Frequently Asked Questions

The Turks and Caicos is its own country! We are a self-governed British Overseas Territory, with status equivalent to Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands, and Gibraltar. Our capital city is Cockburn Town on the island of Grand Turk.

Turks and Caicos basically translates to “Pirate Islands”. In past centuries, Islamic corsairs plagued the coasts of Africa, the Mediterranean and Western Europe.

These raiders and slavers were often referred to as “Turks”, and the term was often used at the time as a synonym for pirates.
Caicos was derived from a Taino word, the meaning of which was roughly “archipelago” or “chain of islands”.

The Tainos (also referred to as Lucayans) were the first peoples that there is any evidence or record of. Due to Spanish enslavement and introduced diseases, all of these aborigine people disappeared by the 1600s. Taino, (it is thought that it translates to “peaceful” or “peaceful people”) is now accepted in place of Lucayan as the better name for these peoples, as it is the term they chose to call themselves.

North Caicos and Middle Caicos are found in the center of the Caicos Islands archipelago, and collectively make up most of the land mass in the Turks and Caicos. A mile long road causeway connects the two islands, so they largely function as one.

North Caicos and Middle Caicos were once the home of agriculture in the Turks and Caicos, and the overgrown ruins of extensive cotton and sisal plantations can still be explored today. This tradition of farming continues to be carried on, albeit on a lesser scale, with several local farms producing tomatoes, peppers, melons, bananas, sugar cane, and papaya.

Compared to Grand Turk and Providenciales, the islands are sparsely populated, together being the home of less than 2000 people.

North Caicos and Middle Caicos are the perfect tourism destination for the adventurous and outdoor inclined . Miles of beautiful secluded beaches and rugged ocean cliffs line the north coasts of the islands. The spectacular Mudjin Harbour Beach is the most famous of these inspiring coasts, yet there are countless unnamed beaches to discover too. Hiking, kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding is unparalleled.Several interesting sites are also found inland, including the 250-foot-deep (76 m) Cottage Pond Blue Hole, the open gallery Indian Cave, and the impressive Conch Bar Caves, the largest non-submerged cave system in the Bahamas–Turks and Caicos archipelago. Flamingo Pond Overlook is also the best place in the country to see flamingos, and it’s common to see hundreds. However, be advised that the overlook is quite a distance away from the flamingos, so you won’t be up close.

A popular and recommended activity for Providenciales visitors is to take a day trip to North and Middle Caicos. Such an outing is a great way to see the sights and beaches without the need to stay overnight. For those who would rather take a guided tour, several businesses offer organized excursions.

The main settlements on North Caicos are Bottle Creek, Whitby and Kew. Middle Caicos’s main settlements are Conch Bar and Bambarra.

Regular scheduled ferries depart from Heaving Down Rock Marina (Walkin Marina) on Providenciales, and arrive at Bellefield Landing on North  Caicos. Once on North Caicos, you are then able to drive across the causeway to Middle Caicos.

The ferry is the easiest and most cost-effective way to get to North and Middle Caicos. This service is offered by two operators and usually runs several times a day, seven days a week. The trip usually takes about twenty minutes each way and tickets can be purchased at the port before departure. Return fares cost $55 (2021). The primary ferry company is Caribbean Cruisin‘, yet MV My Girl Ferry Service also offers a similar service.

We recommend that you arrive at the marinas at least 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure times. On most days, reservations are not needed, but we HIGHLY recommend. Events such as the Valentine’s Day Cup or Crab Fest can see the ferry filled to capacity, so you’ll want to arrive early if traveling during such holidays.

Essentials include your passport, sunscreen, hats, sunglasses, medications, clothing and insect repellent. Of course, we strongly recommend that you bring your camera, snorkeling gear and any other beach toys and hiking gear. North and Middle Caicos have numerous quaint grocery stores for purchasing staple foods and liquor; a small fresh set of staple grocery items has been placed in the Caicos Beach Villa to get you started. Please see the link to the map of North and Middle Caicos to find grocery stores, liquor stores and gas stations.

Mudjin Harbour on Middle Caicos, and a site that’s not a coastline, Conch Bar Caves on Middle Caicos, both of which are an easy drive from the Caicos Beach Villa. On a regional or global scale, the remote Middle Caicos Ocean Hole may be the widest blue hole in the world.

