenciales Island. The 18-hole championship golf course offers a challenge to everyone wishing to try their luck in golf!
Provo is adorned with multiple certificates and recognitions, including the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence and the 5th Best Caribbean Golf Course award according to USA Today’s Readers Choice.
Expect chalk-white bunkers, premium Titleist golf clubs for rental, four sets of tees to suit your golfing level, a sprawling land distinguished with pine blooms, swaying palms, lush fairways, coconut plants, designated putting and shipping regions, practice warm-up net, and the company of migrating flamingos and herons!
As for the dress code, things are simple and relaxed, so a pair of shorts, a skirt and a t-shirt will be just fine! And, for the time you get hungry, you can treat your palate with grilled local fish and dishes that will make you drool served at Fairways Bar and Grill!
Kiteboard and Windsurf
The waters surrounding Providenciales Island are the most ideal for kiteboarding (also great if you need to rent or buy equipment, have lessons, or join one of the many kite safaris and tours). Nevertheless, almost all Turks & Caicos islands that experience the effects of the northern trade winds offer excellent kiteboarding spots, especially Middle Caicos and North Caicos islands.
Caicos Banks stands out among all southern cays and welcomes kiteboarders and windsurfers alike, though, with amazing turquoise waters filled with small sharks, barracudas, turtles, stingrays, and scenic landscapes.
As for more adrenaline-pumping ventures, you could always check out the beaches at Water Cay, Pine Cay, Wild Cow Run, Cedar Point, and Mudjin Harbour, all located on the north coasts of the central Caicos islands. Along the way, you will pass by scenery featuring secluded cays, deserted sea lagoons, and pristine wildlife.
Snorkel
Although all Turks & Caicos islands impress with their subterranean plateaus, the Caicos islands group is definitely a winner when searching for snorkelling adventures involving barrier reef explorations. So, although the island of Providenciales is, hands down, where you will find the most snorkelling options (mainly around Smith’s Reef and The Bight Reef), Grand Turk and Salt Cay are also nice picks for exciting snorkelling endeavours. The same applies to the North Caicos and Middle Caicos islands, which provide access to a lively barrier reef, but, at the same time, raise the bar, making snorkelling a challenge due to the ocean conditions in the area. In any case, you will be pampered with heart-stopping aquatic views, rich marine life, shipwrecks, and plenty of schools of fish, including Eagle rays, lionfish (keep an eye out for those as their spines are poisonous, though), and sponges.
Learn About Local History
One of the best places to dive into the nation’s rich past is the Turks & Caicos National Museum which is housed in a beautiful colonial-style building (aka Guinep House, from the 200-year-old guinep fruit tree in front of it) with a charming red-tiled roof and beautiful facade. You will find it waiting to welcome you to its impressive interiors featuring exhibits like the reconstructed remains of the Spanish caravel shipwreck called Molasses Reef Wreck which is believed to be the oldest in the Americas. The Cockburn Town gem also displays items that speak of the life of the first settlers of the islands, the Lucanyan people, way before the Europeans decided that they want to make Turks & Caicos their colony.
Treat Your Palate With Delicious Local Cuisine
From lobster tacos and crab salads to conch ceviches and mahi-mahi in extra-hot locally-made sauce, nothing can prepare your taste buds for the upcoming explosion of flavours and textures as you sample the local cuisine. It doesn’t matter if you will go after a fine dining experience or not, as the outcome will be equally satisfying. Infused with local ingredients, the freshest herbs, and a plethora of fish and seafood, the Turks & Caicos gastronomy is an exciting mix of various influences, where plantains, black-eyed peas, okra, peppers, conch, snapper, jerk chicken, and so many more ingredients introduce you to unprecedented culinary ventures that you can experience at beachfront restaurants with fantastic ocean views, sun-kissed patios, or romantic settings amidst swaying palms!