Essentials

Banks and Exchange Services

The official currency on the islands is U.S. dollars. On Provo, there are ATMs at all bank branches (Scotiabank and First Caribbean), at the Graceway IGA Supermarket Gourmet, and at Ports of Call shopping center. There are also Scotiabank and First Caribbean branches on Grand Turk.

Electricity

Current is suitable for all U.S. appliances (120/240 volts, 60 Hz).

Emergency Services

Emergency numbers in the Turks and Caicos are 999 or 911.

Guided Tours

Big Blue Unlimited has taken ecotouring to a whole new level with educational ecotours, including three-hour kayak trips and more-land-based guided journeys around the family islands. Their Coastal Ecology and Wildlife tour is a kayak adventure through red mangroves to bird habitats, rock iguana hideaways, and natural fish nurseries. The North Caicos Mountain Bike Eco Tour gets you on a bike to explore the island, the plantation ruins, the inland lakes, and a flamingo pond with a stop-off at Susan Butterfield's home for lunch. Package costs range from $85 to $225 per person.

Nell's Taxi offers taxi tours of Provo, priced between $25 and $30 for the first hour and $25 for each additional hour.

Contacts

Big Blue Unlimited (Leeward Marina, Leeward, Providenciales. 649/946-5034. www.bigblue.tc.)

Nell's Taxi (649/343-0804.)

Mail

There is a post office in downtown Provo at the corner of Airport Road. You'll pay 50¢ to send a postcard to the United States; letters, per half ounce, cost 60¢ to the United States. When sending a letter to the Turks and Caicos Islands, be sure to include the specific island name and "Turks and Caicos Islands, BWI" (British West Indies). There is no home delivery of mail; everyone has a post-office box. Expect postcards to take a month to get to your friends and neighbors, if they get there at all.

Contacts

FedEx (649/946-4682 on Provo.)

Philatelic Bureau (649/946-1534.)

Passport Requirements

A valid passport is required to travel by air to the Turks and Caicos. Everyone must have an ongoing or return ticket.

Phones

The country code for the Turks and Caicos is 649. To call the Turks and Caicos from the United States, dial 1 plus the 10-digit number, which includes 649. Be aware that this is an international call. Calls from the islands are expensive, and many hotels add steep surcharges for long distance.

Taxes

The departure tax is $35 and is usually included in the cost of your airline ticket. If not, it's payable only in cash or traveler's checks. Restaurants and hotels add an 11% government tax. Hotels also typically add 11% to 15% for service.