IMAGES: GETTY; ILLEANA RAVASIO
TURKS & CAICOS
drama. I pause, breathing in air laced with salt, grateful for these hidden corners that you only find when you seek them out. Turning away from the ocean, we press inland. Our next stop
is the Conch Bar Caves, the largest above-ground cave system in the Lucayan Archipelago (which comprises the Bahamas and Turks & Caicos), and a 15-mile labyrinth of twisting tunnels and echoing chambers. The air is thick with heat, but inside, the caves offer cool relief. Stalactites reach down like icicles, meeting their counterparts rising from the ground, and in one chamber — known as the ‘nine brothers’ — the formations are so symmetrical they look man-made, resembling the ruins of a forgotten city. “This limestone cavern was once submerged under the sea.
These holes in the ceiling are where the water eroded the rock over time,” explains our guide, Eddie Smith, his enthusiasm evident as he shares the story of the caves. “The Lucayans were the island’s original inhabitants,” he
continues, “and if you follow these passages far enough, you can still see evidence of religious ceremonies they held here more than 500 years ago. More recently, families would shelter in here during hurricanes, but today the whole area is protected by the National Trust.” A scurry of cockroaches flees the beam of Eddie’s torch as
we head further into the gloom. Then, high above us, I notice a cluster of small black shapes hanging by their feet. “That would be the bats,” he grins at me. “Four species live here and there are more than 3,000 in this cave. You should see it when they all leave to feed. The sky turns black, like a living storm cloud. It’s an incredible sight.” Bats are crucial not only to the cave’s environment, but in
maintaining nature’s delicate balance across the entire island. They play a key role in pollination, while their dung feeds the multitude of insects that call this otherworldly place home. This
From top: One parrotfish can produce hundreds of pounds of sand a year by munching on coral and excreting it; Conch Bar Caves holds significant human history, spanning from the pre-Columbian era to more recent colonial times; travellers can volunteer with the TCRF by joining the dive team to help clean the ladders used to grow endangered staghorn coral
particular poo, I discover, doesn’t end up on the island’s beaches, although what’s now a bug banquet was an important source of income for locals in the 19th century, before tourism reached Turks & Caicos’s shores. Islanders harvested and exported it as far as Europe to be used as fertiliser, a trade that collapsed when chemicals took its place. I’m still contemplating the intricate interlacing of all these
ecosystems; how everything — and everyone — has a part to play, when we leave the subterranean chamber, blinking in the harsh afternoon sunlight. Our final stop is Bambarra Beach on the north coast of Middle Caicos and recently named one of the best beaches in the Caribbean. True to the accolade, it’s a fine stretch of alabaster sand with no crowds and crystalline waters. I notice a collection of coastal treasures — coral fragments,
sea fans and shells — arranged on a weathered bench, like an altar to the ocean. Each piece, I realise, is a small remnant of a once-living reef, a quiet reminder of both the beauty and fragility of life. They speak to what’s at stake if these habitats aren’t protected. I capture them in a photograph and leave them undisturbed, allowing them to return to the sea from which they came. Perhaps, over time, they’ll erode into fine sand, contributing to the beaches we walk upon — along with that parrotfish poop, of course.
HOW TO DO IT: Inspiring Travel offers seven nights in Turks & Caicos from £3,159 per person, based on two sharing a Garden Studio at Wymara Resort and Villas on Providenciales. This includes breakfast, flights and internal transfers.
inspiringtravel.co.uk. Alternatively, Beaches Turks & Caicos is set on Grace Bay, Providenciales, and offers an all-inclusive family-friendly trip with land and watersports and 21 dining options. Prices start at £7,430 for seven nights for two adults and two children, and return flights.
beaches.co.uk. For more on conservation, visit
tcreef.org or
turksandcaicosnationaltrust.com
THREE MORE NATURE HOTSPOTS 1
Flamingo Pond Overlook, North Caicos
Situated just off King’s Road near Whitby on the north coast of North Caicos, this National Trust site allows travellers to witness a flamboyance of West Indian flamingos wading through glistening wetlands. Admission is free, binoculars cost $2 (£1.45) to rent and the spectacle unfolds daily from 11am to 3.30pm.
2
Little Water Cay, aka Iguana Island
Home to the rare Turks & Caicos rock iguana, Little Water Cay is a conservation success story. Boardwalks wind through scrubland and mangroves, where guides explain how reintroduction efforts and feral-cat eradication have helped the iguanas rebound. Entry fees are $10 (£7.50) and support preservation work.
3
Bird Rock Point Trail, Providenciales
On the eastern tip of Providenciales, this mile-long trail winds through one of the island’s last remaining tracts of coastal coppice woodland. Along the way, it skirts rocky headlands, mangroves and secluded sandy coves — natural habitats that offer refuge for native birds and juvenile fish.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER – CARIBBEAN COLLECTION 15
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