The unique blend of people of African, Indian, European and Chinese descent have given this twin-island republic a diversity of cuisine, culture, sights, perspectives and traditions that bewilders the visitor. These two islands are as alike as chalk and cheese – so try both! It’s quite a mixture!

Some historians now believe that Christopher Columbus made his original landfall in the New World on Grand Turk and not on San Salvador. If this went unreported for rather a long time, it may be because the obvious attractions of the Turks & Caicos Islands have drawn remarkably little attention until recently.

Once the Arawak Indians who lived here in Columbus’s time had been rounded up and shipped away, the islands were left uninhabited until pirates used them as a stopping off point and Bermudans arrived to rake up salt to sell as a preservative.
Refining salt from the sea remained the main industry until 20 years ago. Since then, tourism and offshore finance have taken over as the main sources of revenue. Today, the islands’ status as both an international tax haven and a desirable holiday destination is growing steadily.

The Turks & Caicos Islands are a British Crown Colony at the southeastern tip of the Bahamas that became internally self-governing in 1976. Only five of the 30-plus islands are inhabited – so if you want sun, sea and tranquility, with 200 miles of almost deserted ivory sands and fabulous snorkeling and diving, this is the destination of your dreams.

The capital, Cockburn Town, is on Grand Turk, a favorite haunt of anglers and scuba divers. Just off Grand Turk, the 20-mile wide Turks Island Passage that separates the Turks from the Caicos plunges to great depths.

On Middle Caicos, Conch Bar Caves, with their impressive white stalactites and stalagmites and eerie underground salt lakes, are still barely explored. Nearby, the remains of a settlement of Arawak and Lucayan Indians have begun to interest archaeologists.

Most recent development has taken place on Providenciales (’Provo’ for short). This charming island, with a fantastic beach, has grown from an almost uninhabited backwater to a resort island with a population of almost 10,000. At Grace Bay, for instance, there are luxury resort hotels, a casino, a variety of restaurants and a tourist-oriented shopping complex. There is also a golf course.

The island also has the unique Caicos Conch Farm, established in 1984 to grow conch commercially from eggs to adult, which takes four years. It currently has one and a half million conch. The shells provide gifts and souvenirs, while conch meat has long been a staple food in the Caribbean.

Comment on this post below

You must be logged in to post a comment.

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.