The Best Outdoor Adventures

The waters here are superlative for all kinds of outdoor adventures, from diving and snorkeling to sailing, kayaking, and fishing. But watersports aren't the only game in town. You'll find prime golf and tennis facilities in Provo -- and Rollerblade hockey is all the rage with local school kids.

Snorkeling the islands: Stellar snorkeling opportunities are found throughout the islands, whether the Caicos Cays, North Caicos, Middle Caicos, South Caicos, Grand Turk, or Salt Cay (which some claim has the country's best snorkeling), but you can also snorkel right off Provo's spectacular Grace Bay Beach. The government has established snorkel trails at Smith's Reef and Bight Reef, right in front of the Coral Gardens resort (the hotel even has an on-site dive-and-snorkel instructor). These reefs are right off the shoreline, providing easy access into a fragile but beautiful world.

Taking a beachcombing cruise (Caicos Cays): A number of tour-boat operators offer variations on half- and full-day beachcombing sojourns. Your trip may include a stop on Little Water Cay, a nature reserve set aside to protect the colony of rare rock iguanas; snorkeling the coral reefs and diving for conch; or combing the beaches of uninhabited cays for sand dollars and other shells.

Riding horses on the beach (Long Bay, Provo): You don't need a whit of riding experience to thoroughly enjoy a leisurely late-afternoon trot on a beautiful beach. The gentle mounts of Provo Ponies are perfect for novices, but they don't mind kicking it up a bit for proven riders -- they love the beach, too.

Strolling Grace Bay before sunset: You'll be surprised at the long stretches of beautiful beach you have all to yourself (and perhaps a few friendly "potcake" dogs). The sand is a little cooler, and the water takes on the pink and purple hues of the setting sun. Stop in and sink into an inviting white-cushioned perch at the Lounge, the wonderful oceanfront bar at Grace Bay Club, and sip a cocktail while you wait for the green flash on the horizon.

Watching the glowworms glow: Four or 5 days after a full moon, millions of glowworms come out just after sunset to mate -- lighting up the shallow local waters with a sparkling green glow. You can see them on a glowworm cruise in the Caicos Cays or off any number of Caicos Bank docks. The show is over after the females devour the males when the mating ritual ends.

Hiking or biking the Crossing Place Trail (Middle Caicos): This old coastal road, first established in the late 1700s by settlers working the local plantations, has been reopened from the Conch Bar to the Indian Cave field-road section and is now a National Trust heritage site. It has heartbreakingly beautiful sections, some on bluffs overlooking the blue-green ocean shallows and rocky outcrops; others bordered by island brush that includes wild sea-island cotton, remnants of the 18th-century plantations, and elegant sisal. Follow hiking or biking trails; when you get hot, take a swim in the shallow coves below. Be sure to visit Conch Bar Cave, a massive aboveground limestone cave system that was used by Lucayan Indians some 600 years ago.

Diving the Wall off Grand Turk: You can find great scuba-diving spots throughout the TCI, including spectacular opportunities off Provo's Northwest Point and in West Caicos. But Grand Turk's electrifying dives are just some 274m (900 ft.) offshore, where the continental shelf drops off from the coral reef in dramatic fashion. Along the ledges of this sheer wall is marine life in all its eye-popping plumage.

Whale-Watching on Salt Cay: From January through April, humpback whales migrate along the 7,000-foot trench of the Columbus Passage (which runs between the Turks islands and the Caicos islands) to the Silver Banks to mate and calf. You can actually snorkel and swim alongside these 15m (50-ft.) creatures.

Finding treasures on the beach: The currents drop off a good amount of flotsam on these windward TCI beaches -- much of it worthless junk. But hey, one man's trash is another man's treasure. Nearly every island has a visionary artist or two who finds inspiration (and raw materials) in beach salvage. Of course, you never know what will wash up: In 2006, silver pieces of eight and an 18th-century spyglass were picked up on the Salt Cay beaches. And bottles containing messages have found their way here from all over the world; the Turks & Caicos National Museum even has a collection of messages in a bottle. The water's edge also yields gorgeous shells, from snow white sand dollars to queen conch shells -- but remember: Always return a shell back into the sea if it has something living inside. (And shell collecting is not permitted in the national parks.)