Things to Do in Caribbean

Known as one of the best diving sites in the Caribbean, the Wall is a diving spot just outside of Grace Bay on Grand Turk. Where the island’s outer reef ends, the Wall plunges over 6000 feet into the deep blue Atlantic. Here you’ll find an overabundance of sea-life, coral reef, and yes – great dive sites. Each dive guide has their own favorites, but expect to see miles of vertical coral reef drop-offs, numerous thermal formations, and a complete spectrum of corals and sea life.

Great pelagic swimmers like groupers, tuna, barracuda, reef shark, hammerhead, manta rays, eagle rays, and more live here and visit this reef often. Other wildlife viewings include migratory North Atlantic humpback whale, stingray, and sea turtles.

One of the great things about visiting The Wall is that this abundant sea life is close to the surface, so divers aren’t the only ones that get to enjoy it – snorkelers and free divers play in the water as well. This is truly some of the best underwater exploring in the world, and many divers make trips out to this little stretch in the Caribbean for just this purpose – are you one of them?

Those seeking a stimulating day trip on St. Kitts couldn’t do better than the Great Salt Pond located on the southeastern tip of the island. Bordered by both the Atlantic and the Caribbean, brilliant white sands line the beach on both sides. Body surfing is popular in the turbulent Atlantic waters, while snorkeling and swimming are preferable in the Caribbean. An array of birds frequent the shore, and while there may be more secluded beaches on the island, the combination of personality and natural beauty more than make up for what it occasionally lacks in seclusion. 

However populated, the Great Salt Pond is far from urbanized. The occasional blight of garbage and pollution that mar many St. Kitts destinations don’t touch this pristine spot. Families casting about for a truly beautiful shore-front free from the clatter of business and entertainment will likely find that this beach fits the bill to perfection.

The hikers’ favorite, Grand Etang preserves the nutmeg groves and tropical rainforest of Grenada’s central highland.

At the park’s heart is the crater lake that gives the park its name, Grand Etang Lake. A network of walking trails meanders away from the lake, through the park, around the lake and towards the coast via the Concord Falls. Choose from 20-minute ambles to multi-hour treks.

You’ll be greeted by local monkeys at the visitor center, where you can pick up walking trail leaflets on park destinations like Seven Sisters Falls and Mt Qua Qua.

While walking, see if you can spot mahogany trees, hummingbirds, frogs, lizards, mongoose, armadillos, tropical flowers, caribs and hawks.

Cave paintings, stalactites and stalagmites are a feature of Curacao’s limestone Hano Caves. The indigenous Arawaks used the caves for shelter, and runaway slaves hid here in the colonial days.

These days Curacao’s long-nose fruit bats call the cave home, and dramatic lighting illuminates the cave’s waterfalls, pools and Madonna statue.

Guided tours departing on the hour point out the 1,500-year-old cave paintings and share some of the legends and history of this mysterious underground world.

It looks and feels like the Caribbean, but Grand Turk is actually washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. You might be sailing here from the Bahamas, only 48km (30 miles) away, and will soon realize you’ve landed in one of the most tranquil, undiscovered locations on the planet. The shiny new cruise center facilities include restaurants and a shopping mall, and white-sand beaches are just a short walk away.

How to Get to Cockburn Town
The port is on Grand Turk’s southwestern tip, and you’ll find plenty of tour and island information in the sparkling modern cruise center. Taxis line up to take you to downtown Cockburn Town, in the center of the island. You could also hire a go-anywhere jeep for the day, rent a bicycle or join an organized shore excursion.

One Day on Grand Turk
The big buzz on Grand Turk is the wonderful diving, so make the most of your shore visit by joining a snorkeling adventure cruise or diving operator excursion. The best diving is off the island’s western coast, where coral walls and stunning tropical fish are protected by marine national parks. There’s also wreck diving, scuba courses, one of the Caribbean’s largest swimming pools, resort relaxation and beach horse-back riding.

If you’d rather stay dry, take a wander around colonial-era Cockburn Town, with some lovely old churches and buildings, the National Museum’s shipwreck displays, and craft shops selling locally made souvenirs. In whale-watching season, February/March, head out to the island’s historic lighthouse to glimpse humpbacks swimming past. And no further away than the cruise center, space-lovers can spend time examining the NASA exhibit detailing the 1962 John Glenn splashdown and Mercury space program.

Port Information
Cruise lines docking at the revamped and enlarged Grand Turk Cruise Port include Carnival, Holland America and Princess. The local currency is the US dollar, and you’ll find a couple of ATMs in downtown Cockburn Town. The language spoken on Grand Turk is English.

Explore the incredible underwater world of Grand Cayman without ever getting wet aboard the Seaworld Observatory. This specially designed boat was built for Atlantis Submarines to offer passengers an up-close look at the reefs and shipwrecks around the island. 

Time and tide have etched the limestone Green Grotto Caves, lined with the green algae that gives them their name. The caverns are home to bats and marine life, and over the centuries they’ve been a hideout for fugitives and runaway slaves.

Hidden away in an inner cavern is the crystal-clear Grotto Lake. Overhead, pockets in the limestone provide filtered light through the caverns’ forest of stalactites and stalagmites.

Once you arrive in the paradise of the Cayman Islands, you can take a side trip to Hell, literally. There’s a swath of land in the West Bay area about the size of a football field that is stark, and sharp, limestone formations eroded from ironshore. 

One of the most beautiful and most convenient beaches on St John, Hawksnest Bay is a favorite for families with children and visitors coming from the ferry docks at Cruz Bay. Swaying palm trees line the narrow beach, which has restrooms, grills, and a shaded picnic area.

Hawksnest Bay faces east and gets lots of morning sun, and shade arrives earlier than on other St John beaches. For beginning snorkelers, an offshore reef is a short swim away, set in shallow waters where novice divers can see a cornucopia of colorful fish, corals, and sea creatures. Ambitious snorkelers will find much to discover farther out, where large, orange elkhorn coral brighten up the deeper waters.

If you want to get away from the crowd, head over to Little Hawknest: a quiet stretch of white, sandy beach, lying west of the main beach.