Last updated on April 5th, 2024
Cockburn Town, Grand Turk
Visit Turks & Caicos – Grand Turk
- Grand Turk Cruise Center – right beside the cruise ship dock. Lounge at the beach. Swim in the ocean or their freshwater pool. Rent a cabana. Visit Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville. Go shopping or try surfing on the FlowRider. This is a tourist theme attraction and not an escape to the solitude of uninhabited islands that make the Turks and Caicos so special.
- Governor’s Beach – in Columbus Landfall National Park between the cruise terminal and Cockburn Town. The debate is still on about whether this is the location where Columbus first landed in the Caribbean. Good snorkeling and swimming, plus beach chair and umbrella rentals. Not many services here.
- Duke and Front Streets in Cockburn Town have historic 18th and 19th century buildings. The Columbus Monument is located in a small plaza here. Also visit the Turks and Caicos National Museum and the TCI Post Office in Cockburn Town.
- Diving and snorkeling. Great snorkeling off the beach at Pillory Beach. Take a boat excursion to Gibbs Cay to spend time at the beach and to feed the stingrays. Dive at more than 20 sites on the western leeward side of the island, including Black Forest, Coral Garden, Rolling Hills, Tunnels, the Library and MacDonald’s.
- Whale watching tours provided by Bohio Dive Resort
- Grand Turk Light House – at the northern tip of the island.
- Visit Salt Cay – a community ferry makes day trips possible 3 times a week. Alternately book an excursion.
Grand Turk Cruise Center
Visit Turks & Caicos – Providenciales, Provo
- Grace Bay is the location for most of the resorts in the Turks & Caicos.
- Visit a beach. The beach at Grace Bay is the best beach in Provo. It joins with the beach at the Bight, which has a children’s park and snorkeling at Bight Reef. Other beaches in Provo include Northwest Point, Malcolm Road, West Harbour, Taylor Bay, Sapodilla Bay, Turtle Tail, Long Bay (kiteboarding) and Leeward. These beaches are all within 25 minutes of each other.
- Snorkeling at the Bight Reef, Smith’s Reef and NW Point.
- Kayaking and stand up paddle boarding at Mangrove Cay. Visit Chalk Sound National Park – a lagoon for kayaking and pontoon boat rides.
Providenciales
Visit Turks & Caicos – Hotels
- Sands At Grace Bay
- Windsong Resort
- Alexandra Resort
Grace Bay Beach Umbrellas
Visit Turks & Caicos – More Providenciales Sights
- Dive at Pine Cay, Grace Bay, NW Point, French Cay, West Caicos and Sandbore Channel. Try Provo Turtle Divers.
- Princess Alexandra Land and Sea National Park. The park includes Little Water Cay. See iguanas and osprey. Nearby is Half Moon Bay. Caicos Dream Tours offers snorkeling and conch shell cruises, iguanas sightings on Little Water Cay and fishing excursions. Caicos Dream Tours has a desk at the Alexandra Resort.
- Cruise on the Atabeyra. On the third night after the full moon, take an evening cruise on the Atebayra and see the glow worms.
- National Environmental Centre on Lower Bight Rd.
- Provo Ponies – horseback riding at Long Bay Beach. Also visit the Hole at Long Bay – get lowered by rope into a 40 foot wide limestone swimming hole that’s 80 feet deep.
- TCI Ferry Service from Walkin Marina on Leeward Hwy to North Caicos, Middle Caicos or South Caicos.
Grace Bay Beach,
Savor the Tastes of Turks & Caicos
- Peas & grits
- Conch & Grits
- Penn on – depends on the catch of the day.
- Turks Head Lager
- Las Brisas Restaurant and Bar at the Neptune Villas in Chalk Sound, Provo.
Grace Bay Beach
Turks & Caicos Weather
The Turks and Caicos experiences a typical Caribbean climate, although technically its location is in the Atlantic. Temperatures in the summer months, around July, average 30 C (95 F) for highs, while the summer lows average 27 C (85 F). In the winter months, temperatures are 3 – 5 degrees cooler. The rainy season extends from September to December. September and October mark the height of hurricane season. The most popular months to visit are February and March, especially at spring break.
Visit Turks & Caicos – Transportation
Although Provo (Providenciales) is the most populated island in the Turks and Caicos, it doesn’t have a clearly defined city. It is about 15 miles long (25 km) and narrows at points to 2 miles in width. Provo is the resort center of the Turks and Caicos and the site for the international airport. Visitors love ther beaches, coral reefs and uninhabited islands. Turks and Caicos has become a world class location for hotels, spas and restaurants. Cruise ships stop at the island of Grand Turk instead.
Visit Turks & Caicos – Background
The Turks and Caicos (TCI) are a British territory that is a southern extension of the Bahamas. Turks & Caicos has two major island groups – the Caicos and the Turks. The Caicos Islands include the West, East, South and Middle Caicos, plus the Providenciales (Provo) and Parrot Cay. The Turk Islands include Grand Turk and Salt Cay. The indigenous Taino populations were enslaved by the Spanish upon their arrival in the late 1400s. Slaves were also brought to the islands from Africa. Less than 50,00 people live in the Turks and Caicos. There were no cars in Provo until the 1960s. The capital of the Turks and Caicos is Cockburn Town (pronounced ‘Coburn’) on Grand Turk with a population of around 8,000. Despite its British heritage, the currency used is the US dollar. There are no visa requirements for visits less than 30 days.
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