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Turks & Caicos

The Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), hiding at the southern tip of the Bahamian Archipelago, elude most travelers' radars. Yet this sparsely populated string of low sand cays boasts some of the world's most spectacular coral reefs and beaches, and has built itself into a true luxury-tourism destination. The pace of life is easygoing, the local welcome genuine and the diving truly out of this world.

Providenciales is the bustling epicenter of all this, but beyond its flash 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.

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.

Explore Turks & Caicos

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Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Turks & Caicos.

  • Plantation

    Wade's Green Plantation

    Granted to Loyalist Wade Stubbs by King George III in 1789 as compensation for the loss of his Florida estate, this cotton and sisal plantation struggled…

  • Beach

    Grace Bay Beach

    Several kilometers long – the frequently boasted '12 miles' (19km) only applies if you measure the entire northern coast of Provo, which is, admittedly,…

  • Beach

    North Bay

    Grace Bay Beach in Provo may get all the accolades, but 5km-long North Bay beach is every bit as stunning – just without the resorts or people. You can…

  • National Park

    Chalk Sound National Park

    Chalk Sound sums up Provo: a startlingly turquoise 5km lagoon studded with tiny cays sheltering Turks and Caicos rock iguanas, but marred by less-than…

  • Lighthouse

    Lighthouse

    Standing on a bluff high above the notorious northeast reef, wrecker of many ships and nearly of the salt industry (cargo ships began to balk at the…

  • Beach

    Governor's Beach

    Backed by the pines and low scrub of Columbus Landfall National Park and adorned by the picturesque (or ugly, depending on your view) iron hulk of a…

  • Brewery

    Turk's Head Brewery

    TCI's only brewery produces six excellent varieties, including the strong IPA 'Down Da Road' and a seasonal stout. Brewery tours are a popular way to see…

  • National Park

    Columbus Landfall National Park

    This scrubby patch of shorefront, most popular with mosquitoes, commemorates Columbus' putative landing on the island in 1492. The park extends out into…

  • Nature Reserve

    East Bay Islands Reserve

    The beautiful, protected cays off North Caicos' northeast coast are a refuge for iguanas, birds and sea creatures. With sandy beaches and coral to the…

  • Beach

    Bambarra Beach

    Bring a picnic to enjoy at the tables provided on this broad, fine-sand beach. The water is shallow a long way out, and usually calm, so it's a good…

  • Museum

    Turks & Caicos National Museum

    This great little museum has everything from shipwrecks to messages in bottles and crash-landed spacecraft. Artifacts from the Molasses Reef wreck, the…

  • Cave

    Conch Bar Caves National Park

    The largest cave system on dry land found anywhere in the Bahamian Archipelago, Conch Bar is accessible with National Trust guides on a pricey 30-minute…

  • Beach

    Pumpkin Bluff

    Much of North Caicos' shore is mudflats, but this beautiful spot on the northern coast has lovely fine sand, and is excellent for snorkeling. A foundered…

  • Beach

    Long Bay Beach

    This windy, less frequented beach on Provo's southern shore is ideal for kitesurfing.

  • Plantation

    Cheshire Hall

    Built in the late 1700s by a British Loyalist planter displaced by the American Revolution, Cheshire Hall was once the most important site on Provo, the…

  • Lake

    Cottage Pond

    This tropical blue hole (43m deep), formed by karst subsidence, is fed by the tides and connects to a much larger underground chamber. While it's not…

  • Historic Site

    Sapodilla Hill

    TCI's long maritime history is etched into the limestone on Sapodilla Hill, where mariners have commemorated landfall by carving names, dates and pictures…

  • Historic Building

    General Post Office

    One of Front Street's most notable buildings, the colonial post office was once the private home of one of Grand Turk's leading families, and functioned…

  • Bird Sanctuary

    Flamingo Pond

    They can be elusive, but flamingos periodically flock to this big, brackish waterhole inland from the island's northern shore. There's a deck on a hilltop…

  • Historic Site

    HM Prison

    The island's well preserved 18th-century prison closed to inmates in 1994 and is now open to visitors for self-guided tours. You can see the cells and…

Top experiences

Whether it’s a guided tour of a historic landmark, private tasting of local delicacies, or an off-road adventure — explore the best experiences in Turks & Caicos.

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