The Best 5 Beaches in Turks and Caicos
Grace Bay Beach in Turks and Caicos (Shot on DJI Mavic Air 2)
Turks and Caicos is home to some of the world’s best and most beautiful beaches, so we went to almost every single beach in Turks and Caicos to rank them for you!
1. Grace Bay Beach
To be totally transparent, we did NOT want this beach to be our number-one pick. We’ve always found that the beaches that are less crowded, off the beaten path, and not yet “Insta famous” are so much nicer than the suggested “best beach” in an area.
But… Grace Bay Beach ended up being our favorite beach in Turks and Caicos.
We went to this beach every single day. Grace Bay is a three-mile-long stretch of gorgeous white sand, calm waters, and plenty of snorkeling. The options to entertain you on just this one stretch of beach are endless. You can find places with calm waters or with small, fun waves to play in. You can also explore the resort areas (all beaches are public) or take a stroll down to the natural reserve, where there are significantly less people. But honestly, the entire time we were there—in front of the resort or not—the beach was never overcrowded. The water is crystal clear along the entire beach, and there are so many tropical fish to see! There’s plenty of public parking, but you have to look for it, which does take a little time. All in all, we couldn’t recommend Grace Bay Beach enough!
Taylor Bay Beach in Turks and Caicos (Shot on DJI Mavic Air 2)
2. Taylor Bay Beach
Taylor Bay Beach was a very close second on our list of the best beaches in Turks and Caicos, almost tied for first. The reason we put it second is because of the lack of nearby parking and how difficult it was to find. Our GPS directions took us down side roads that were basically all residential buildings, and we kept driving in circles—it took us 45 minutes to finally see the tiny opening in the sidewalk that we missed the first ten times we drove by. There, we found a dirt patch with room for only a few cars to park. This worked out to our benefit, though—we had the beach entirely to ourselves until 11 a.m., after which we shared it with maybe four other people and a few kayakers.
This beach was immaculate and absolutely worth going to. You CANNOT miss Taylor Bay Beach, and we’ve been recommending it to everyone we know who’s going to Turks and Caicos. There isn’t much snorkeling and there aren’t many waves or rocks in the water, just pure relaxation. Travel tip: the best way to make sure you see every part of the island is to RENT A CAR! It's super cheap, but keep in mind that most cars in Turks and Caicos are manual, so make sure you double-check your booking.
Free Diving Smith’s Reef in Turks & Caicos (Shot on GoPro Hero 9)
3. Smith’s Reef
Smith’s Reef offers some of the best snorkeling in the world. Even better is that it’s easily accessible with plenty of parking. Make sure you bring your own snorkel and fins—these are our favorites! There’s limited space on the beach and it’s a bit rocky, but when we came, we spent so much of our time in the water that we didn’t really notice or mind. You’ll see all kinds of wildlife, like sea turtles, colorful coral, angelfish, parrotfish, sting rays, eagle rays, and so many more! Make sure you use reef-safe sunscreen while you’re at Smith’s Reef, (and at any other beaches you visit).
4. Mudjin Harbor and Rock Caves
This one’s beauty alone makes it one of the best beaches in Turks and Caicos. You can swim at Mudjin Harbor if you’re a strong swimmer, but on our first day at this beach, there were so many bugs and so much seaweed that we opted out and just took tons of fun photos. On our second day, we followed the path all the way down to the rock caves and cliffs below and spent the entire day enjoying this paradise completely to ourselves!
Make your stay even better by spending a night or two at the beautiful Dragon Cay Resort. The views are out of this world, and the short walk to the beach made staying here that much better for us. We highly recommend this resort (mostly because it’s the only hotel on the entire island), and we do think it’s worth staying overnight.
Tip: follow the path from the resort and you’ll find the entrance to a cave, which leads to stairs on a totally private, beautiful beach with cliffs up above. It’s an absolutely gorgeous place, but swim at your own risk—the waves were huge here.
5. Shipwreck Beach
As the name suggests, two miles offshore you’ll find the La Famille shipwreck of Turks and Caicos! Since it’s way too far to swim, you’ll have to rent a jet ski or go on a tour to see the shipwreck up close, but the wreck can also be seen from shore…and the beach is impeccable. Just to note, we didn’t see a ton of fish, and we noticed a few more rocks in the water here.
We hope you’ll plan your Turks and Caicos vacation with these stunning beaches in mind! Between the beauty of the beaches and the variety of fun activities in the water, on the beaches, and nearby, you’ll never run out of things to do on these islands. Let us help you plan your next tropical getaway—we’ve got plenty of tips to share! See you on the white-sand beaches…
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