Consider Turks and Caicos for your next Getaway

Providenciales is the bustling epicenter of all this, but beyond its endless beaches and world-class resorts, you’ll find local festivals, jungle-wrapped ruins, perfect seaside bars and even traces of Europe’s first discovery of the New World. Encompassing virtually the entire west coast of Grand Turk, the Columbus Landfall National Park marks the very spot where its namesake explorer is thought to have first set foot on the lands of the New World way back in the 1400s. 

Make a stop at Cheshire Hall located in Providenciales. It is home to 200 year old ruins of a former cotton plantation. However, while the history is fascinating, most people today head here for the natural wonders that abound.

Venture to the less populated islands, and you’ll be enchanted by colorful postcards of fading colonial glories, gobsmacked by the annual migration of thousands of humpback whales, spoiled with your pick of deserted beaches and all but forced to abandon the pace of modern life.

Nowhere is better than the underwater reaches of the Landfall National Park either, which descend deep into the ocean with steep coral walls, offering up a montage of manta rays and lionfish, multi-coloured tropical species and colossal sponges.

This is where most will opt to do their PADI qualification, and there are oodles of outfitters on offer in nearby Cockburn Town. For expert divers, Turks & Caicos is a mecca for their walls: the islands lie right on the edge of two undersea mountaintop plateaus with steep walls throughout. Closer to shore than almost any dive site anywhere, you can swim along the edge of an awe-inspiring abyss, staring into the dark where the ocean floor drops off rapidly to as deep as 7000 feet.

But really, the biggest draw for global visitors are the beaches! Thanks to the third largest coral system in the world, Turks and Caicos has beautiful, clean beaches. The water is a magnificent turquoise with soft white sand.

Grace Bay Beach in Providenciales is the most well-known beach and home to many of the most luxurious hotels. Snorkeling and scuba diving are common past times on the island and attract many visitors.

Visit Chalk Sound for snorkeling, amazing water views and sunsets. Smith’s Reef and Bight Reef are also popular snorkeling locations. There are many other attractions including Humpback whales that can be seen on Grand Turk Island from January through April.

Turks and Caicos is also the home to wonderful wildlife. If you are a bird watcher this is also the place for you. The salt ponds and marshes are home to over 170 species of birds on Turks and Caicos. Take a “glow worm cruise.” These cruises are planned 3-6 nights after the full moon when the marine worm “Odontosyllis” performs a mating ritual in which the female worm releases eggs then swims to the surface emitting a pale, green luminescence.

Keep in mind that Turks and Caicos has a relatively flat terrain so you will not find mountains, cliffs, jungles or waterfalls. This is important for the land adventure traveler vs. the water soaked beach traveler.

So, are you ready to book you trip? Enjoy!