When traveling to Turks and Caicos the beauty starts before you’ve even set foot on the ground.  Arriving by air, you’re immediately greeted by miles & miles of neon blue ocean.

 

 

The beauty and wonder I encountered on the island is so intense it’s almost like a mirage– thinking back you wonder if it was even real.

John (my boyfriend), and I visited Turks and Caicos in early April and though it sounds dramatic, in some ways it was honestly a life-changing experience.

 

 

QUICK FACTS- TCI (Turks and Caicos Islands) are located southeast of the Bahamas in the Caribbean.  It is a British Overseas Territory (they drive on the left!) but their national currency is the US Dollar.

Our week jaunt was to the most inhabited (and most visited) island of Turks and Caicos- Providenciales.

We rented a car and packed in as much as we could in our 1 week stay – exploring virtually every corner of the island.  And since Provedenciales is only 38 sq. miles it wasn’t too hard to do!

If you’re looking to plan your own trip to Turks and Caicos (including getting off the beaten path) or just here to daydream with me, read on for lots of inspiration : )

 

GRACE BAY BEACH

One of our first stops was to the most popular Grace Bay Beach, reputed to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.  It is also where 99% of the island’s large resorts are located.  It’s usually the first thing you hear about if you’re researching Turks and Caicos and after reading about it so much I had to immediately see what all the fuss was about!

It’s true– it’s an absolutely amazing beach and shouldn’t be missed, but just don’t spend all your time here as there are so many other equally beautiful (and really special off the beaten path) spots all over the island!

I think what’s most notable about these pictures (and all my TCI pictures in fact) is that none of these I have retouched — the colors are really that vibrant!

 

 

BIGHT REEF (ALSO CALLED CORAL GARDENS)

One of the island’s most popular snorkeling sites is off of Grace Bay Beach.  The reef is marked by buoys and you’re allowed to swim the periphery but not inside them.

It’s was actually really wonderful to see the conservation efforts the island makes– that while they allow people the opportunity to see the beauty of the ocean there, it’s not without responsibly.  Once while we were there someone tried to swim past the buoys and local workers on the beach started blowing whistles and calling them away immediately.

Though I wasn’t able to snap a decent picture, here we also saw a big sting ray following a fish around and a small school of barracuda.

 

 

MALCOLM’S ROAD BEACH

I had read about Malcolm’s Road beach before arriving in TCI and wanted to visit, but ended up writing it off in my head as a place we couldn’t actually go to because the road there was unpaved and supposedly really rough– and we’d be driving a tiny compact car that I didn’t want to risk not making it.

However, it ended up being a destination that our Airbnb host really recommended we check out.  I asked her about the roads and if people online were over-exaggerating.

“They are,” she told me, “just drive slow.”

She had a compact car too so I figured if she could do it then we could do it!

John drove and we did take it slow.  Most of it was ok, just very bumpy, but there were definitely parts that made my anxiety skyrocket.  Yes, it would have been very easy to get stuck, but luckily we didn’t! A 4×4 vehicle is ideal and though it is possible with a compact car it’s not necessarily recommended!

I am so glad we were feeling adventurous (and rebellious enough – this destination was specifically listed on our rental agreement as a place to avoid) though – because Malcolm’s Road Beach and it’s electric blue water ended up being my favorite beach on the island.

We were the only car there and saw only a few other people on the beach, some just walking by, that must have been staying at the Amanyara resort (apparently 2 of the Kardashian sisters were staying there while we were on the island) that was located off of the same beach (though accessed by a different, surely more driveable!, road)

Besides a prime sunbathing beach (I can’t help it!!) the water here is excellent for snorkeling.

 

 

See the dark semi-circle in the ocean on the left in this picture?

These are man-made concrete reef balls that are strategically placed to help build back the reef.  There’s not much coral or anything on them now but in the future these balls will no doubt be covered in life.  The fish we did see darting in and out and hiding inside the balls were too elusive for my camera!

 

 

We snorkeled all throughout the reef balls, watching carefully for the hard-to-spot fish.

 

 

 

CHAULK SOUND

The day we made the drive out to Chaulk Sound it was raining heavily.  We had found out on the previous day that when it rains in Turks and Caicos the roads flood very quickly*.  The best thing to do is just follow the locals’ lead and also take it slow.

*Ok, actually John found out!  We’d arrived at the beach and once there realized we’d forgotten our snorkeling gear at our Airbnb! John sweetly drove back to get it while I stayed at the beach to bask in the sunshine.  On his way back he went through a torrential downpour where the roads flooded badly – though luckily for me the beach stayed as sunny as ever!

