Bambarra Beach

Bambarra is on the bank side of Middle Caicos, so the water is shallow, warm and almost still, and at low tide you can wade out several hundred metres to Pelican Cay, a small scrub-covered island offshore. The beach itself is long, pale and usually empty apart from a few casuarina trees and a couple of thatched shelters. The name is said to come from a slave ship, the Trouvadore, wrecked on the Caicos reef in 1841 with a cargo of Africans from the Bambara region; the survivors were freed under British law and settled in the islands, and their descendants are here.

What you actually see

• The wade to Pelican Cay - several hundred metres at low tide.
• The shallow bank water - warm and almost still.
• The empty beach - casuarinas, a couple of shelters and nothing else.
• The Trouvadore story - the 1841 wreck the name is linked to.

When to go

November to May is the driest. The wade to Pelican Cay works at low tide, so check the table. The Valentine's Day model sloop regatta is held here in February and is the island's biggest day.

Honest expectations

There are no facilities: no shop, no water, no toilets, and the nearest anything is a drive away. The water is so shallow that swimming properly is not possible near the shore. Sun exposure is severe with almost no shade. Getting to Middle Caicos at all is a half-day journey from Providenciales.

Nearby

Mudjin Harbour is on the north coast; the Conch Bar caves are inland.