Providenciales "Provo" Turks and Caicos

Providenciales, or more commonly known as "Provo", covers an area of 38 miles and is the most developed island in Turks and Caicos. It is here where most international flights arrive at the Providenciales International Airport (PLS). Surrounded by beautiful white sand beaches, Provo has been ranked "Best Beach" by Conde' Nast magazine and by the World Travel Awards for several years running. Found on the western end of the island chain, Provo offers all modern conveniences, including luxurious hotels, villas and condos, numerous restaurants, spas and shopping facilities, a championship caliber golf course, and full sevice grocery store. Although Provo is the most developed of the islands, it is still a destination for those who want to escape their busy schedules and relax.

On the north shore of the island, near Grace Bay, you will find the most beautiful beaches, as well as a long coral reef, which is rich in aquatic life. This main strech is home to the majority of the islandmajor resorts and tourism services.

Towards the south of the island you will find Chalk Sound, a large lake with striking turquoise water and an array of small cays. Islands Magazine described Chalk Sound as "Beneath the radar: Untouched and off the beaten path, the pristine islets in Provo's Chalk Sound provide an ideal backdrop for expansive thoughts." Along the south side of the island in areas such as Sapodilla Bay, Copper Jack, Discovery Bay, Turtle Tail and Long Bay you will find many private villas available for rent. The island's commercial port, South Dock, is found east of Sapodilla Bay and has the capability to deal with containerized goods. 
On the far western end is unspoiled Malcom's Beach, just adjacent to the magnificent Amanyara Resort.
On the eastern end of the island is Leeward Marina and development.
The two main and oldest settlements on the island are the Bight and Blue Hills, and are built around fresh water supplies. Both locations give a real feeling of Caribbean villages. If you wish to do some shopping, Provo can offer a good range of boutiques at Turtle Cove and along the quickly developing Grace Bay Road. Down Town you will find the retail shops, business offices and banks. 

What to do in Provo

Grace Bay which features the famous 12-mile Grace Bay beach is the location for most of the tourism infrastructure, the Princess Alexandra Marine Park, which is also the playground of "Jo Jo" the famous bottlenose dolphin. Visitors to the world's first Conch Farm discover how to grow conch from tiny veligers to four-year-old adults. This is where most of the water sport activities take place from diving to deep sea fishing and everything in between.

Stones engraved by shipwrecked sailors (or waiting ship wreckers) can be found on the hilltop overlooking the now abandoned Marina Inn near Chalk Sound and Sapodilla Bay. If you like old ruins that are not too difficult to get to, visit 2 sites of plantation houses built by Loyalists, Cheshire Hall and Richmond Hill. "The Hole" at Long Bay is a deep and wide Limestone chimney with a mysterious depth of salt water at the bottom.

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Pristine Baia do Sancho in Brazil

The volcanic archipelago of Fernando de Noronha off the north eastern coast of Brazil is home to many fantastic beaches. However, it is Baia do Sancho that takes the crown of, not only the finest beach on the island, but possibly the best beach in Brazil. That's pretty good going considering there are well over 2,000 other great beaches in Brazil.

What gives the beach at Baia do Sancho a head start over many on the mainland is the fact these islands are a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site. With development pretty much outlawed there are only facilities for around 700 visitors at any one time on the island. Even if all these tourists were evenly divided amongst the island's 20 beaches that would make for very thin crowds. But most of Fernando de Noronha's other beaches are much easier to get to than Baia do Sancho meaning you can enjoy this pristine beach with barely another soul. 

So what makes Baia do Sancho such a great beach? Well to start with the crystal clear blue water, which are encompassed within a National Marine Park, is teeming with sealife including turtles, hundreds of species of fish and dolphins. This makes it one of the premiere diving destinations in Brazil.
Visually, the beach here is stunning. The crescent of soft white sand lies at the foot of 230 feet (70 m) high rugged cliffs which are covered in lush vegetation. These cliffs are home to any number of birds which nest here and the beach is home to the highest concentration of tropical seabirds to be found on this side of the Atlantic.
As you might have guessed there isn't much in the way of facilities at Baia do Sancho, but that's not why you come here. Oh, and just a note about getting to the beach; access involves a hike along dirt tracks followed by climbing a series of rickety ladders and squeezing through an opening in the rocks. Those who have made the effort though, are in no doubt it was worth it.

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