What to do on Providenciales
Nearly everything to do on Providenciales is centered around the water. The foremost draw for visitors to these islands are the beaches, which are truely excellent and have been consistently rated the best in the world. Most types of water sports and activities can be found here, including diving, snorkelling, kiteboarding and surfing.
Providenciales does have a few historical attractions, such as Cheshire Hall Plantation ruins, but our other islands have more history and historical sights. We highly reccomend a day trip to our other islands. North and Middle Caicos are easy to access via a 40 minute ferry. You'll need to get a flight to Grand Turk or Salt Cay (the Turks Islands), but both of these are worth a visit and quite different than the Caicos Islands (Providenciales, North and Middle Caicos, and South Caicos).
The natural environment of Providenciales has some spectacular views, such as of Chalk Sound, and excellent birdwatching areas in the Northwest Point National Park area and the Frenchmen's Creek Nature Reserve. However, eco-tourism is generally only recgnoized by a handful of local businesses, and as such, many of the natural attraction areas are not developed too well for tourism. In addition, many of the most secnic areas have been destroyed (or when in the process of being destroyed) by reckless development. We highly reccommend a visit to these areas while they still exist.
Beaches
Providenciales has Grace Bay, what has been voted the best beach in the world. Providenciales' unique land shape also result in many other interesting beachs, each with their own unique characteristics.
Because the Turks and Caicos are of coral origin, the sand is light-coloured and soft. Volcanic islands, such as Hawaii or the eastern Caribbean, tend to have hard coarse sand.
Snorkelling is also excellent here, due to high-quality reefs near shore and the fewer numbers of tourists.
Attractions
For those interested in history, Providenciales has a few ruins from the 1800s scattered around the island. Cheshire Hall is the main area and the only one easily accessible for tourists. At Sapodilla Bay Hill there are rock carvings left by sailors in the 1800s, but these aren't easily accessible. Note, however, that all these historic sights are rather insignificant and the average tourist will probably not find them worthwhile.
Natural beauty areas exist, but these are usually not 'developed' for tourists (rough unpaved roads and no guided trails), and thus only suitable for the adventurous. If you like exploring, be sure to visit some of the remote areas of the island such as Northwest Point or the Pirates Cave at West Harbour Bluff.
At the eastern end of the island is the world's only conch farm, with tours available plotting the life of this large and unusual marine snail that features in many local dishes.
Boat Cruises
There are many different businesses offering boat cruises on Providenciales, each with their own unique offering. However, these can typically be classified as:- Island Hopping and Beach BBQ Cruises
- Snorkelling Cruises
- Sunset & Gloworm Cruises
- Party Cruises (probably better described as booze cruises)
Water Sports and Activities
The geographical layout of Providenciales lends itself perfectly for all types of water activities. The huge Caicos Banks, which extend for miles south of Providenciales and about a mile north, provide calm shallow water that's just the right depth for boating, snorkeling and swimming. Divers can go beyond to the barrier reefs which sink into the abyss.
The main attraction is our truly beautiful beaches, the main and best one being Grace Bay Beach. Once you get tired of laying on the beach or splashing about in the water, try out our water activities, which include parasailing, Hobi Cats, kayaking, paddleboarding, and much more.
Fishing is one activity that takes a bit more planning and can cost a lot more than the others. Three main types of fishing exist: sport fishing, bone fishing, and bottom fishing. Bottom fishing is for edible fish, and there are several restaurants that will clean, prepare, and cook any fish you've caught for your dinner.
Land Sports and Activities
Land sports include golf (both a professional 18 course and miniature golf), horseback riding, and tennis. There are two sports centres with indoor basketball courts, and the National Stadium, which hosted the 2007 CARICOM Games.
Golfers will appreciate the beautiful 18-hole course designed by Karl Litton, which is ranked as on the 10 ten in the Caribbean and is the only 18-hole course in the country.
The Turks and Caicos are one of the few places where you can ride a horse on the beach and in the ocean. This is a highly recommended activity, both for those who've never ridden a horse and professional equestrians.
Tours, Excursions, and Island Day Trips
Several taxi operators provide general tours of the island, and there is another off-road style tour that takes visitors to the remote parts of the islands, mostly down rough, unpaved roads.
Providenciales is just one of the eight main islands in the Turks and Caicos. We recommend the short ride or paddle to the nearby Little Water Cay, also known as Iguana Island. Iguanas used to cover all the islands in the country, but the introduction of dogs and cats by humans has wiped them out on the islands populated by people and as a result small cays are their only homes now.
More adventurous visitors staying a bit longer might be interested in day trips to North and Middle Caicos, and also Grand Turk or Salt Cay. These will take the entire day and are more expensive, especially Grand Turk and Salt Cay (as they are part of the further away Turks Islands and only accessible by plane), but they do have an entirely different feel and history to Providenciales.
Entertainment
The nightlife and 'entertainment' segment on Providenciales is generally weak. There are no nightclubs or discos catering to tourists, although there are many bars and pubs.
There's only one cinema in Providenciales (and the the whole country), showing films on the North American schedule.
There are a few casinos, and several other venues have slot machines.
