OVERVIEW

Turks and Caicos is a British territory located in the northern Caribbean. It sees warm weather year round and is a popular beach destination for many travelers.

There are 8 total islands, 6 of which are inhabited. Most of the population and activities are located on Providenciales or Grand Turk. Providenciales receives most international flights and heavily caters to tourists, while Grand Turk is the cruise ship hub and seat of the government.

There are tons of incredible things to do on these islands. From lounging at the beach all day to shopping for high end luxury items, there’s something for everyone in Turks and Caicos.

We designed our week here with a focus on outdoor activities. We knew there would be days spent just bumming around the beach, but we also wanted to sample local cuisine and hit some of the bucket list highlights.

Oliver and Maddie had already experienced the bath water temperature of Jamaica’s and the US Virgin Islands’ beaches, so they knew that another Carribean beach destination would suit them perfectly. The beaches here certainly stack up against any of these we had seen previously in the Caribbean or anywhere else.

Our time here was spent entirely in Providenciales. One week felt like the perfect amount of time. We were able to see the popular beaches and still had time to do many of the island’s recommended activities and excursions. These are our votes for the 10 best things to do in Turks and Caicos.

Sapodilla Bay Beach

Sapodilla Bay Beach is located on the south shore of the island, near Chalk Sound. It took us about 20 minutes to get here from our rental property in Grace Bay. Parking can be found along the main road running parallel to the beach. This is also where the short beach access trail is located.

Upon entering the beach, you’ll find a few vendors that are very friendly and not at all intrusive. They have a few tents set up that serve food and cold beverages throughout the day. The food is simple lunch items, such as burgers and fries, but we found them tasty. 

They also have beach chairs and umbrellas for rent, but there are a few places you can set up under the trees if you arrive early enough to beat the crowds. The vendors even have a few jet ski rentals available.

The beach is lined with villas and rental properties, a far cry from the massive resort complexes on Grace Bay Beach.

The sand is soft and fine here, perfect for a short stroll or building a sand castle. The water was very calm and shallow. We didn’t find any areas with dangerous waves or currents. We felt confident allowing Oliver and Maddie to swim quite a ways from shore.

Snorkeling is certainly possible because of the calm water, but it’s not too impressive. I swam a few hundred meters to the east along the shore but didn’t see much marine life or coral. I did however find a sunken ship near Sapodilla Hill, although it wasn’t too exciting.

This was without question our favorite beach on the island. It’s a very peaceful and laid back atmosphere, but also has plenty of amenities provided by the vendors. It’s not too far from the main tourist hubs and has sufficient parking and convenient beach access.

We were more than happy to lounge around here most of the day, occasionally running into the water or having a pina colada, while enjoying the view or crystal clear calm water.

Potcakes Place K9 Rescue

Oliver and Maddie have been begging for a puppy for years. For a variety of reasons, most importantly my allergies, we have not been willing to pull the trigger on owning one. But renting a dog for charitable purposes? That’s a concept I was willing to explore.

Potcakes are a mixed-breed street dog found throughout Turks and Caicos. They are often orphaned and picked up by tourists or locals. Potcakes Place K9 Rescue adopts these animals after they have been fostered in a volunteer’s home for a period of time. Therefore, they are generally accustomed to and friendly with people, including children.

The center is located near Grace Bay. Their mission is caring for these dogs and finding families to foster them. They give locals and tourists the opportunity to care for one of these gentle creatures for 3 hours. 

They open at 10 AM but a line of interested volunteers starts forming outside 30-60 minutes beforehand. You’ll be assigned a puppy when they open, as long as they have enough for all the volunteers. They provide a bag of supplies that includes snacks, water, and toys for the puppy. Your job is simple and fun, to play with and care for the puppies so they remain social and comfortable around people.

We were assigned an adorable black pup named “Paws”. Oliver and Maddie immediately fell in love with him. He was energetic and very loving. The kids snuggled him constantly as we walked him to Grace Bay Beach. Oliver ran him up and down the beach, stopping occasionally for snacks and water breaks. 

We had an absolute blast hanging out with Paws for a few hours, so much so that we returned a few days later. It was wonderful providing a service to these animals while also having such a fantastic time. This was by far the highlight of the trip for Oliver and Maddie.

Da Conch Shack

Located on the northern shore of the island, also about a 20 minute drive from Grace Bay, is the famous Conch Shack. It’s perched right on the beachfront, with incredible views out to the ocean.

Da Conch Shack is a unique restaurant and bar, and considered a “must do” when in Turks and Caicos. They serve traditional island food, most notably of course being conch. They also have music and dancing, providing a lively yet laid back atmosphere.

