Turks & Caicos Complete Guide to Whale Watching
Turks and Caicos is a 40-island archipelago situated just northwest of the Silver Bank reef in the Atlantic Ocean. Silver Bank is where whales spend their winters mating and calving.
With its obviously attractive white sand beaches and crystal clear blue waters, this is a fantastic place to escape the slog of winter and go whale watching. Read on to discover when and where to go, and find other top things to do while you’re here.
Quick Facts
- Language: English
- Timezone: Eastern Standard Time; observes daylight savings time the same as the East Coast of the United States and Canada
- Currency: United States Dollar
- Location: middle Caribbean; southeast of the Bahamas and north of the Dominican Republic
- Driving: Same as the UK, people drive on the left side of the road. Many rental cars will have the driver’s seat on the right side of the car.
- Tipping: 15-20% gratuity is appreciated for restaurant servers and bartenders, taxis, housekeeping, and other services as you would normally tip in the United States.
- Drinking age: 18
- Cannabis: cannabis, marijuana and its derivatives including THC and CBD are illegal for recreational and medical use. Even a topical CBD oil is illegal to bring into the country. The fine for importing drugs including cannabis and marijuana is a 5-year sentence and a fine of up to $75,000.
Best Time of Year for Whale Watching
Whale watching happens from January to early April. This is when humpback whales spend their winter months off the coast of Turks and Caicos. Winter is actually a great time of year to visit because it’s sunny, warm, and dry, and not too hot.
Whale Species and Other Wildlife
The most commonly seen whales in Turks and Caicos are humpback whales and their calves. Humpbacks migrate here in the winter to mate and produce offspring, so there are thousands of humpbacks just offshore. Sperm whales and pilot whales have also been sighted.
Aside from whales, JoJo and Dreamer are two wild resident Atlantic bottlenose dolphins that live in the area and are known to interact with snorkelers. You can also see spotted eagle rays, sea turtles, lemon sharks, nurse sharks, gray reef sharks, eels, crabs, and tons of tropical fish.
On land, you may encounter flamingos and iguanas. There’s a large iguana population that lives on Little Water Cay (Iguana Island) near Half Moon Bay. These Rock Iguanas (Cyclura carinata) are native to Turks and Caicos. They’re endangered and have protected status. Iguana Island is a sanctuary for them, and it’s illegal to touch or feed them anywhere in the country. If you visit Iguana Island, stay on the designated boardwalk and walking paths. Iguanas burrow and lay eggs in the sand, so stepping off the path can crush their nests. And if you’re really excited about iguanas, you can even schedule a special tour just to see them:
How To Whale Watch in Turks & Caicos
There are two islands where you can go whale watching in Turks & Caicos: Grand Turk and Salt Cay. Whale watching happens on these two islands because of their close proximity to the Silver Bank – an area in the Caribbean where whales migrate every winter. This 170-mile stretch of the Atlantic is where humpback whales spend their winters mating and calving.
Best Whale Watching Tours
Grand Turk
Your best option for seeing whales is to fly over to Grand Turk for a day or two. Round trip flights from Providenciales (PLS) to Grand Turk (GDT) usually run around $150 USD or less. Even though it’s only a 35 minute flight, you might consider staying overnight in case there are any hiccups. Whale tours also may have limited availability (like weekends only for example), so be sure to check the tour dates before planning your flights and accommodations.
Salt Cay
Salt Cay is difficult to get to, with no boats going there and just one small inter-island airline providing unreliable flights three times per week that are hard to book online. So if you can get there, then Salt Cay Divers is the whale tour outfitter you’ll want to go with.
Salt Cay Divers
Deane’s Dock, Salt Cay North District
Turks and Caicos, TKCA1ZZ
Providenciales
If you’re staying in Providenciales, you’ll need to catch a flight over to Grand Turk or Salt Cay. Salt Cay is hard to get to because the flights are unreliable. Grand Turk is the better option. You can typically get a round trip flight from Providenciales to Grand Turk (PLS to GDT) during the peak season for $150 USD or less. InterCaribbean Airways is probably the airline you’ll be with – and they do a great job of getting you there on this 35-minute flight.
Weather + Rainfall
Turks and Caicos is one of the sunniest and driest countries in the Caribbean in terms of rainfall. April through July are when the most rain showers occur. Hurricane season lasts from June through November.