 

 

The road out, Chaulk Sound Drive, offers breathtaking peek-a-boo views on both sides to out over the lagoons.

When we got to near the end of the road we found a random place to park the car and trekked out into the Sound.

The rain had stopped, but the lingering grey rain clouds still loomed in the periphery.  Still, even with those stubborn clouds blocking the sun from really shining as bright as it could on the lagoons, the views we were afforded were still so magical.

 

 

We even made a lizard friend!

 

 

We spent the rest of the afternoon at Sapodilla Bay Beach lazing in the sun and swimming (see below!) but came back in the early evening and rented a kayak and paddled out on Sound.

We kayaked to what is coined “Iguana Island” because there are so many… you guessed it, iguanas! As soon as we hit the shore they came running out of the woods! (Hate it say it, but people must feed them!)

 

 

SAPODILLA BAY

On our way to Chaulk Sound (and also Sapodilla Bay Beach which is off of Chaulk Sound Drive) we missed our turn and ended up at the port.  However, missed turns on this island aren’t something to complain about : )

 

 

Sapodilla Bay Beach:

 

 

While there, we walked (snuck) out on a (private!) dock and watched little Trumpet fish swimming by.  I just loved these little skinny fish! : )

 

 

Right off of the Sapodilla Beach parking area is a mini hike (like 2 minute hike haha) to the top of Sapodilla Hill, which is where I was standing when I took this picture.  At the top there are carvings on the rocks from shipwrecked sailors and travelers that date from the mid 1700s-1800s.

 

 

LONG BAY BEACH

This beach on the southeast side of the island is a lot windier than the others, thus the spot to be if you’re into kite boarding.  (Also a great beach for just lazing about! which is what we did!)

I missed it every time but John said some of the kite boarders were jumping up out of the water many feet into the air!

There was also a big group of people on horses who waded far out into the ocean while we were there.

 

 

TURKS HEAD BREWERY

Turks and Caicos has only one brewery – and that is Turks Head.

John and I instantly fell in love with their Down-Da-Road IPA – 6%+ABV, wonderfully crisp and hoppy.  We drank this beer at every restaurant we ate at, bought 6 packs from the grocery, and even visited the brewery to have one on site!

 

 

THURSDAY NIGHT ISLAND FISH FRY

Yes, 98% of the people you’ll see here are tourists (the only locals we saw were the MC and DJ on stage, as well as the food vendors) BUT it’s still worth making a trip out.  It’s an extremely popular weekly get together and people there are genuinely having a good time – which is always a great energy to be around!

 

 

We got a plate of food from a local vendor and drank Turks Head IPA from the brewery’s booth.

John tried the cracked conch (conch is the island’s culinary staple) and we shared grilled veggies and rice and beans.  (My only regret is that it was served in Styrofoam, boo!)

 

LEEWARD BEACH

Our favorite beach for watching the sunset.  We never made it earlier than dusk but I’m sure it’d be a wonderful beach to hang out on during the day too (afterall, what beach isn’t ? : )

This is also pretty much the only beach we were able to find a few minuscule shells on.  (Not sure if Providenciales doesn’t have many shells or if they’re so scare because tourists take them all!)

 

 

TAYLOR BAY

We stopped by this small beach just one evening to watch another sunset.

 

 

We also took a walk along the length of the beach and saw a cute crab! (Again, like the shell shortage, we didn’t see much wildlife on the island either, and I love little creatures so seeing the crab was so fun! haha)

 

 

POTCAKE PLACE

This is an awesome non-profit that rescues and adopts out the stray island dogs, called Potcakes, many of them to visiting tourists headed back to the States.

Potcakes are a medium-sized mixed breed whose name came about because the locals used to feed them the caked remains from the bottom of the pot they’d cooked grains in.

If you’re lucky enough, you can take a puppy out for a walk, but they are almost always booked! However, you can still stop by to pet all the adorable puppies and make a donation (what we did).

The only decent picture I could get that wasn’t blurry (besides one of them sleeping!):

 

 

All the others are like this:

 

 

Puppies rarely hold still! 🙂

 

TURTLE TAIL DRIVE

 

We wanted to take full advantage of having a rental car so we explored as much of the island as we could.

I insisted we take lots of back roads instead of the main drag all the time (sometimes to John’s annoyance), but getting lost is part of the fun, right? Besides, you never know what you’ll see.

