Our trip to Turks And Caicos was over a week long, which meant we had enough time to check out another island while we were there. I’m not exactly sure how we chose to do a day trip to South Caicos Island, but I’m happy we did! When we started reading about the island, it sounded like a good mix of off-the-beaten track and easy-to-explore destination. Also, because the island is so small, we thought it’d be a great destination to explore in one day.
South Caicos Island is only 8.5 square miles and has a population of about 1,200 people. The island used to be a big producer of salt, and nowadays its biggest industry is fishing. Cockburn Harbor is the largest settlement in the island, but it still feels tiny in comparison to Providenciales. Because of its small size, a day trip to South Caicos Island is totally doable, you just need to do some planning ahead.
Getting there
There are two ways to reach South Caicos: by tiny plane and by ferry boat. We chose the 25-minute flight and it was truly a unique experience for all of us. On our way to the island we were the only people on the 8-passenger tiny plane. Our return flight was full and our seat assignments were done based on our weight to keep the cargo evenly distributed. We booked our flights with Inter Caribbean Airlines and had a great experience!
When it’s time to head back to Providenciales, make sure you arrive to the airport at least an hour before your flight. The lady who helped us with the rental car told us the planes sometimes leave earlier. I thought she meant that they would leave without me, but she actually meant that it would leave early if everyone was already there! So we arrived to the airport a bit over an hour early, and our plane left 40 minutes ahead of schedule!
Renting A Car
We rented our car from Harbour Adventures and had a great experience! We contacted them two days before our arrival in South Caicos and they were responsive and friendly.They have a Facebook page you can message them to, but I’d recommend you call them instead. Once we landed on South Caicos, we were met at the airport and off we went on a nice Honda CRV to explore the island! To return the car we simply left it outside the airport with the keys in a designated spot and that was it!
Map
South Caicos is a very small island and it’s easy to explore a lot of it in just one day. Of course, you could spend more time there, but we got a good flavor for it during our day trip. Most roads are unpaved but fine to drive on, just take your time. All wheel drive is always best.
On the map, the roads marked on solid yellow are maintained, but not paved roads, so keep that in mind when calculating drive times.
What To See
To maximize our day in South Caicos, we planned our route around the island. Here’s a rough outline of what we did during our day trip to South Caicos Island:
From the airport we drove south to Cockburn Harbour to stock up on water for the day. We didn’t stop anywhere else because we thought we’d go back later there in the day, but we ended up not having enough time. From what we saw while driving around, there were several historic buildings, some of which were abandoned and/or damaged. The town had a super relaxed vibe. I would definitely do more sightseeing if we were to go back.
Next we drove to East Bay Resort to check out the beach. On our way to the beach Joe spotted a flamingo on the salt pans, so we stopped to watch it. The salt pans by the Pond looked very pretty with the sky’s reflection. In the distance we saw many more flamingoes. We could’ve stopped and walked about 200ft to try to get closer, but it was super hot and the kids were not up for the walk. So, after admiring them from a distance for a while we continued on to the beach.
We spent a couple of hours at East Bay Beach. The beach was nice, but definitely not as nice as those in Providenciales. I also wouldn’t say this was a good beach for kids to casually splash in. Around lunchtime we headed to the resort’s restaurant (they open for lunch at 12:00pm) where we had a cocktail and a tasty meal. The restaurant had both indoor and outdoor dining. We opted for the open air patio with views of the ocean and the pool!
After lunch we retraced our steps back to Cockburn Harbour. We immediately headed north, around the Pond and Victoria Salina towards the Bell Sound, and then all the way up to Caldon Cay Cut. We spotted a lot of island donkeys on this stretch. Shortly before reaching the north end of the island we drove to a little boat landing area. There were kayaks and a boat there (probably for the resort), and saw lots of fish in the water. Afterwards, we reached the tip of the island, we explored the abandoned U.S. Coast Guard Base and its grounds.
When we were done at the base, we started drove back towards Sailrock Point. Sailrock Resort, the only other resort in South Caicos, is in this part of the island. The resort has a beach bar/restaurant on this beach, as well as an outdoor shower to rinse off the sand. The beach was like a pool, almost fake, but great for kids and tired parents!
We left Sailrock Point about an hour and a half before our flight, and reached the airport with about an hour to spare before our flight.