The West Indian Flamingo (also known as the American Flamingo or the Caribbean Flamingo) is seen on all of the main islands in the Turks and Caicos. One of the best places in the Turks and Caicos to see flamingos is Flamingo Pond Overlook on North Caicos.

We recommend that visitors rent a vehicle for their stay, as part of the allure to North and Middle Caicos is exploring and sightseeing. For those looking for a more personal experience, you can hire M and M Tours, a locally owned taxi service that provides guided tours of the islands.
Car Rentals: Al’s Rent A Car and Scooter Bob’s Taxi Tours:
M and M Tours

The simple answer is that if you don’t mind the high temperatures of summer, anytime of the year is typically beautiful. Accommodation and activities rates are lowest during the late summer and autumn Atlantic hurricane season.

Fast Track is a VIP service that is available at the Providenciales International Airport and allows arriving and departing guests expedited service through immigration, customs, check-in and security. The weekends during the later December to April high season are the busiest times at the airport. The queues to enter and leave through the airport outside of these times typically are not long. Fast Track during peak arrivals can save more than an hour of wait times.

Most businesses do accept credit cards and debit cards, however Apple Pay and Android are not as widely used. That being said, we recommend that you also have cash for some of the local businesses.

The Turks and Caicos uses the U.S. Dollar. We do have our own currency, the Crown, however it’s largely only utilized as commemorative and collective souvenir coins. It’s extremely uncommon to encounter a Turks and Caicos Crown coin in normal circulation.

The Turks and Caicos Islands is one of the safest countries in the Caribbean. The Turks and Caicos has several inhabited islands, and the vast majority of crime occurs on the main populated island of Providenciales. The islands of North and Middle Caicos, South Caicos, Salt Cay and the smaller cays see very little crime against visitors, making them all the more attractive for visitors seeking a safe and private haven. That being said, petty crime can still be a factor, so it’s still recommended to exercise vigilance with valuables.

The law states that it’s illegal to do so without an import license. However, many do so regardless of this fact.

No. Entry for tourism into the Turks and Caicos for up to 90 days is allowed if you have a valid USA, UK or Canada resident or tourist visa.

In most cases, yes, it’s perfectly safe, yet bottled water is the common choice due to the poor taste of piped water . Indoor plumbed water in the Turks and Caicos almost always originates from one of two sources: reverse osmosis desalination, and less commonly, rainfall collection.

As a very small country that relatively few have heard of, the Turks and Caicos has seen quite an impressive number of famous visitors from both present and past eras.

Today, the unparalleled beaches in the Turks and Caicos Islands attract people from across the globe, and there’s a wide range of luxury accommodation choices to stay at.

The exclusive all-inclusive resorts on Providenciales, Parrot Cay, (next to the beach at Caicos Beach Villa) and Pine Cay are favorites with the rich and famous, yet the expansive private rental mansions have also become popular as well.

The Light and Soft Sand
The defining characteristic of a beach is its sand. The Turks and Caicos beaches almost without exception have shell and coral origin sand. This type of sand is formed from the naturally broken down particles of seashells and hard corals, and the result is breathtaking bright white sand with touches of pink and peach hues.

Another factor is the lack of hard rock origin or dark-colored sand and gravel, found in other Caribbean countries. The Turks and Caicos Islands and its subterranean foundation is primarily limestone. Except for very thin outer layers exposed to the elements, this limestone tends to be quite soft and white. Once this rock begins to break up into smaller pieces, it rapidly decomposes into sand and dust and remains a bright white throughout the process. Because of this, sand on the beaches and ocean floor has almost no gravel and is consistent and naturally light colored.

As seen throughout much of the world, beaches with hard rock origin sand tend to have denser, smaller, and more uniform sand grains, and these grains naturally pack together tighter when damp or wet. The larger and irregular grains of the Turks and Caicos sand allow for much greater gaps in between grains which leads to the fluffiness we all love.

The Brilliant and Colorful Water
The vivid blues of the deeper water is mainly due to the fact that the longer and warmer wave length colors (reds, oranges, yellows) are filtered out and scattered before the short blue wave lengths. This results in the deep blues common to all clean and deep ocean water.

The azures, aquas and turquoises of the shallower depths are what really contributes to the unique Turks and Caicos water and are caused by light reflecting off the white sandy bottoms and off of fine white sand particles that are suspended in the ocean.

The short answer is that typically most beaches in the Turks and Caicos do not have any noticeable sargassum, yet a few coasts do collect varying amounts of the seaweed at some times.