For example, it wasn’t until we got back and I saw a random article online about Prince’s house in Turks and Caicos being for sale that I realized, HEY! WE SAW THAT! And at the time didn’t even know it.

I didn’t photograph the house because I thought the frame looked nicer without it in view – but just to the right is where the late star’s former residence stands.

 

 

I had read that Turtle Tail (and specifically Flamingo Lake off of Turtle Tail Drive) was supposed to be one of the best spots for seeing flamingos on the island (though they are not as common on Providenciales as other islands in Turks and Caicos) and that’s why I wanted to go explore.  We didn’t see any, but it was a fun short scenic drive nonetheless.

 

 

SPLIT ROCK – AKA SOUTHWEST POINT

This off the beaten path & hard to reach destination was one I hadn’t heard of until our awesome Airbnb host enlightened us.

Like Malcolm’s Road, the drive to the beach is unpaved and very rough.  The journey takes a little while (30 mins+) to get to because you’ve got to go extra slow and cautiously, thinking about the best grooves to strategically guide your car through.  Once again, 4×4 is preferable and traveling there in a small compact rental car is not recommended, but do-able!

John drove again and my stomach was pretty unsettled/upset along the way, whether due to just general anxiety that we’d destroy our rental car or get stuck or just the fact that physically the road was so damn bumpy! (probably a combination of the two!)

 

 

The stressful drive was worth it:

 

 

We hiked up on top of the hill and ate our packed lunch overlooking the vibrant teal ocean water.

 

 

The sweeping views from the top:

 

 

Here too, like at Sapodilla Hill, there were rock carvings at the top from shipwrecked sailors and travelers.  Here’s one dated 1842:

 

 

On the top there’s a ladder that you can climb down into a little cove between the cliffs.

 

 

You don’t go anywhere in Turks and Caicos without wearing a bathing suit : )

 

 

The still and quiet, peaceful beauty of this remote piece of island wilderness really felt special – as if it were a plane of meditation itself, physically manifest.

 

SMITH’S REEF

First off, let me start by saying that this beach is absolutely gorgeous! albeit a little more of a challenge to walk along to get to where you want to “park” for the day because of the hidden rocks in the sand (I definitely tripped more than once) and if you do choose to walk on big sheets of rocks that the waves rush over, you have to be careful not to step on any of the little snails (yay more wildlife! haha).

 

 

The reefs here were so spectacular– larger and more encompassing than the Bight Reef and not marked by any buoys so you really had to just go for it and swim a ways out there and all around until you hit them! And how exciting when you did find them!

 

 

This trip was my first time photographing underwater.  It was a lot more difficult than I’d anticipated! But so much fun. I am officially hooked!.

Perhaps it had a bit to do with the camera I used (which had a fisheye lens [no pun intended haha] so I had to get EXTRA close to the subject in order for it to really show up well), but I found the fish were so hard to capture the way I wanted and the lighting was tricky too.

Also, just like the Potcake Place puppies (unless they were sleeping!) the fish don’t stop moving, so you really have to be so patient to catch them at the right angle and also be a little sly (haha) in the way you maneuver around them to try to get as close as possible without making them uncomfortable so that they want to hightail it in the other direction! I can’t wait to get some more practice in the next time I find myself in crystal clear waters!

Spy the little blue fish below?

 

 

We also saw a small octopus and a turtle.  We were in deep water and the octopus was far below us at the bottom of the sea floor – too far for my little camera to reach.  And the turtle – while I did manage to snap a few pictures, they don’t do the scene justice.  In my mind it’s so beautiful– watching the turtle swim so gracefully along the reef was truly one of the most peaceful, amazing, and magical things I’ve ever seen.

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The plane ride leaving was sad.  I didn’t want the island to slip finally and perhaps forever away from my eyes.

Farewell Turks and Caicos

Perhaps I’m a bit dramatic (or that I just feel things very poignantly), because it wasn’t without a tear in my eye that I said goodbye to that special place, to that all-encompassing blue.

 

 

(Side note: Though Turks and Caicos is still considered a luxury destination it’s definitely not off limits for budget travelers [like myself].

If you’re interested in TURKS AND CAICOS ON A BUDGET look for my upcoming blog post.  Subscribe to my email newsletter below and I’ll let you know when it’s published! I’ve got lots of great tips to share that will save you a TON of $$$!)

 

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LEAVE A COMMENT and tell me – have you ever been to Turks and Caicos? If so, what is your favorite memory of your trip? If you haven’t been, what pictures above inspired you the most to start fantasizing about YOUR next Caribbean getaway?