Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The waters of this 3-mile-long bay, 2 miles southwest of downtown, define 'turquoise.' The
color is uniform: a vast, unrippled, electric-blue carpet eerily and magnificently studded
with countless tiny islets.
A slender peninsula separates the sound from the sea. The peninsula is scalloped with
beach-lined bays, notably
Sapodilla Bay
. A horribly potholed road runs along the pen-
insula; although it is accessible, drive carefully. Unfortunately, large vacation homes line
both sides of the peninsula from top to toe, which clip the views and hinder some public
access from the roads to the water and beaches.
At the far eastern end of the Sapodilla Bay peninsula, a rocky hilltop boasts
rock
carvings
dating back to 1844. The slabs of rock are intricately carved with Roman lettering
that records the names of sailors apparently shipwrecked here and the dates of their so-
journs. The carvings are reached via a rocky trail that begins 200yd east of the Mariner
Hotel; it leads uphill 200yd to the summit, which offers wonderful views over the island
and Chalk Sound.
Provo Conch Farm
CONCH FARM
( 946-5643; tour adult/child $10/5; 9am-4pm Mon-Fri, until noon Sat) If you want
to see what you've been chowing down on, head to the northeast corner of Provo and have
a look at this working conch farm. Slightly ramshackle (it was battered by Hurricane Ike in
2008 and is still rebuilding) and more than a little strange, it has a speedy 20-minute tour
to show you how they grow the Caribbean Queens. There are also green turtle feeding ses-
sions each day at 9.30am and 3.30pm and at 10am Saturday.
Other Sights
If you feel inclined to tear yourself away from the beach and see some other sights, there
are a few worth taking in. Though the options are limited, there are some historic points
that should perk scholarly interest. Check out the ruins of
Cheshire Hall
(Leeward Hwy) ,
a plantation house constructed in the 1790s by British Loyalists.
If you've got a rental car that can handle a bit of dirt road, be sure to check out the light-
house at
Northwest Point
, 8 miles from Providenciales. Caution is the word as the road
has been known to swallow cars whole.
Once you get all that history out of your system go for an anti-intellectual cleanse and
seek out the sparkling beach at
Malcolm Roads
. From the settlement of Wheeland, north-
west of downtown, a rough dirt road leads to this top-notch sandy spot.
Protecting reefs off of Provo's west shore, Northwest Point Marine National Park also
encompasses several saline lakes that attract breeding and migrant waterfowl. The largest
is
Pigeon Pond
, inland. This part of the park is the Pigeon Pond & Frenchman's Creek
Nature Reserve. Other ponds - notably
Northwest Point Pond
and
Frenchman's Creek
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