Kimcha Village Bird Sanctuary

"Had a wonderful experience at Kimcha bird sanctuary. It was an education on the ‘real’ Turks & Caicos away from Grace Bay and all the tourist development. Charmaine and Kimmet have spent more than a decade dedicated to restoring this place and they’re very passionate about it. We went on a hike with Kimmet and saw many shore birds and ducks (sandpipers, terns, osprey, pintails) and many green sea turtles swimming in the ocean close to shore. Lots of conch shells all over the beach. Rustic and cosy decorations…most reclaimed from the sea. Kimmet has planted hundreds of coconut trees which was interesting to see as little seedlings growing out of their coconut shells (pic). When we returned Charmaine had made us an incredible lunch of curried shrimp and beef with mashed potatoes and a pasta salad. And Charmaine’s coconut cake was scrumptious. This after a fruit smoothie prepared by Kimmet. We relaxed away from the tourists and strolled down an empty beach. Truly a special place. A must visit if you love nature, wild places and want to support environmental rehabilitation on T&C."

"Yes, it is that barely visible dirt turn off to the single lane dirt path that does not look like a road. Google won't show it as a road, but you can see it from satellite view. I do not know what you do if someone is coming the other way at the same time. Look for the spray painted board in the trees on the left a couple hundred yards down the road. I loved it! We did see a couple beautiful sea birds. After 5 pm there is a chain across the path so cars can't go all the way down the "road." Very humble & lovely!"

"This was the highlight of our trip! Note that you must make an appointment in advance for what will be a wonderful private tour of the history of this reclaimed salt mining site, along with the marvelous restoration of the bird, turtle, fish, and coral species native to the island. They offer various types of tours and walks, and also snorkeling. We did it all! We had been diving and snorkeling other places, including a boat dive on the renown Grace Bay barrier reef. The reefs at Kimcha were the only healthy coral and attendant fish populations we saw while on the island, thanks to the careful stewardship of the people who run the Sanctuary. This was also the only place on the island we saw an abundance of wildlife other than the lizards at our hotel and the iguanas on Iguana Island. What's been accomplished here is truly amazing, and a model for restoring over-used natural resources, which I now understand can be done even in the face of climate change. On top of the natural beauty and fascinating information, we were served a truly fabulous meal! If you are coming to the island even in part for the nature, this is a must visit place!"