Turks and Caicos Holidays 2012

Aside from the beautiful beaches, one of the most popular attractions of Turk & Caicos is under the sea. No matter which island you happen to be visiting you want to make it a point to go diving.

The Coral Gardens Reef located off Grand Turk is one of the more popular diving spots, but Gibbs Cay is also quite popular.

Black Forest is one of the top dives for experienced divers. If you plan on diving your best bet is to sign up with a dive company, such as Grand Turk Diving or Blue Water Divers, so you can find the best spots to dive.

What to do on Your Vacation

If you are looking to spend your vacation at the bottom of the sea Grand Turk has some of the best diving locations.

Black Forest is not only a beautiful and deep dive it is also the most unusual dive you will encounter on your trip. Diving down you will see black coral that is hanging off the edges of underwater cliffs, which at deep depths coral is not a common sight.

Coral Gardens Reef is right off the beach on Grand Turk so you can easily walk to it from your resort. The dive here will take you up over the big wall and put you into a shallow depth right above the reef.

Looking down at the reef you will see plenty of coral and fish, but you can occasionally spot rays and turtles.

If you would rather keep your feet on land Conch World is a great way to learn about the conch. Here you will be able to view different ages of conch in their farming tanks, as well as watching Sally & Jerry, who are trained conchs.

There is a restaurant inside where you can taste farmed conch in the form of a variety of dishes, including conch salad and conch fritters. The Turks & Caicos National Museum gives you detailed information on the rich history of the Caribbean, going back as far as the 1500s.

Eating out

Something to keep in mind with the food is that it is going to be more expensive than other islands, it might even be more expensive than food in the United States, but this is because with how small the islands are everything needs to be shipped in. No matter where you go to eat you will find amazing dishes, but for more local color you want to travel further away from the tourist areas.

Jack Shack located in Grand Turk has some amazing Jerk Chicken and any type of rum that you can think of. Barbie’s Bar & Restaurant is the locals’ favorite spot for conch fritters.

Wildlife

The best way to see the wildlife that Turks & Caicos has to offer is visit any one of the national parks or wildlife reserves. If you are wanting to see the rock iguana in its natural habitat you need to head on over to Little Water Cay., being native to Turks & Caicos you can only find them on uninhabited islands because they are easily killed by cats and dogs. French Cay and the Northeast Salt Ponds are the best places to go if you are interested in bird watching or just seeing all of the birds that visit the islands.

Gibbs Cay allows you to play with stingrays, which they will even follow you in hopes of getting fish from the buckets provided by the tour operators.

Best Time to Visit

The biggest factor in deciding the best time to visit the islands on your vacation is going to be the weather. Hurricane season runs from June through October, which means that many people avoid the islands during this time. However, hurricanes don’t hit the Caribbean islands that often so don’t rule out booking your vacation during this time.

The summer months, which are June through November, are the hottest months of the year with temperatures reaching as high as 100 degrees Fahrenheit, but the constant trade winds help make the heat bearable. December through April is considered the peak tourist season because of the cooler temperatures, which range from the mid-70s to the mid-80s.