The islands of Turks & Caicos are arguably the hidden gems of the Caribbean. While every destination on our 2021 route has its own amazing characteristics, T&C holds a special place in our heart. We planned to visit for three weeks and ended up staying for two months—and we still only managed to scratch the surface!

Their main claim to fame are their spectacular beaches and crystal-clear ocean water, while the oceans and wetlands of the country teem with wildlife. It’s common to spot turtles, stingrays, fish, starfish, conch, sharks and coastal birdlife including flamingos. If we’re very lucky you might meet Jojo the famous resident dolphin, one of his mates, and their playful baby named Dreamer.

The islands of Turks & Caicos are also acclaimed for their exceptional snorkeling and scuba diving, and are home to one of the finest barrier reef systems in the Atlantic Ocean and the third largest in the world. The coral walls at Providenciales, West Caicos, and French Cay, where the depth drops from 30-50 feet to over 7,000 feet, are among the best wall dive sites in the world.

For this trip we’ll be completing a round-trip exploration of the western half of the Caicos islands, which will give us the opportunity to explore some of the country’s finest beaches and areas for snorkeling, diving, and other water sports. Each day we’ll discuss our options, consider the weather, and hatch a plan for adventure. We’ll have the flexibility to adjust our pace, the amount of time that we spend sailing or underway, and the amount of time that we spend in developed areas versus remote areas.

The main island of the Caicos group is Providenciales (nicknamed “Provo”) and is where we will start and end our adventure.

This glamorous island holds a bevy of beach restaurants and clubs, as well as memorable activities like jet-skiing and horseback riding along the coast.

We can grab some conch at Da Conch Shack where it is prepared every way imaginable right on the breezy beach.

Home to one of the world’s most stunning shorelines, the 7-mile long Grace Bay Beach, there are plenty of world-class snorkeling sites both within the calm bay and outside of the protective barrier reef.

Formerly known as Belle Island, West Caicos is the western most island in the Turks & Caicos archipelago and the second largest uninhabited island in the country. The West Caicos Marine National Park protects a large portion of the waters around the island.

Beautiful snorkeling surrounds the island, and is especially fascinating on the west coast. The cliff coastline here hides many fun little caves, and there’s some great cliff jumping sites as well. The Yankee Town historical site is a short walk from the coasts.

West Caicos is best known for the excellent diving surrounding the island. Off the west side of the island is some of the best wall diving in the country, with sheer drops from about 30-50 feet down to over 7,000 feet!

Lake Catherine is another unique highlight of the island. This saline 500 acre lake is a protected area within the Lake Catherine Nature Reserve and is home to large numbers of West Indian flamingos.

Another secluded area on the southern edge of the Caicos bank, the Molasses Reef Wreck is one of the more notable wrecks in Turks & Caicos. It is the oldest European shipwreck to have been excavated in the Western Hemisphere. Though damaged by treasure hunters, the site remains a highlight of wreck diving in Turks & Caicos.

18 miles south of Provo, French Cay is a very small and low-lying island on the souther edge of the Caicos bank, and is the only island in Turks & Caicos from which no other island can be seen.

The entire cay is a protected wildlife sanctuary with restrictions on landing and, although it is a mere speck in the ocean, French Cay has a bit of history. One of the many pirates that used to operate in the Caicos islands, famous buccaneer captain Françoise L’Olonnois (also known as Jean-David Nau) was rumored to have used French Cay as a lookout base to scan the deep water south of the Caicos bank.

In addition to the great snorkeling and many shipwrecks around the island, several of the best dive sites in the country are located close to French Cay. Due to French Cay being on the south wall of the Caicos bank barrier reef, the deeper wall areas are more exposed to the sun than most of the West Caicos and Providenciales wall sites and consequently have better lighting and a bit more vibrant corals.

French Cay is known to be one of the best places to see sharks in Turks & Caicos. Grey reef sharks are the most common variety, yet nurse, hammerhead, bull, lemon and tiger sharks can be spotted at times as well.

The La Famille Express is the most famous shipwreck in Turks and Caicos and a popular landmark near the island of Provo.

The history of the La Famille Express began in 1953 and in a much colder environment—the Soviet Union. The vessel started life as an oil rig service ship, transferring supplies to remote offshore oil wells.

The La Famille Express became firmly planted in the shallow waters of the Caicos bank during Hurricane Frances in 2004. Under high winds, the unmanned vessel had actually dragged its anchor over 12 miles from the south dock area of Provo. This anchor is still in the water near the ship.

There is a large rope ladder off the side of the wreck and visitors can ascend the ship to explore the deck, and daredevils can jump off the side into the water below.