The conch is fresh and prepared in several ways, whether it be with rice or as a stew. Shirlee loves conch, and tried many of these different concoctions. The dishes are typically served with peas, rice and coleslaw. They had the perfect amount of spice and were bursting with flavor.

If not craving a sea snail, there are other options as well including jerk chicken, tacos, and burgers. There is also a kid’s menu if looking for smaller portions. It was a large restaurant, with friendly staff and a casual vibe. We all found the food delicious and it was prepared quickly.

There were a few island residents who had set up stands selling handcrafted goods. Maddie was quite intrigued by the jewelry and work of the local artists.

Da Conch Shack frequently has live entertainment, with DJs providing some lively music and flamethrowers putting on quite a spectacle. It’s open into the early hours of the morning, for those wanting to dance the night away.

Smith’s Reef and Bight’s Reef

Smith’s Reef is located off the north shore of Providenciales at Turtle Cove, about 5 km west of Grace Bay. It offers the best beach-accessible snorkeling on the island.

The area is comprised of several smaller reef systems, each very intricate and colorful. There is a huge variety of sea life and coral in the area which includes turtles, stingrays, crustaceans, and tons and tons of unique fish.

The best area to snorkel here is the outer portion of Smith’s Reef. Even novice snorkelers typically feel comfortable here, although the tides and currents can occasionally be problematic so caution is still necessary. 

You’ll also need to be mindful of reckless boat operators as well. They generally follow the same path far from the outer reef, but occasionally stray closer to the coast and can pose some risk.

Bight Reef is another fantastic snorkeling option in Providenciales. It is the most popular reef for snorkeling on the island, and boasts a similar variety of colorful fish and coral to that off Smith’s Reef.

Bight Reef is only about 3-4 km east of Smith’s Reef. It only has one designated ridge of coral though, as opposed to the numerous that can be found at Smith’s Reef. This area is about 100 meters off the shore and marked with red buoys.

The same snorkeling precautions will be needed here as in Smith’s reef, always being cognizant of the currents and boat traffic. 

Bight Reef is located near a few large resorts, making it very accessible. There is street parking also available for those coming from other destinations on the island. Some vendors are present on the beach as well, renting out items such as umbrellas, snorkeling gear, and beach chairs.

These Providenciales reef systems are a great introduction to snorkeling on the island. While very convenient to access, they also provide tremendous marine life variation and illustrate the underwater beauty of Turks and Caicos.

Thursday Fish Fry

The Thursday Fish Fry on Providenciales is a weekly gathering of food truck vendors and locals selling beautiful hand made crafts. It’s located in Stubbs Diamond Plaza in Bight, walking distance from the resort area of Grace Bay.

The event is every Thursday evening, from 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM. It’s free to attend, but I’d recommend arriving early if you need to park, want to avoid the potentially long food lines, and to find a table to eat.

There’s an enormous variety of local food and beverage options. From fresh conch and seafood to basic burgers and Mac n’ cheese, there’s something for everyone. There are also alcoholic drinks for adults and unique juice mixes for the kids. As you might expect from the name of the event, the primary draw is the mouth watering fried fish, which is delicious.

The event features some local bands and live music, serenading guests with popular local music. There is also a traditional island parade with elaborately dressed dancers, known as Junkanoo.

You might even find your Turks and Caicos souvenir here. The parking lot is lined with several tents, with locals selling handcrafted items such as jewelry, clothes, art and other gifts. 

This is a wonderful cultural function for tourists of all ages and no trip to Turks and Caicos would be complete without experiencing it firsthand.

Snorkeling and island hopping tour

Although the island of Providenciales itself provides everything needed for a fulfilling week of activities, venturing out into the Caribbean is a great way to see even more diverse sea life and some of the smaller offshore islands.

We booked a half day cruise with Island Vibes Tours, which may have been the highlight of our week on Turks and Caicos. They picked us up right on the beach at the Bight Park and transported us to a phenomenal offshore reef location.

They provided snorkel gear and life jackets for Oliver and Maddie. We jumped in the water with 40 other people and followed a crew member through a maze of colorful coral and a huge variety of colorful fish. After returning to the boat, the crew encouraged Oliver to jump from the second deck into the water, which he absolutely loved.

They provided a simple lunch of wraps and chips and then took us to Iguana Island for an hour to explore. The boat pulled up to shore and everyone disembarked. We walked to the opposite side of the island and played around in the pristine white sand. We explored a bit more of the island before returning to the boat which returned to Bight Park.

This excursion was absolutely thrilling and gave us the chance to see some of the more remote corners of Turks and Caicos. The crew was very friendly and entertaining. They took excellent care of us and really helped make this a special experience.

