Turks & Caicos

The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory of about 40 islands and cays, only eight or so of them inhabited. Almost all visitors head to Providenciales, known simply as "Provo," and its famous Grace Bay Beach: miles of powdery sand and calm, glass-clear water protected by a barrier reef.

Grand Turk, the small capital island, has a quieter colonial feel, a busy cruise port, and a wall where the seabed drops off into deep water just offshore. From January to April, humpback whales pass through the Turks Island Passage.

There is usually no simple direct route from Jamaica, so most trips connect through Miami, Nassau or another regional hub. Providenciales has good direct service from the US, Canada and the UK.

Check visa and entry requirements based on your passport before booking.

Turks and Caicos is almost the opposite of Jamaica. The islands are low, dry and scrubby, with no mountains or rivers, and the population is small. There is little in the way of big nightlife or street culture. What you get instead is peace, safety and some of the clearest water you will ever see.

It is also very expensive, with high-end resorts and villa rentals at prices well above most of Jamaica. Food centers on conch and fresh-caught fish, from cracked conch to conch salad. The annual Conch Festival celebrates the island's favorite shellfish.

Photo: Drdread66 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

• Spend a day on Grace Bay, then snorkel the reef at Bight Reef, also called Coral Gardens.
• Take a boat to Iguana Island (Little Water Cay) to see the rock iguanas.
• Watch humpback whales from Grand Turk or Salt Cay between January and April.
• Walk out at low tide across the sandbars of Taylor Bay and Sapodilla Bay.
• Explore Middle Caicos, with its dramatic Mudjin Harbour and the Conch Bar Caves.

The weather is good most of the year. Winter is busiest, while September and October bring the most rain and storm risk.

Grace Bay on Providenciales is where most hotels, restaurants and shops are, and staying there means you can walk the beach and town. For quieter stays on Provo, look at villas near Long Bay, known for kiteboarding, or Chalk Sound, with its brilliant turquoise lagoon. Grand Turk has small, relaxed inns and is a good base for diving and whale watching. For true seclusion, Salt Cay and Middle Caicos have only a handful of guesthouses.

• Currency: US dollar
• Language: English
• Driving: left-hand side
• Best for: honeymooners, families wanting calm shallow water, divers and luxury travelers

Renting a car on Provo makes it easy to find quieter beaches like Taylor Bay and Sapodilla Bay, which are shallow enough to wade out a long way. Like the Bahamas, the islands sit in the hurricane belt, so keep an eye on the weather from June to November.