Our Epic Travel Guide to Exuma, Bahamas
Exuma refers to a district of the Bahamas which consists of over 365 cays. We were unfamiliar with the term cay prior to our trip, but most people use the terms cay and island interchangeably. Islands are oftentimes formed by volcanic activity or continental plates, but are technically defined as land that is entirely surrounded by water on all sides. Cays are low-elevation landmasses specifically formed by the accumulation of loose sediment on top of coral reefs. It isn’t inaccurate to call a cay an island since it does meet the criteria of being surrounded by water on all sides. Consequently, the phrase “every cay is an island but not every island is a cay” is the most appropriate.
The largest of the islands in this region is Great Exuma, which is connected to Little Exuma by a small bridge. During our visit to the Bahamas we stayed on the island of Great Exuma near George Town and it was the perfect home base. The weather on Great Exuma is gorgeous making it the ultimate year-round travel destination. We planned our trip for the end of February/early March and it was the perfect beach getaway from the cold winter weather of Virginia. Mid May to early November does tend to be the cloudier and wetter time of the year. Below, we highlight the monthly temperatures for Great Exuma:
In order to get the most out of your trip to the Exumas, we recommend at least 4 full days at a minimum. Most flights from the United States connect in Miami and the flight from Miami to Great Exuma is less than 2 hours. Just keep in mind to leave enough layover time on your return trip for passport control/customs/security as the lines in Miami are not very expedient. We for sure would not recommend a layover in Miami less than 2 hours.
Despite the normal hassles of international travel, we absolutely LOVED our trip to Great Exuma. Keep in mind, this itinerary is meant for those with adventurous hearts who do not want the standard all-inclusive beach resort vacation. If you are looking for the most pristine beaches with beautiful clear water everywhere and minimal crowds, then Great Exuma is the place to go. The beaches of the Exuma cays will forever be in our dreams.
Day 1: Go on the Full Day 007 Staniel Cay / Swimming Pigs Tour through Exuma Water Sports.
This is not at all sponsored, but the Exuma Water Sports crew really does a great job. During the full day tour you will see swimming pigs, iguanas, nurse sharks, colorful tropical fish, and more while island hopping to scenic beaches. Here are the highlights of the full day tour:
We met the residents of Leaf Cay, the only remaining Bahamian Rock Iguanas in the world. They are an endangered species of reptile that truly remind us of dinaosaurs still living today.
Big Major Cay is uninhabited by humans but is most known for its famous swimming pigs. It’s unknown how the pigs originally got here since the pigs are not native to the island. But the pigs can swim and enjoy eating pitted fruits and vegetables. They vary in all sorts of sizes and colors. It was honestly such a unique experience.
We made a stop at Compass Cay which is known for its nurse sharks that you can swim and interact with. They are known for their docile nature and generally are harmless. The nurse sharks that live here are fed by local fisherman and have grown accustomed to the presence of humans. They are very friendly and honestly more like underwater dogs than predators here.
We snorkeled in Thunderball Grotto which is a breathtaking underwater cave system known for its appearance in several James Bond movies including Thunderball and Never Say Never. The cave is full of exotic marine life and has various hidden entrances.
The boat tour passed by various private islands owned at one time or another by famous celebrities such as David Copperfield, Lenny Kravitz, Faith Hill & Tim McGraw, and Nicholas Cage. It was so fun to envision a life in which we owned one of these cays.
Lastly, we stopped at a beautiful sandbar where we walked in seafoam water and enjoyed some tasty pineapple which was provided. Overall, the full day tour through Exuma Water Sports gives you the most thorough and diverse experience of the Exuma cays.
Day 2: Explore Great Exuma & Little Exuma
On day 2, take some time to explore the beaches of Great Exuma and Little Exuma. Not only are the beaches in the Bahamas STUNNING, but also all beaches are technically public up to the high tide line. This means you can use the beaches essentially anywhere making the accessibility amazing. Here are our top 4 beaches from our time in Exuma:
Cocoplum Beach: Make sure to visit this beach at low tide as you can walk so far out into the water on the sandbar. The sand is so soft and the water color is incredible of course.
