Turks & Caicos - The Bahamas - page 374

Budget ( 946-4079; www.budget.com ; Providenciales International Airport)
Hertz ( 941-3910; www.hertztci.com ; Providenciales International Airport)
Rent-a-buggy ( 946-4158; www.rentabuggy.tc ) Specializes in 4WD rentals.
Scooter Bob's ( 946-4684; [e-mail]; Turtle Cove Marina Plaza) Rents out
cars and 4WDs from $75 per day and scooters from $50 per day. It also rents out bicycles
for $25 per day and snorkeling gear for $15 per day.

Taxi
Taxis are a popular way of getting around the island. Most are vans and although unmetered
the pricing is consistent. It's best not to be in a hurry as they often take forever to come
pick you up. Your hotel can arrange a taxi for you and they meet all flights at the airport.
Here are a couple of good options:
Nell's Taxi Service ( 941-3228)
Provo Taxi & Bus Group ( 946-5481)

The Cays
The smaller islands around Providenciales are known simply as the Cays, and most of them
boast superb beaches and total isolation, being accessible only by a private boat charter.
Northeast of Provo and separated from it by the 400yd-wide channel, Little Water Cay
is a nature reserve within Princess Alexandra National Park and is the home of about 2000
endangered rock iguanas. If you land here, do not feed or touch the iguanas, even though
they are generally easy to approach. Also keep to the trails to avoid trampling their burrows
and the ecologically sensitive plants. Next door Pine Cay 's primary residents are celebrit-
ies. The 2 miles of ocean separating it from the northeast edge of Provo is plenty of moat
to keep the riffraff out.
Fort George Cay is home to the remnants of an 18th-century British-built fort built back
in the day to protect the islands. Now the only invaders are divers and snorkelers there to
inspect the gun emplacements slowly becoming one with the sea bottom. The site is pro-
tected within Fort George Land & Sea National Park, which is also home to a protected
iguana population. Dellis Cay has some of the best shells around on its beautiful beaches,
but being in the park precludes you from taking them home.
Parrot Cay is home to the Turks and Caicos' most luxurious and famous hotel (see
above ) and is very private indeed.
Some way south of Providenciales, the old pirate hideaway of French Cay is now more
frequented by migrating birds than swashbuckling scoundrels. Uninhabited and a perman-
ent wildlife sanctuary, this small island 15 miles south of Provo is home to a staggering
number of bird species. Just offshore the waters are teeming with stingrays who use the
calm waters as a nursery. Nurse sharks (entirely harmless creatures) gather here in summer