Sponsored Post
The Turks and Caicos Islands.
When planning a trip to the Caribbean, it can often be difficult to sift through the multitude of sandy island options to discover “the one”—that ideal vacation destination where the sun shines more brightly and the waters flow more perfectly. Thankfully, the Turks and Caicos Islands are waiting for you, so you won’t have to struggle through unnecessary deliberations if you’re looking for an encounter with nature in the Caribbean.
The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas territory consisting of two groups of tropical islands: the larger Caicos Islands and the smaller Turks Islands. American Airlines offers daily, nonstop flights there, from John F. Kennedy International to Providenciales Airport. Flight 1015 departs from JFK at 7:40 a.m., arriving at Providenciales at 11:20 a.m. Return Flight 1080 departs from Providenciales at 12:35 pm, arriving at JFK at 4:15 p.m. Both flights use a Boeing 757 aircraft, with 22 seats in business class and 166 seats in economy.
While on the island of Providenciales (nicknamed “Provo”), eat breakfast downtown and pick up any last-minute supplies you might need at one of the upscale shopping malls. Then make your way to Chalk Sound National Park (only 3 miles out of downtown) for a stunning view of what awaits you on your holiday—uniformly turquoise waters speckled with tiny islands.
If you can resist jumping into the sea right at that moment, enjoy the few sites of historical interest (which are all on this island, as the other islands have only recently become accessible). Check out the ruins of Cheshire Hall, an 18th-century plantation built by British loyalists with a rich history involving slave escapes, droughts and hurricanes, all carefully preserved by the National Trust. Also visit Osprey Rock and Sapodilla Hill to see the remnants of Caribbean pirates. This is all best done with a hired car, of which there are plenty available at the airport.
Island-hop to Middle Caicos, where you can experience the Middle Caicos Caves, the largest chain of limestone caves in the Caribbean. Eerily cool, dark and quiet in the midst of a balmy, breezy world, the caves stand in striking contrast to the dramatic limestone cliffs of neighboring Mudjidin Beach.
After exploring the caves and the cliffs, enjoy lunch on the beach and prepare to finally enter the perfect turquoise waters. Without a doubt, the greatest attraction of the Turks and Caicos is not on land but in the sea. Whether you snorkel or scuba dive, the reefs off the Turks and Caicos are not to be missed. Featuring some of the most astonishing walls of coral in the Caribbean, these reefs prove that the life aquatic may just be the solution to life’s problems after all.
The Turks and Caicos Islands themselves shoot up around the edges of two large underwater plateaus, the Turks Bank, and are home to deepwater transit routes for some of the planet’s most breathtaking marine wildlife. After your snorkel or scuba dive, rent a boat or join a tour and dry off in the sun as you watch diverse creatures in migration: humpback whales (December through April), manta rays, dolphins, turtles and spotted eagle rays all use these waters as a major highway.
After your encounter with the underwater world, hop to Grand Turk Island (via airplane or, more conveniently, by boat), where you can rent a dune buggy for the afternoon. These oversized, open-air go-carts are too much fun to be missed. They are the ideal vehicle for cruising around the circumference of the island and stopping at all the scenic spots along the way for either a snapshot or a quick dip.
Be sure to put on the brakes at North Wells for a peek at the pink flamingos, and swing by the Splashdown Grand Turk exhibit for a surreal glimpse into American space history; in 1962, the Friendship 7 capsule plunged into the waters just a few miles off of Grand Turk, and the exhibit includes a scale replica of the spacecraft.
The end of your dune buggy adventure will bring you back to Cockburn Town, the capital of the Turks Islands, which offers some savory dining opportunities for local cuisine. Enjoy dinner in this charming town as the sun finally sets on your first day in this superlative set of islands. Then take a stroll around the city’s 18th- and 19th-century architecture as you dream up your second day on the Turks and Caicos, knowing full well you’ve chosen one of the best of the Caribbean.