Jolly Hall Beach: You walk through the cutest palm trail to reach Jolly Hall Beach. Boats are often anchored near the shoreline making for picturesque photographs.
Tropic of Cancer Beach: This beach in Little Exuma can be reached by a small one lane bridge from Great Exuma. We loved the views of the small cays off the coast. One fun fact about Little Exuma is that scenes from several Pirates of the Caribbean movies were filmed on the southern end of the island.
Hoopers Bay Beach: Although we did not see any sea turtles who do occasionally navigate to this particular area, we did find a starfish. This beach is beautiful and there were essentially no people here when we visited. However, be warned that the beach access to reach the beach is very steep, slick, and not easy to navigate.
Day 3: Go on the Seven Beaches & Moriah Marine Park tour with Exuma Water Sports.
For a more relaxed day 3, we recommend cruising along the shoreline of Great Exuma, Moriah Harbor Cay National Park, and Elizabeth Harbor with Exuma Water Sports (not sponsored). Our favorite parts of the ½ day trip included:
Enjoying a “ride” along the “lazy river” at The Cut Beach: It was such a fun & freeing experience just relaxing and letting the tide take you.
Strolling along the majestic Rolle Town Sandbar: there’s just something about walking on the soft sediment of sandbars that are underwater at other times of day.
Following our guides to a secret beach in Moriah Cay National Park: The highlight of our day was visiting the beaches at Moriah Harbor Cay National Park. We have never seen a national park anywhere so untouched and uninhabited. We were blown away by the sheer beauty. It was the definition of pure paradise.
After your tour, end your day with a meal at Blu on the Water Restaurant & Bar. The food, views, and overall quality of experience was spectacular.
Day 4: Rent your own boat to fully explore Stocking Island and stop at Chat ‘N’ Chill.
On your last full day on Exuma, we recommend renting your own boat to explore more of Elizabeth Harbor and Stocking Island. We rented our boat for 1 day through Minns Water Sports which is conveniently located in George Town. We were a little worried as Carl had only driven a boat a handful of times in his lifetime. However, the boat was actually relatively easy to drive and navigate. The most difficult part was docking and anchoring.
If you rent a boat through Minns Water Sports, the employees will provide you with a map of Elizabeth Harbor and your boundaries for driving the boat (between Great Exuma & Stocking Island). Fortunately, the harbor itself is extremely calm and not at all like open ocean water. Stocking Island is directly adjacent to Great Exuma and has plenty of beaches and areas to explore. If you are not comfortable driving a boat, there is a local taxi service that boats people across from George Town. We do recommend renting your own private boat so you can explore the island a bit more freely if possible, but you can at least visit Chat ‘N’ Chill via water taxi if that is more practical for you. Here are our recommendations for stops on Stocking Island:
Chat ‘N’ Chill: a famous eatery on the water with picturesque views and loads of palm trees. It is the quintessential laid-back, bare feet beach bar. It is particularly known for its Sunday pig roast. Next to Chat ‘N’ Chill, you will find friendly stingrays that love fresh conch.
Starfish Beach: Carl was actually fortunate enough to find a tiny starfish here, but this is not necessarily the norm despite its name.
Sand Dollar Beach: We found plenty of live sand dollars in the water at this beach, so just be careful and make sure to put the sand dollars back where you found them as they are living creatures. Also, there are trails on the land here that you could explore if you so choose.
Other Considerations:
The official language of the Bahamas is English so language is not a barrier for Americans despite having to travel to an international destination.
Road conditions are overall variable. There will be potholes and areas that are not as well maintained. Some of the roads that lead to the local beaches are not paved and have significant bumps. We rented a Nissan Cube and it survived all of our adventures without a hitch.
The Bahamian Dollar is the national currency of the Bahamas, but we paid with credit card essentially everywhere we went. Some vendors will take American dollars as well but that is not guaranteed.
