Last Updated on August 21, 2021 by
Things to do in Providenciales to experience the best of this islands scenery and nature
What the best things to do in Turks and Caicos? Here are my top things to do in Turks and Caicos whatever you’re into, whatever your budget and whatever your fitness level. From day to night, land to sea, these are my top 12 things to do in Providenciales and the Turks and Caicos. Some are Turks and Caicos excursions like the sunset cruise Turks and Caicos to see the green flash at sunset (glow worm sailing tour). Others are free things to do. For a small island, there’s a lot to see and do especially if you like being out on the water and nature.
Top 12 Thing to do Turks and Caicos | Providenciales
- Private jet ski tour ( we booked with Rising Tide Tours)
- Visit the sandbars
- Visit Iguana Island Turks and Caicos
- Sunset sailing on Grace Bay
- Green flash at sunset – glow worm sunset sailing trip
- Explore the beautiful beaches and swim
- Snorkel by yourself or book a Turks and Caicos excursion
- Dive
- Kayak to the mangroves
- Paddleboard (ocean or mangroves)
- Horseback riding in the ocean (Provo Ponies)
- Watch sunset on the beach. A lot of places have live music like The Deck at Seven Stars resort and the Infinity Bar at Grace Bay Club.
Jet Ski Tour and Iguana Island Turks and Caicos with Rising Tide Tours
The jet ski tour was one of our vacation highlights and our favorite Turks and Caicos excursion. Not just for being on the open water on jet skis but going to the deserted sandbar. As well as Iguana Island Turks and Caicos. The sandbar and pristine waters were really romantic.
You don’t have to worry about whether you’ll see Iguanas or not on Iguana Island. There’s lots of them everywhere of all ages and sizes and they’re really active and playful during the daytime.
You can book private or group jet ski tours in the Turks and Caicos and choose the length of time you go for. We booked a private 2.5 hour tour with Rising Tide Tours and were really happy with our guide and this Turks and Caicos experience.
Pro Tip: If your eyes tend to sting in the water like mine do with the sunscreen and salt water, tinted sunglasses solve all of that. I also recommend an SPF rashguard as it’s along time to be out on the water and in the sun.
See the green flash at sunset | Sunset cruise Providenciales Turks and Caicos
The glow worm sunset sail was one of the Turks and Caicos tours we were most excited about. When we were looking up things to do in Turks and Caicos it was my husband that found this one. To book the green flash glow worm tour you have to go at the right time of the month. As the green flash at sunset phenomenon only happens on the 3rd, 4th and 5th nights after the full moon.
Unfortunately, the night we went there were only a few green flashes. They said this never happens; normally there’s hundreds and it looks like green waves. But you can’t control mother nature and we still really enjoyed this Turks and Caicos sunset sailing excursion.
We got such a great sunset cruise along Grace Bay, Providenciales that we cancelled our sunset cruise later in the week and this one was a fraction of the cost. The boat was packed but it was still such a peaceful tour. As everyone was enjoying the views and sunset over their rum punch.
Sunset cruise Turks and Caicos
We booked with Suncharters for this Turks and Caicos excursion and it cost $50pp. They also offer lots of other tours including the sunset cruise.
What causes green flash
The green flash also known as the green wave is the mating ritual of the Turks and Caicos resident glow worms. It’s where 50 minutes after sunset, both the male and female glow worms create phosphorescent flashes on the surface of the water. When the glow worms surface they appear as green flashes that lasts only a few seconds and then they disappear again. Normally there’s so many it creates green waves, we were just unlucky but the glow worm sunset sailing excursion was still a great experience.
Things to do in Turks on Caicos on land and sea: Horseback Riding Providenciales | Provo Ponies
My husband and I tend to go horseback riding in the water whenever we go on an island vacation. As it’s always so fun and scenic, plus I love horses. The Provo Ponies tour takes you along the road and a short trail onto Longbay beach on the South side of Providenciales and into the ocean.
Provo Ponies horses don’t just paddle, they get in belly deep and some even like to swim, they really love the water. It’s a unique experience that we’ve done both times we visited Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos.
We chose Provo ponies to do the horseback riding in the ocean in Providenciales out of the other horseback riding companies in the Turks and Caicos as they were the #1 rated company on trip Advisor and also cheaper than the others. We’re really happy we chose Provo Ponies as we’d used another company in Providenciales when we were there in 2014 and the Provo ponies looked a lot better taken care of.
Provo Ponies pricing
There’s a maximum of 12 people per tour. The cost (in 2021) is $119 per person for the 60 minute tour or $141 per person for the 90 minute tour. The 90 minute tour means a lot more time in the water which is the whole point of the tour. They also offer private rides if you want a more romantic experience.
This horseback riding tour includes plenty of time for instruction and getting to know your horse before hand. The horseback riding tour is suitable for all riding abilities from first time riders to experienced riders.
Paddleboarding or Kayaking to the mangroves Providenciales
If you’re looking for things to do in Turks and Caicos that are physical and where you get to see sea life this Turks and Caicos excursion combines the best of both. There’s 2 ways to explore the mangroves in Turks and Caicos, either by kayak or paddleboard.
We’d originally booked to do the Kayak mangrove tour but swapped to paddleboards as we were told you can see more on them. If you haven’t paddleboarded before I’d recommend kayaking. The reason why it that it’s quite rough crossing this Turks and Caicos channel to the mangroves and also a long time to paddle board for.
We didn’t see as many baby sharks as we expected to see and didn’t see any rays of any kind but we did see lots of turtles. They were easy to spot in the shallow clear waters and swam by really close to the boards. We did see one small baby lemon shark, some conch and jellyfish but the turtles were the highlight of this excursion. It was our least favorite tour due to our tour guide but we could still appreciate the views and nature and got a good workout in.
Explore the beautiful beaches including Grace Bay Beach Providenciales
The beaches in Providenciales and the Turks and Caicos islands are world class. Pristine white sands, clear turquoise waters and very few chain hotels. They’re great for walking, swimming, snorkeling, water sports or just taking a siesta.
We stayed on Grace Bay beach both times we visited Providenciales but another beach worth visiting if you want to explore is Leeward Beach. I personally wouldn’t recommend Long Bay Beach. The water’s rougher there and a darker color plus it’s where the Provo Ponies horseback riding tour goes along.
Snorkel or dive to see the underwater life in Turks and Caicos
There are lots of places to rent snorkeling equipment along Grace Bay or you can just bring your own. I like to take my own especially during covid and have the full face coverage one which my husband and I both find easier to breathe with and less claustrophobic. It also keeps your whole face dry and provides better visibility. This is the one we have:
Watch sunset on the beach
Sunset is one of my favorite times of the day, especially on vacation and the colors over the water in Turks and Caicos at sunset is beautiful. I definitely recommend watching sunset one of the nights on a sunset cruise in the Turks and Caicos. If you’re there when there’s a glow worm sunset cruise on to see the green flash at sunset definitely book that as it’s such a rare opportunity to have.
A lot of bars, restaurants and hotels have live music during sunset like The Deck at Seven Stars resort and the Infiniti Bar at Grace Bay Club.
If you’re only looking for 1 thing to do in Turks and Caicos, the sunset sail, jet ski tour and horseback riding tours are our top 3 picks.
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