Cockburn Harbour, Turks and Caicos Islands + Add a trip
on Turks & Caicos
City Life: Spas, stars and beach bars
A cluster of coral-fringed isles in a sea that seems to shift through shades of turquoise neon, the Turks & Caicos islands offer lie-on-the-beach luxury with a totally tropical taste.
Those who claim that the UK suffers from a lack of sunshine have never been to Turks & Caicos - this sweep of 40 islands has been a part of Britain for more than 200 years, although its Blighty-based provenance is all but masked by its Caribbean climate and philosophy. In the heady days when pirates and smugglers stashed contraband in its palm-fronded coves, Turks & Caicos was renowned for exporting salt and cotton, but, today, it's famed for importing honeymooners, scuba freaks and those who simply want to admire a spellbinding tropical vision from the comfort of an ivory-sanded beach. If you are able to tear your eyes away from the sublime ocean view, you'll find that 'TCI', as the in-crowd know it, has a life beyond the scenery. Donkeys roam the salt ponds, flamingos flock to nibble from the shallow waters around its shores, and its inhabitants exude an easy-going friendliness, calling themselves, poetically enough, 'Belongers'.
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Getting There
Automobiles
If you want to get a real feel for the islands, then hiring a car is absolutely essential. Make sure you ask for one with air-conditioning. Taxis, however, are inexpensive and plentiful.
Planes
The islands' main international hub is on Providenciales, which is well-served with regular flights from the UK, the US and Canada. There are smaller (by which we mean 'tiny') airports dotted elsewhere around the archipelago.
Trains
There is no rail network in the Turks & Caicos.
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Local Knowledge
Dialing
+1 649.
Reads
Water and Light: A Diver's Journey to a Coral Reef by Stephen Harrigan, is a literary account of the author's exploration of the quickly disappearing Caribbean waterworld. Bodily Harm by Margaret Atwood looks at the implications of tourism through the travels of a food critic visiting the region.
Do go / Don't Go
The main draw to the islands is the year-round good weather. High season runs from January through to March, and off-season rates can be as much as 40 per cent less. Avoid June to October, though, unless you like sunbathing during hurricane season.
Cuisine
Taxis
Tipping
Tips of around 15 per cent are expected.
Currency
US dollar.
Packing
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Worth Doing
Arts
The Turks and Caicos Islands National Museum in Cockburn Town on Grand Turk showcases the islands' cultural heritage, and is the place to come to see jewellery, early tools made from shells and what's left of the Molasses Reef - the earliest known shipwreck in the Americas. Also check out Cockburn Town's General Post Office, which exhibits the beautiful, artist-designed stamps that has made the islands' philately famous around the world - well, in stamp-collecting circles anyway…
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Shopping
Viewpoint
Head to the western fringes of Providenciales for stunning views of the Chalk Sound National Park. Stand above the three mile-long bay and look down onto brilliant turquoise waters dotted with tiny mushroom-like islands. The semi-surreal scene is like something out of a Super Mario Brothers video game.
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Diary
January The annual new-year Junkanoo festivities, involving music, dance and plenty of fresh street food, take place from midnight to sunrise on 1 January. April Organised by the Turks & Caicos tourist board, the Annual Kite Flying Competition is held every Easter Monday in Providenciales. June The Heineken Game Fishing Tournament, held on Grand Turk each year, is a keenly contested angling extravaganza, in which competitors attempt to land the biggest blue marlin. August The lobster season begins at the start of the month. December The islands' main Christmas tree - in Lester Williams Community Park on Grand Turk - and Christmas lights are illuminated by local officials.