Visa and entry requirements Turks and Caicos Islands:
Passport required
No visa is required
Information from the Federal Foreign Office about your trip to Turks and Caicos Islands:
https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/grossbritanniensicherheit/206408
The Turks and Caicos Islands are an archipelago in the Caribbean with around 42,000 inhabitants.
Geographically, the British Overseas Territory is located around 150 kilometers north of Haiti and the Dominican Republic and 50 kilometers southeast of the outer islands of the Bahamas.
The official language of the country is English and the US dollar is used as the uniform means of payment.
The most populous places in the Turks and Caicos Islands include Honda Road, Juba, Five Cays, The Bight, Wheeland, Kew Town, Leeward, Blue Hills, Back Salina and Discovery Bay.
Of the over 40 islands that make up the entire national territory, only nine are currently inhabited. The few inhabited islands include Middle Caicos, Providenciales, East Caicos, Grand Turk, West Caicos, Parrot Cay, North Caicos, Salt Cay and South Caicos.
The remaining uninhabited islands, atolls or keys, are primarily breeding grounds for various seabirds, egg-laying places for numerous sea turtles or popular excursion destinations for well-heeled diving tourists.
The territory of the Caribbean archipelago is largely flat, with the 48 meter high “Flamingo Hill” on East Caicos as the highest point in the country. There is a tropical climate all year round, with hardly any changes in temperatures.
On the coasts of the islands you can find a number of very rare low-growing palms, including the rush palm, the Iguana silver palm or the pure silver palm. These very special types of palm trees are otherwise only found in the Bahamas or the Caicos Islands.
A large number of rare giant lizards still live on some islands today, such as the rock iguana or the Turks and Caicos iguanas. In addition, over 180 different species of birds, such as flamingos, ospreys and pelicans, breed across the national territory. Overall, the mostly endemic creatures and plant species are protected by the government in 27 large national parks.
The two main industries in the Turks and Caicos Islands are finance and tourism. The archipelago forms a so-called tax haven, where almost 20,000 international letterbox companies have now settled.
The most popular tourist activities include fishing, diving, swimming, snorkeling, hiking and nature observation. Particularly popular island souvenirs among foreign visitors are various handicrafts made from straw, various wood carvings or local naive paintings.
The capital of the Turks and Caicos Islands is Cockburn Town with a population of around 4,000. It is located on Grand Turk, the largest island in the country by area.
The city's few main attractions include the numerous colonial buildings, the lighthouse and the country's national museum.
The most important and at the same time most populated island in the entire Caribbean overseas territory is Providenciales with around 35,000 inhabitants. It is the westernmost of all inhabited islands and, with its paradisiacally long white sandy beaches and the surrounding species-rich coral reefs, is a tourist attraction for luxury vacationers. Interestingly, this Caribbean island has the world's longest chain of coral reefs and is therefore one of the most beautiful diving areas on our globe.
The island of Providenciales is practically the economic and tourist center of Turks and Caicos. The most important sights on Providenciales include Grace Bay with the famous 15 kilometer long Grace Bay Beach - for me the most beautiful beach in the world, the Marine National Park, the casino, Leeward Beach, the traditional village of Tiki-Hat, the huge limestone Hole in Long Bay, the ruins of former cotton plantations, Half Moon Bay, the golf club, the beach in Taylor Bay, the underwater cave "Haul", the "Chalk Sound" National Park, the picturesque Sapodilla Bay, the Princess Alexandria National Park, Long Bay Beach, Turtle Cove Marina, Anna's Art Gallery, Turks Head Brewery, Our Lady Catholic Church - the landmark of the Caribbean island, Fort George, the surrounding fascinating underwater world as well more paradisiacal long sandy beaches.
In June 2015 I visited the Turks and Caicos Islands for the only time so far. With the local airline “Inter Caribbean Airways” I reached the dream island of Providenciales, coming from Haiti.
For my three-day stay on Providenciales I booked a mid-range hotel directly on Grace Bay Beach, which wasn't exactly cheap either.
The beautiful Caribbean island was absolutely amazing, everything was so clean and comfortable, with a picturesque landscape that is almost unique in the world. Immediately after my arrival I could hardly believe it and it felt like I had arrived in real paradise.
However, there was a small catch to the whole thing, it was pretty much one of the most expensive places I've ever been. Dinner under $50 and a beer under $20 were practically nowhere to be found. Well, no matter, you could do that for just three days in the so-called paradise.
But to be honest, in my opinion the most beautiful beach in the world, the legendary Grace Bay Beach, made up for it all in the end. Just the sight of it after I quickly put my suitcases in the hotel room and immediately walked down to the beach left me standing there with my mouth open. Oh my God, that was actually unbelievable, and I had actually seen so many impressive beaches all over the world. Somehow it takes a long time to find the right words for this beach, and you couldn't imagine a more beautiful postcard.
In any case, my stay on the Turks and Caicos Islands was a really expensive affair after I lost a few dollars in the nearby casino on the first evening. But what's the point, after all I only live once.
All in all, it was three incredibly exciting days that will definitely remain unforgettable forever. I hope that one day I can visit this fantastic Caribbean island again, of course for a longer period of time.
I then went on to Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic, as part of my long nine-week Caribbean tour.
No Comments