Middle Caicos
Conch Bar Caves National Park -- These cool limestone caves are a surprising treat to discover on the flat, sunbaked TCI. This massive (24km/15-mile) aboveground limestone cave system (with 3.2km/2 miles of surveyed caves) was used by pre-Columbian Lucayan Indians more than 600 years ago -- a number of artifacts from their occupation are housed in the Turks & Caicos National Museum. Today it's basically a big bat cave (mined for exported guano back in the late 19th c.), with impressive stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, and pools. Look for land crabs around the entrance to the caves. Tip: Spray yourself thoroughly with mosquito repellent before you go in. For more information, contact the Turks & Caicos National Trust (tel. 649/946-5710).
The Crossing Place Trail -- This lovely coastal route, much of it along a bluff overlooking the azure waters of Mudjin Harbor, was first established in the late 1700s by cotton plantation settlers. As part of the Turks & Caicos National Trust Middle Caicos Ecotourism Project, it has been reopened from the Conch Bar to the Indian Cave field road. (Crossing Place refers to the place where in years past people crossed the sandbars at low tide to get to North Caicos.) During the days of the Loyalist plantations, the owners rode along the King's Road while the slaves walked the trail. You can hike or bike this trail; go to www.tcimall.tc/middlecaicos/crossingplace.htm for more information on hiking and biking routes. The trail is generally flat, with some low hills. For more information, contact the Turks & Caicos National Trust (tel. 649/946-5710).
