Eleuthera and Harbour Island: a first-timer's guide

Why visit Eleuthera

Eleuthera gives you space. Beaches go on for kilometres with only a few footprints, settlements are small and friendly, and the drive down the Queen's Highway passes pineapple fields, ruined churches and views of two seas. It suits travellers who want a road trip feel, beautiful swimming and a sense of real island life.

Harbour Island

Harbour Island, known as Briland, is reached by a short water taxi from the North Eleuthera dock. Its three mile pink sand beach gets its colour from tiny red organisms called foraminifera, and the water is calm and clear. Dunmore Town, one of the oldest settlements in the country, has pastel clapboard cottages, white picket fences, churches and a lively harbourfront. Most people get around by golf cart or on foot. Expect boutique hotels, smart restaurants and a stylish crowd, alongside local spots like the conch stands near the government dock.

North Eleuthera

Spanish Wells, another short ferry ride away, is a hard working fishing community famous for lobster, with quiet streets and clear water. On the mainland, Preacher's Cave is where the first settlers sheltered after a shipwreck, and nearby beaches are usually empty. Further south, the Glass Window Bridge crosses a narrow gap where the deep blue Atlantic meets the green Bight; waves can crash over the road on rough days, so heed warnings.

Central Eleuthera

Gregory Town is known for its pineapples and for surf at Surfer's Beach. Hatchet Bay has caves to explore with a guide. Governor's Harbour, the historic administrative centre, has Victorian houses on a hill, a Friday night Fish Fry and nearby French Leave Beach. Twin Coves and the Atlantic beaches near James Cistern are lovely and quiet.

South Eleuthera

Rock Sound has the Ocean Hole, a deep inland blue hole connected to the sea, where fish gather at the edge. The Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve, run by the Bahamas National Trust, has trails through native forest and medicinal plants. Lighthouse Beach at the southern tip is one of the most beautiful and remote beaches in the country, reached by a rough track; ask locally about the road before you try it.

Food

Eleuthera is known for pineapples, celebrated at the Pineapple Festival in Gregory Town in early summer, and for fresh lobster and conch. Look for small takeaways in each settlement, bakeries selling coconut bread, and Friday fish fries.

Getting around

There are three airports, so choose the one closest to where you stay. Bahamas Fast Ferries runs from Nassau to Harbour Island, Spanish Wells and other Eleuthera ports. Distances on the main island are long, public transport is minimal and taxis are expensive over long trips, so most visitors arrange transport through their accommodation. On Harbour Island, golf carts are the norm.

Where to stay

Harbour Island has boutique hotels and cottages close to the pink sand. On Eleuthera, Governor's Harbour makes a central base, the north is handy for Harbour Island day trips, and the south around Rock Sound and Cape Eleuthera is quieter still. See our places to visit list for specific stays and restaurants.