Conch Out In Turks & Caicos

June 22, 2008    dial up broadband

Visitors usually come out of their shells on a trip to the tropics. While in the Turks & Caicos, some locals are busy developing a thicker skin. NY1's Valarie D'Elia filed the following Travel With Val report.

Soft ocean breezes, warm, shallow water and abundant sunshine are three good reasons visitors love the Turks & Caicos, a chain of islands below the Bahamas in the Atlantic Ocean. Those same conditions make these islands a breeding ground for one of the seafood kingdom's most popular delicacies: the queen conch.

Along the Caicos bank on the island of Providenciales, lies the world's only sea farm that raises conch into adulthood by protecting them in fenced in nursery ponds. When the conch has grown its shiny pink lip, it is ready to be harvested and sold to both local and overseas markets.

If you want to view this source of protein before it hits your plate, a visit to the conch farm makes an interesting excursion to learn how the mollusks develop their shells. It's $6 for adults and $3 for kids. Go to www.caicosconchfarm.com for more information.

Another excursion with conch on the menu is a half-day trip with Caicos Dream tours. This boat trip includes a free dive for conch, a demonstration on how to get the conch out of the shell, and the best part, preparing and eating a fresh conch ceviche. The trip costs $89 for adults, $44.50 for kids. For more information, it's www.caicosdreamtours.com.

By the end of the day, if you are not too "conched out," you'll flip for Da Conch shack and its colorful and potent pitchers of rum punch. For details, go to www.conchshack.tc.

For other travel news, check out www.travelwithval.com.

– Valarie D'Elia