How to discover the salt flats of South Caicos

South Caicos, dangling on the southeastern finish of the Turks and Caicos island chain, is greater than crystal clear water and heat breezes. From the 1700s till the Sixties, this unassuming island was a star of the salt industry. And when you sit excessive sufficient on a balcony because the solar units, you will note the island’s now deserted salt flats glowing pink.

Mark Kurlansky—writer of Salt: A World History, which sits in each visitor room of Salterra resort with a ahead written by the resort’s managing director—explains that locations like South Caicos have been monumental throughout a time when there was a necessity to soundly protect fish. It wasn’t doable to have a industrial fishery with out salt, and as Kurlansky factors out, the British had a local weather that could not produce the much-needed commodity. “It’s the structure of the crystals in sea salt that is ideal for curing, and so, a number of European countries wanted to have Caribbean holdings specifically for supplying salt. Turks and Caicos was one of them,” says Kurlansky.

According to Carlton Mills, author of The Turks and Caicos Islands: Our Heritage, Our History, the island of South Caicos in particular had the ideal geography and natural ability to allow sea water to sit inland for long periods and evaporate. Additionally, the island offered trading ships protection that other Turks islands couldn’t with its protected harbor.

The island officially quit the salt industry in the 1960s after 300 years in the business. According to Mills, “there were competing markets, and the Turks and Caicos was unable to compete on that wider scale—we weren’t producing sufficient salt to meet the new global market needs.” Meaning, new applied sciences weren’t being utilized by the island to extend manufacturing and streamline the loading of salt onto boats. Kurlansky factors out that salt can be not as precious now as a result of we don’t want it for preserving our meals, and there’s a lot extra round than we initially realized.

(From caves to coral reefs, that is how one can uncover the wild facet of Turks & Caicos)

Where to see it

According to Mills, the boiling hole that sits in the middle of the island, and is frequently visited by pink flamingos, is unique to South Caicos. Although it looks unassuming, simply a square of sea water framed by 20 feet of concrete, it’s what set the island apart from other previous salt suppliers. Named the boiling hole because of the agitated state of the water during high tide, it’s a subterranean cave system created by the karst process—when acidic rainwater dissolves the soft limestone.

Self-guided excursions are permitted, and native motels, together with Sail Rock and Salterra, supply guided excursions of not solely the boiling gap, however the salt flats and historic buildings as nicely. Be looking out for the wild donkeys that roam free, an lovely remnant of the salt business.

Where to try it

Executive chef Agnelo Goés—also known as “Chef AG”—at Salterra’s Brine restaurant has no intention of letting the island’s natural resource go to waste. Between the months of June and early August, contingent upon weather conditions and the progression of the evaporation process, he goes out with a rake and fills buckets with the white gold. “The dry season is pivotal, as the salt requires intense sunlight and minimal rainfall to crystallize effectively,” says Goés.

The salt then undergoes a cleaning process by being rinsed with fresh water and sun-dried on clean surfaces to eliminate any residual moisture, and finally his bounty is hand-sifted and cured without any additives. This is when Goés begins to play. “I have created 101 flavors,” he says, noting that odd numbers, especially those that end in a one, have significance in his Indian culture. “It is believed to bring the recipient luck, prosperity, and an unbroken journey ahead,” he says.

Goés’s journey in bringing the island’s salt to hotel guests is off to a rich start. Some of his favorite creations include tamarind and scotch bonnet, coconut and pink peppercorn, and smoked dry conch. For Goés, using salt from South Caicos extends beyond seasoning. “It encompasses preserving the island’s history and flavor in each crystal. The flats once served as the backbone of the island’s economy, and they now hold a place in its culinary identity. My aspiration has always been to elevate local ingredients in ways that are globally inspired yet deeply rooted in South Caicos.”

How to do it

When to go: The best months to head to South Caicos are between February and April as these months offer the most consistent and calm weather patterns, more resort availability, and best prices. With Turks and Caicos within the hurricane belt, these months also avoid the Caribbean’s hurricane season.

How to get there: In March 2025, American Airlines made it easier to get to South Caicos with direct flights leaving from Miami on Saturday and Wednesday. Otherwise, you can connect in Providenciales, also known as “Provo,” to catch daily flights to a number of U.S. cities.

Where to stay: While the island only has two large resorts, Sail Rock and Salterra, they are both well-equipped with fine dining, luxurious accommodations, and adventures on land and sea. Salterra is a stand out with its sustainability efforts together with photo voltaic vitality, composting, and conservation partnerships with the School for Field Studies Center for Marine Resource Studies and FisherFolkFirst.

(How a lot salt is an excessive amount of? The reply is not as clear as you could suppose)