Tiny’s Restaurant and Cafe

The Thursday Fish Fry was a fantastic way to experiment with some of the local cuisine. But we were hoping to find a place to frequent daily, that was convenient yet still authentic. 

When we travel, we’re not very enthusiastic about fine dining and taking the time to eat out. So it took some time for us to find a place where we could sample the local food but not have to spend several hours at a restaurant.

And then we found the hidden gem that is Tiny’s Restaurant and Cafe.

Tiny’s is located on the Leeward Highway, just outside of Grace Bay. It’s a hole in the wall deli located in the back of Miss Moonies convenience store. But don’t let your first impressions fool you, it is amazing! 

They have a small variety of local foods that can be packaged for take out. There is jerk, fried, and baked chicken, curry, BBQ ribs, peas n’ rice, stews, fish, and more. The food is pretty cheap and the portions are very generous, lasting us a few days.

This was by far our favorite place to eat on the island. We came here 3 separate times and experimented with all of the different chicken preparations and Caribbean favorites. Definitely try this place on your trip to Providenciales.

Long Bay Beach

Long Bay Beach is another spectacular beach located on the southeast corner of Providenciales. It’s only about 10 minutes from Grace Bay, and there are several parking options and beach access entries.

We drove to the far east entrance. There was ample parking here and we then walked a short distance down a sandy trail that cut through the woods to access the beach. 

The beach is nearly 5 km long and can be quite windy, making it an extremely popular location for kite surfers. There are a few companies offering kite surfing lessons, but we preferred to just watch them and swim in the clear, warm water.

Long Bay Beach felt much more remote than the other beaches we had visited. It’s not lined with massive resorts or packed with local vendors, giving it a private and peaceful feel.

However, with the isolation that the beach provides also comes some potential disadvantages. There was no convenient access to food, beverages, or other beach amenities you would find at a more developed beach. We were willing to make that sacrifice in exchange for the beauty and tranquility of the location.

The most fascinating characteristic of the beach was its depth. The water is very shallow. We walked several hundred meters out from shore before the water was even chest deep. 

Overall we really liked our two visits to Long Bay Beach. It was very different from the other beaches we had seen, but those differences are really what makes it so appealing.

Island Scoop Ice Cream

As I previously remarked, we typically don’t eat out much at restaurants when traveling. The exception, of course, is ice cream.

We made almost daily visits to Island Scoop. This charming ice cream shop can be found on Grace Bay Road, right in the main shopping district at Grace Bay Plaza. It was walking distance from our rental property, making this indulgence quite convenient.

They serve homemade ice cream and sorbets of almost every flavor imaginable. They have all the classics available like chocolate, vanilla and mint, but mix it up daily with specials like rum raisin, guava, and mango.  If you’re a real daredevil you could even try a peanut overload sundae or oreo mallow sundae. 

After a day of water based activities and basking in the sun on the beach, is there really a better remedy than a refreshing scoop (or three) of homemade ice cream?

Grace Bay Beach

When planning our trip, we chose our lodging accommodations based on accessibility to Grace Bay Beach. Afterall, this beach is repeatedly ranked among the best beaches in the world!

Grace Bay Beach is the claim to fame of not only Providenciales, but the entire country of Turks and Caicos. It’s an enormous stretch of soft, fine sand that really defines what this country is all about.

The beach is nearly 5 km long. It transitions into Leeward beach on its east side and Bight beach on its west side.

It’s lined with huge, high end resorts as well as an abundance of restaurants. Arrangements can be made here for a variety of water sports and excursions. A popular reef is only 1.5 km from shore and offers incredible snorkeling. Almost anything a tourist could need can be found on this beach.

The beach itself is clean and topped with pristine sand while the water is free of obstacles such as seaweed and rocks. Oliver and Maddie loved running in and out of the large waves and building sandcastles.

Although not our favorite beach on the island, I can definitely see why it is so popular. If looking for a beach with a lot of action and adventure, this is your place.

IMPRESSIONS

Turks and Caicos is a quick flight from the US, and provides an easy and effective escape from the stress of daily life. It’s a beautiful Caribbean island with and abundance of beautiful beaches, luxury resorts, and thrilling excursions.

We loved our week on the Island and got to explore many of the popular beaches and recommended water activities such as snorkeling and island hoping. Having the chance to play with the Paws and eat at Da Conch Shack were also .

A week felt like just enough time to see the sights but not feel so rushed that we couldn’t enjoy ourselves and relax. Overall Turks and Caicos exceeded our expectations and hopefully this list of the best things to do when visiting will be helpful.