Caribbean, Turks and Caicos Islands, Providenciales, Grace Bay Beach, Boardwalk over a sea

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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.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Wade's Green Plantation

    Wade's Green Plantation

    Turks & Caicos

    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…

  • Cottage Pond

    Cottage Pond

    Turks & Caicos

    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…

  • Lighthouse

    Lighthouse

    Turks & Caicos

    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…

  • Governor's Beach

    Governor's Beach

    Turks & Caicos

    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…

  • North Bay

    North Bay

    Turks & Caicos

    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…

  • Columbus Landfall National Park

    Columbus Landfall National Park

    Turks & Caicos

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

  • General Post Office

    General Post Office

    Turks & Caicos

    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…

  • Flamingo Pond

    Flamingo Pond

    Turks & Caicos

    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…

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People walking along the sand of Grace Bay, on Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. At 12 miles, 19 km, long Grace Bay is reckoned to be one of the longest and most spectacular beaches in the Caribbean. Nigel Hicks/Getty Images

Beaches

A first-time guide to the Turks and Caicos Islands

Oct 1, 2024 • 11 min read

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