Highlights
These were some of the highlights from our drive:
Salt Pans
Even though the salt industry has faded away in South Caicos, the salt pans are still there and are an interesting place to visit. We drove by the salt pans on our way to East Bay Beach and thought they were quite beautiful. The reflection of the clouds and the sky on the pans was very picturesque!
Flamingos
The Caribbean flamingo is found throughout the country, and we spotted about a dozen of them by the old salt pans. It was really cool to see them in the wild!
Island donkey
The donkeys were introduced to the Turks and Caicos, and were used to pull salt carts and turn pumps in the Salinas, haul guano mine carts in the Caicos Islands, and provide general transport. Now they roam free and we saw a bunch of them while driving around South Caicos.
Explore
Honestly, the best thing to do while on a day trip to South Caicos Island is to explore freely! The island is small enough that you won’t get lost (make sure you do have a map!). We took a lot of small roads and that’s how we found this little beach on the photo below. The kids spotted a ton of fish on the shore and it was just a nice place to stop for a bit.
Old U.S. Coast Guard Station
In 1959 the United States Coast Guard built Loran station on the north end of South Caicos. The base was abandoned after satellite GPS system replaced the need for it, and it has been decommissioned since then. The facilities still exist and they are open for exploration.
We drove all the way to the northern most point of the island and enjoyed poking around the abandoned base. Our kids particularly liked finding several old cassette tapes and learning what they were. Other than that, there wasn’t much to see, but it was still interesting to visit a place like this. If you visit, make sure you are careful about where you go in, and where you step on as you would in any abandoned building anywhere.
Best Beaches
East Bay Beach
East beach is a nice and easy to access beach on the south coast of the island. We parked on the resort parking lot and walked to the beach from there. The beach was nice, but due to its location, there can be a lot of seaweed and flotsam (basically garbage). The resort cleans the beach regularly so we didn’t really find much trash, but we did see lots of micro plastics. This was the first time we found micro plastics in TCI. There is no good snorkeling at East Bay, but we saw some boats leaving the beach to go on diving excursions. Apparently, diving is really good in South Caicos!
We thought the beach was nice, but not as nice as the beaches in Provo. We only spent about two hours there before heading to lunch at the resort.
Sailrock West Beach (Cove Beach)
This beach is located north of Bell Sound on the western side of the the northern peninsula.The beach is part of the Bell Sound National Park area, and it is uniquely calm, making it perfect for little kids. Unlike East Bay Beach, we didn’t find any seaweed or flotsam here, which was nice. As far as marine life, we did see lots of fish swimming by and even a star fish right on the shore!
The Cove Restaurant and Beach Bar is located on this beach, and it offers breakfast, lunch and dinner in a casual beach setting. The restaurant had only outdoor seating, and was a few steps from the water.
Where to Eat
You can get water and snacks at any of the small convenience stores on the island. We brought some snacks with us because we didn’t know what we’d find, but we still bought a couple of snacks just in case.
For lunch, we went to the BLU Bar & Grill on East Bay Resort. We chose this restaurant because we were there at lunch time and thought it’d be best to eat before starting our drive. Food was really good, and their drinks were even better! One fun thing for the kids was that the restaurant had a kid cocktail list. They both got some fancy-looking drinks! The prices here felt more reasonable than those on Provo, but not super different.
The restaurant features an internationally inspired menu with lots of island classics. Overall this was a good restaurant with friendly staff, and we definitely recommend it!
The Cove Restaurant and Beach Bar at Sailrock Resort is right on the beach at Cove Beach. They offer a casual dining experience right on the beach. They are rated as one of the best restaurants on South Caicos and they feature a wide variety of Caribbean cuisine.
We had planned on stopping there for a drink, but were so hot when we reached the beach that all we did was soak in the water!
Another good option for food is Sunset Cafe Bar & Grill. This place was recommended to us by the woman who dropped off our rental car, and it’s also included in many travel guides. This restaurant is a favorite Cockburn Harbour establishment, and it offer local cuisine and seafood dishes.
We had a fabulous time on our day trip to South Caicos Island! The entire experience was one of the highlights of our trip. Driving around the island was easy, but it was also exciting because of the dirt roads, and the need to navigate using a map. We loved finding secret beaches and checking out abandoned buildings. Such a good mix, and a fun experience for the entire family!
To read more about our trip to Turks and Caicos, click here.
