Island countries in the Caribbean Sea have gifted the world a bucket full of pleasurable things like rum, cricket, music and of course, the tropical sun! Situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of the Bahamas, northwest of Puerto Rico, north of Hispaniola, the Turks and Caicos is the Lucayan Archipelago that welcomes tourists worldwide with their perfect mix of colonial and the modern cultural aspects. Planning for the next vacation? Try some new swag and explore a lesser popular tourist hub because these days tourists from the northern hemisphere often choose their winter vacation homes in Turks and Caicos which are blessed with the tropical sun at this time of the year. But before you do that, do not forget to ponder over some facts that guide you on what are the things you must do in this beautiful country.
Here goes our list on the must-do things in Turks and Caicos.
1. Witness the Whales
Assuming that you are visiting in the peak season of tourism here, i.e., December to April, when the climate is cool and soothing breezes come in from the Atlantic, never forget to keep the southern island of Salt Cay in your itinerary. Because here you can find the biggest mammals on this planet waiting to give you a great pose! You can charter the whale-spotting boats or just stand on the cliffs in expectation to witness one of the greatest wonders in the animal planet.
2. Grace Bay, the Perfect Holiday
Grace Bay, a beach in the Providenciales Island, is the place where you will find most of this country’s luxury resorts, restaurants, bars, private villas and other arrangements to make your trip more memorable with a bit more comfort. Here in the Grace Bay, you can just lay on the white powder sand by the mineral blue water for a whole day while waiting for the barbeque fire in the evening. Picture perfect holiday, right?
3. Kiteboarding in the Long Bay Beach
Long Bay is another beach in the Providenciales Island with warm and crystal clear waters. Apart from the deep blue oceanic view, the main attraction of this place is kiteboarding! A perfect place for the rookies as they will get all the necessary equipment and proper trainer to instruct them. The experienced kiteboarders are already well aware of this excellent location for their adventurous ride. This location offers you a chance to embrace the sea and maroon temporarily at the lagoons and secluded cays to enjoy some time away from the crowd.
4. Underwater Snorkelling at the Smith’s Reef
Travelling in the islands and no snorkelling? That can never happen! In the Smith’s Reef, the underwater visibility is very high. Needless to say, the reefs here are filled up with the rarest vibrant Atlantic corals which are a snorkeller’s paradise. More attractions here are the sponges and the lionfish. People crazy for the colours and underwater wildlife could even wish they might not leave the reef in their life.
5. Fish Fry on Thursday Night
How can a Caribbean tour be conceived without the seafood being included in the list? No question of that when in the Providenciales. Since the last few years, travellers get a Thursday night here that provides an opportunity of mingling with the local people while having the platters of delicious and iconic Turks and Caicos fish fries on the sandy beach of Bight Park. Local bands perform here from the evening to make the whole atmosphere a total package of Caribbean beach delights. With them, the local market stalls will give you the chance to get a jewellery made out of seashells to take back home as a beautiful souvenir.
6. Visiting History at Cheshire Hall
Cheshire Hall gives us a picture of the eerie, raw history of this place as it was the plantation site in the colonial era. From the 16th century, European fortune-seekers came to these islands with ships full of slaves from Africa who used to work in the plantations, be it for coffee or sugarcane. At its biggest, Cheshire Hall occupied upwards of 5,000 acres of land, and today visitors can still see the old slave quarters, the dilapidated great hall and the cotton presses, all raised using the dry local limestone. There are some pretty walks around the ruins, along with information on the array of birdlife to be seen flitting through the air.
7. Explore the Shipwreck at the Turks and Caicos National Museum
We have already started our tour through the time. So indulge yourself with a bit more history of this place. The Turks & Caicos National Museum is one of the top heritage draws of the archipelago’s capital, Cockburn Town. The building itself is known as Guinep House. It’s named after the large tropical fruit tree that stands out front and is considered to have almost 200 years of history. The museum gives us a considerable amount of exhibits to describe the life of the native Lucayan people who resided here before the European arrival. But one of the biggest attractions here is related to colonialism in form of the reconstructed archaeological remains of the iconic Molasses Reef Wreck – the oldest shipwreck in the entire Americas. It sunk more than 500 years ago but still, you can behold it and wonder thinking of the gigantic measures of the colonial creations!
8. Try Some Horseback Riding
Enough of history, eh? How will it be to combine your tour adventure with a little touch oh history? Fortunately, Providenciales Island gives the perfect chance to you by providing horseback riding sessions. There are many companies here that offer rides on the land and even in the partly submerged area where the horse will lead into the water up to the belly level to give you goosebumps!
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