Year round temperatures range from 80-90°F, with plenty of sunshine and cool ocean breezes to keep you comfortable. Overnight lows can drop to 74°F in the winter and 81°F in the summer on average. Water temperatures run around 73-84°F with cooler temperatures occurring from December through March.
The sun can be very strong here, so it’s important to bring adequate sun protection and dress in lightweight layers to protect your skin from the elements.
Best Things To Do
In terms of day excursions, six things outside of whale watching consistently get rave reviews from visitors to the islands. The first is snorkeling, of course, because the clear shallow waters make Turks & Caicos one of the best places to snorkel in the entire world. You can also try a clear kayak tour or stand up paddleboard to see marine life without getting too wet. Read on to see what the most popular excursions are.
1. Snorkeling is popular because you get up close to wildlife while staying cool in the water. Plus you always have the boat to go back to if you want to take a break. These are some of the best snorkeling tour options:
2. Kayaking and stand up paddleboarding are ideal for people who want to get close to wildlife but don’t want to get in the water. Both options are consistently very highly rated experiences and just depend on your personal preferences.
What’s the difference? A stand up paddleboard gives you a better vantage point to see wildlife because you’re above the water. If you’re worried about balance, these things are pretty stable and hard to fall off of. You can also sit or kneel if you want. The clear kayak puts you right in the water next to wildlife, so this option is good for people who prefer to sit down or don’t trust their balance.
3. Sunset sailing makes for a great transition into evening with drinks and appetizers included in the price of the tour. Get picked up right from your hotel and sail around Grace Bay as the sun slips below the horizon.
4. Private group charters are perfect for group trips when you don’t want anyone else crashing your party. These are the most popular option for bachelor and bachelorette trips, divorce parties, girls or guys trips, birthdays, family vacations and wedding parties. The best thing about private charters is that you can choose what you want to do, whether it’s swimming with dolphins, finding iguanas or going to the best snorkel spot. Just tell your captain what your priorities are and he’ll do what he can to accommodate your group.
5. Adventure excursions like jet skiing around a historic shipwreck site, parasailing over open water with spectacular views, and horseback riding on the beach. These are the once in a lifetime unique experiences that you’ll never forget.
6. Land tours are a great way to see and explore the island. The red love buggy island tour is great for all ages. You’ll get to see almost the entire island of Providenciales, plus lunch at Da Conch Shack is included. And since your tour guides are locals, be sure to ask them to teach you some local slang so you can impress the staff back at the hotel.
Now if you prefer to sit in air conditioning with the option of drinking Turks Head beer while being shuttled around the island, then go with the turquoise trolley Provo tour. This newer tour stops at different restaurants to sample local cuisine and includes lunch at the ever popular Omar’s Beach Hut. You’ll get to see the island while eating and drinking in air conditioned comfort – no one can argue with that.
Getting Here
Most people fly to Providenciales International Airport (PLS), on the main island of Turks and Caicos. The main island is called Providenciales, or Provo for short, and has all the incredible beaches, resorts, nightlife, spas, shopping, water sports, and fine restaurants anyone could want. Basically, everything you need is here. Except whale watching of course, for which you’ll have to fly to the island of Grand Turk.
Grand Turk is a smaller island with fewer services. Its airport (JAGS McCartney International Airport (GDT)) is coded for international flights, but it really only does domestic island hops from Providenciales, South Caicos, and Salt Cay. In other words, you can’t fly directly to Grand Turk, you have to fly to Providenciales first.
Or you can fly from Miami to South Caicos. There’s not much to do on South Caicos except fly to Grand Turk or Providenciales, and you’ll be pretty isolated from everything else. The best option is to fly into Providenciales and then go from there.
As far as visas go, citizens of the United States, Canada, UK, and EU do not need a visa to travel to Turks and Caicos if you’re staying for less than 90 days. You will need a valid passport.
Where To Stay
There are a lot of gorgeous resorts to choose from in Turks & Caicos. Most people spend the majority of their trip in Providenciales because there is so much to do there. If you want to go whale watching, plan for a night or two in Grand Turk. Wherever you’re staying, Expedia is the best way to search for hotels in Turks and Caicos because it shows you the total price you will pay up front, and you can easily sift through every property that’s available.
Bottom Line
Turks & Caicos is an amazing place to visit with a ton of island activities to keep you busy. If you’re coming to see whales, plan your trip to coincide with the winter migration that lasts from January to April.