Exuma: a first-timer's guide to the cays

Why visit Exuma

If you want the Bahamas of the screensaver, this is it. Shallow sandbars appear at low tide, the cays are scattered across water of every shade of blue, and many beaches have almost nobody on them. Exuma suits couples, snorkellers, boaters and families happy to trade nightlife for nature.

George Town and Stocking Island

George Town is the main settlement on Great Exuma, a small harbour town around Lake Victoria with a pink government building, the Straw Market under the fig tree, a few grocery stores and a handful of restaurants. Across Elizabeth Harbour, Stocking Island has beautiful Atlantic beaches, walking trails over the ridge and the Chat 'N' Chill beach bar, famous for its Sunday pig roast and conch salad stand. A ferry runs from the Club Peace and Plenty dock, and water taxis are easy to arrange.

The northern cays by boat

Most visitors spend at least one full day on a boat tour from Great Exuma or from Staniel Cay. A typical day includes Big Major Cay, often called Pig Beach, where feral pigs swim out to boats; Compass Cay, where you can swim with nurse sharks; Thunderball Grotto, a limestone cave you snorkel into, made famous by James Bond films; and the iguanas of Allan's Cay or Bitter Guana Cay. Tours from Nassau also run, but they mean a very long day.

The pigs have suffered from tourists feeding them the wrong food, and some have died. Follow your guide's rules, do not feed them bread or let them drink alcohol, and keep children at a safe distance from large animals.

Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park

Created in 1958, this protected area managed by the Bahamas National Trust was the first land and sea park in the Caribbean. It covers a long stretch of the central cays, with no fishing allowed, healthy coral, and headquarters on Warderick Wells Cay where boaters can stop. It is best reached by private charter or yacht.

Little Exuma and the south

A bridge links Great Exuma to Little Exuma, where Tropic of Cancer Beach is one of the most photographed beaches in the country. Williams Town has the ruins of a salt marker and a quiet, old Bahamian feel. Santana's Grill Pit near Williams Town is a well loved stop for seafood.

Food

Expect conch salad, cracked conch, grilled lobster in season, fried snapper and peas and rice. Fish fry stalls near George Town cluster at the Fish Fry area north of town, a good place for an inexpensive, social dinner. Groceries are more expensive than at home because almost everything is shipped in, so self caterers should bring a few staples.

Practical tips

The airport is north of George Town. Taxis meet flights, but they are not metered, so agree the fare first. Great Exuma is long and thin, and if you stay outside George Town you will need transport arranged by your accommodation or a rental. Cash is useful, as smaller places may not take cards and ATMs are few. Boat tours sell out in peak season, so book ahead.

Where to stay

George Town and the nearby Queen's Highway have guesthouses, small hotels and the larger Grand Isle and Sandals resorts at Emerald Bay. Staniel Cay, further north, has a yacht club and cottages right among the cays. Villas line many beaches; read about road access before booking.