Turks and Caicos Islands

Key facts

• Region: The Caribbean
• Sovereignty: Non-sovereign territory administered by United Kingdom
• Capital: Cockburn Town, on Grand Turk
• Currency: US dollar (USD)
• Languages: English (plus Haitian Creole among part of the population)
• Main airport: PLS — Providenciales International Airport, serving Providenciales
• Best time to visit: December to April, the dry season; the hurricane season runs June to November

Overview

The Turks and Caicos Islands is an archipelago of around 40 islands and cays southeast of the Bahamas, split into the Turks Islands in the east and the Caicos Islands in the west. Providenciales is the tourism centre, with Grace Bay regarded as one of the region's finest beaches. The territory also depends heavily on offshore finance and, historically, salt production.

Airports

Providenciales International Airport (PLS) is the main gateway and receives direct flights from US East Coast and other North American cities, as well as a seasonal London service. JAGS McCartney International Airport (GDT) serves Grand Turk and South Caicos Airport (XSC) serves South Caicos. The out islands are connected by small inter-island flights and by ferries from Providenciales.

Main cities

Cockburn Town, the capital, is on Grand Turk and retains colonial-era buildings along its waterfront. Providenciales has no single dominant town but a set of districts including Grace Bay, Turtle Cove, Five Cays and Blue Hills. Other settlements include Bottle Creek on North Caicos, Conch Bar on Middle Caicos and Balfour Town on Salt Cay.

Places to go

Grace Bay Beach anchors tourism on Providenciales, with Long Bay Beach, Sapodilla Bay and Taylor Bay offering calmer or shallower alternatives. Chalk Sound National Park is a landlocked turquoise lagoon, and Malcolm's Road Beach lies on the island's remote western shore. On Grand Turk, Cockburn Town fronts Columbus Landfall National Park and the wall-diving drop-off. North and Middle Caicos hold Mudjin Harbour and the Crossing Place Trail, Little Water Cay is a protected iguana reserve, and Salt Cay retains old saltworks and whale-watching in season.

Getting there

Cheapest cached round-trip fare into Turks and Caicos Islands, refreshed every 6 hours:

Where to stay

Practical information

Frequently asked