Bahamas Turks & Caicosaf Jean-Bernhard Carillet & Jill Kirby

Synopsis:

More and better maps than any competition guide tourist arrivals in Bahamas were up nearly 10 per cent in 2004 from the previous year special Diving Chapter highlights the best places to dive and snorkel expanded cultural coverage with a focus on food, music, and local traditions the most elaborate Junkanoo costumes can weigh more than 200lb the Bahamas has the clearest waters in the world with visibility of over 200 feet (61 meters) the ratio of flamingoes to people on Great Inagua is 61:1 once a month, five days after the full moon, the waters off the Caicos Islands light up as millions of glowworms mate. Tour companies run cruises to see the spectacle

Discover the treasures of these storied islands, where Columbus first landed and pirates once plundered. Sail glowing turquoise seas, kayak through mangroves, swim with docile stingrays or take a romantic stroll along a pink-sand beach. Our inspiring guide brings you beyond the tourist resorts to deserted cays and friendly fishing villages for an authentic island experience.

EXPLORE FURTHER - more coverage of the unspoiled Out Islands than any leading guidebook

TAKE THE PLUNGE - dedicated diving and snorkeling chapter reveals the best spots to see pristine reefs, eerie shipwrecks, colorful fish and mysterious blue holes

GO WILD - admire flocks of leggy flamingos, nesting hawksbill turtles, wild Atlantic spotted dolphins, curly-tailed iguanas and majestic humpback whales

EAT, DRINK & BE MERRY - enjoy a Friday night Fish Fry, raise a toast to Ernest Hemingway and dance to the infectious goombay beat

BE INSPIRED - by obeah´s mysticism, the pageantry of a Junkanoo parade and the wisdom of bush medicine