When you’re ready for the simple island life where the top draws are diving & snorkeling, sun bathing, and complete relaxation, a cruise to Grand Turk is just the ticket. Although it’s the capital of the Turks and Caicos Islands, Grand Turk makes you feel like you’re far, far away from the hustle and bustle of the outside world. On this laidback little island, only six miles long and one mile wide, it’s always summertime, the locals are friendly, and the traffic is light, save for the occasional donkey, horse, or cow ambling through the town’s narrow streets.

Grand Turk lies 30 miles south of the Bahamas in a chain of 40 islands, 32 of which are unpopulated, so it’s possible to rent a boat and sun yourself on the soft white sand of your own uninhabited island. These islands rest atop two wide-spreading undersea pillars forming the third largest barrier reef in the world. The warm Atlantic water is shallow until you reach a 7,000-foot vertical wall just a stone’s throw offshore. Diving and snorkeling adventures lead you to fabulous coral formations, green and hawksbill turtles, stingrays, dolphins, humpback whales, and tiny seahorses. No small wonder Grand Turk is consistently listed among the top-10 diving sites in the world. Best diving spot: Pillory Beach. Best place for snorkeling: Governor’s Beach.

When you dry off, check out the Grand Turk Lighthouse, built in the United Kingdom and brought here 150 years ago. Cockburn Town features pastel-colored 18th and 19th century buildings, along with a monument claiming Christopher Columbus landed here in 1492. Another pioneer, Astronaut-turned-Senator, John Glenn, splashed down just offshore in 1962 aboard the first U.S. space capsule ever to orbit Earth. You’ll find a replica of his Friendship 7 Mercury capsule in the Turks & Caicos National Museum, a reminder of human progress perched next to thousand-year-old artifacts and historical remnants dating back to Grand Turk’s native settlements of 700 AD.

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