The Ultimate Guide to Exuma
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I have dreamt of the beautiful blue waters of the Bahamas since I was a little girl when I watched the Mary Kate and Ashley movie when they went to Atlantis. Within the past 5 years or so, the Bahamas caught my attention yet again when the islands of Exuma began to gain popularity with their famous swimming pigs, so earlier this year, I decided that it was time to finally check the Bahamas off my bucket list! The Exumas is a dream destination and perfect for all types of travelers. It’s a great place for a honeymoon but it’s also great for families that love the water since there are so many cool sites to see by boat! This trip was actually my first solo trip & I chose the Exumas specifically for its’ good mix of adventure and relaxation. The very low crime rate also makes it extremely safe for all you solo travelers out there. Fun fact: the crime is so low that the island doesn’t even have a jail!
There are two main islands connected by a small bridge, Great Exuma and Little Exuma, and then there are 348 other small islands called Cays scattered around nearby. If you want to relax & unwind then this is the place for you! There’s also tons of adventure and places to explore but you won’t find large crowds or big resorts here like you might find on Nassau. The Exumas are full of delicious local restaurants, perfectly quaint boutique hotels and rentals, and some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. Oh, and the water! Let’s not forget that the water here was the prettiest water I have ever seen in my life with the most beautiful beaches! Every shade of blue and crystal clear - so much that it looked like a swimming pool sometimes. I stayed in a boutique hotel on the water on Great Exuma, and my stay at Paradise Bay Resort was perfect & I can’t wait to stay there again!
Great Exuma is the largest island in the Exumas and is 37 miles long. Most people get around by car on the island and there are a few car rental locations near the airport. I, however, did not rent a car and was very glad I didn’t once I got inside a taxi at the airport that took me to my hotel. They drive on the left hand side of the road in Exuma so if you’re not used to that then I wouldn’t recommend driving yourself. Also, the roads are only two lanes with no shoulder and no lights at night so it can be very dangerous if you’re unfamiliar with the lay of the land (very windy roads at that!). If you’re not renting a car, I recommend planning your days by area so that you’re not spending a ton of money on transportation. Taxis are a bit expensive on the island; a 30 minute ride could run you about $50. There are many taxis waiting at the airport so if you didn’t book one in advance, don’t worry, you’ll be able to find one. During my stay, I used Dee Tour Service. Dee herself was my driver each time and she is absolutely amazing! Just send her a message & she’ll schedule your ride and also give you tons of suggestions! She runs her own business and gives top quality service and always made me laugh. She also knew I was traveling alone so she made sure to leave me in good hands wherever I went and I really appreciated that!
I flew out of Miami on a direct flight on a Wednesday and landed in Georgetown by 11AM and then left four days later on Sunday right before 6PM. Four days was a good amount of time to be on the island but you could definitely stay an entire week to ensure that you see everything you want to. There were some places I didn’t have time to go to like Hooper’s Bay Beach that has the most sea turtle sightings but I’ll just let that be a reason for me to go back! Below is a day by day guide for the ultimate Exumas vacation so let’s get into it!
Day 1: ATV Tour Around the Island
Arriving at the small Georgetown airport was a surprise in itself! I knew the Exumas were small but I wasn’t expecting the airport to be this small. Getting off the plane was quick; it was just a walk down the stairs to get off the plane then a short walk to the Customs building which was a small pre-fab building. The Customs process went fairly fast and with my stamped passport in hand, I stepped outside to catch a taxi to take me to my hotel. As I mentioned above, there are multiple taxis waiting so you shouldn’t have an issue finding an available one but most hotels will pre-book one for you. My hotel, Paradise Bay, was only a 20 minute drive from the airport & even though I arrived well before the designated check-in time, my room was read about 5 minutes after I arrived! After touring my room and setting my bags down, I headed straight to the beach to take in the bright blue water then went to the on-site restaurant, Cocoplum Bistro, for lunch. I had the Mahi Mahi Tacos and they were great! I also went back here for dinner and had a curry chicken with rice and plantains and I ate every last bite!
I usually like to keep busy when visiting a new place and this was also my first time doing a solo trip so I didn’t want to have too much down time in the beginning so I booked an ATV tour through Adventure Island ATV. This tour is walking distance from Paradise Bay Resort and lasts about 3 hours while exploring the West part of Great Exuma. It’s done in small groups and lucky for me, I had the amazing tour guide all to myself the day I went! The price is about $145 per person and it’s worth every penny. Lanardo was fantastic! He knows so much about the island and always shared fun facts and jokes throughout the tour. We started the tour by going to an agricultural farm and saw tons of different types of produce grown on the island. Then we went to Bonefish Flats which is a very large shallow area where you can walk out far into the water while only being knee deep. There are lots of young marine life here so keep your eyes open for baby sharks, eels, crabs, sea turtles, and starfish. After wading through the water, we went to see the stature of Pompey where Lanardo shared with me the history of slavery on the island and Pompey’s significance. The area where the statue is located is beautiful and you can look through the ruins of the old prison and stand on the rocks that look out onto the water. Our next stop was a natural cave on a nearby beach and we were able to walk around inside. Our last stop was Cocoplum Beach, one of the many well known beautiful beaches on Great Exuma. The trail here is bumpy and made for a fun ride! We took a break and walked down a sandbar & Lanardo had picked up some delicious coconut treats that were amazing! I usually don’t like coconut but this locally baked treat was so good! This tour is great for everyone and I had so much fun. There’s two tours each day, one in the morning and one at 1pm, so it’s easy to work into your schedule. You’ll have a blast, trust me!
Day 2: Stocking Island off Great Exuma
Dee picked me up around 10am and took me to Georgetown where I caught Elvis’ Water Taxi to Stocking Island where Chat n’ Chill is located. Chat n’ Chill is probably one of the most well known places in the Exumas. It’s a main hub for boaters and throws weekly pig roasts on Sundays and is a popular events venue. It only takes about 10 minutes to get there by boat from Georgetown and the restaurant opens around noon so make sure to eat breakfast beforehand. I, of course, did not have breakfast that day and was so hungry after being in the sun and then waiting in line for food. Which leads me to my next point, be prepared to wait in line to order drinks or food and if you order food, plan on it taking at least 30 minutes to be ready. This was the day that I realized “island time” is real and that there’s no point in getting upset about it, just eat all three meals and enjoy your surroundings. The food menu is small but mighty! You can order a fresh conch salad and they’ll make it right in front of you & even teach you how to do it. I opted for the Conch Burger which is a secret recipe from one of their chefs and I really enjoyed it.
Chat n’ Chill itself is great! it’s a pretty large area on the beach with picnic tables and chairs that you can rent. Make sure to bring your snorkel gear when you go here, there’s lots of sea life in this area. There were 4-5 sting rays swimming along the shore while I was there and it was so cool to have them swimming around you in their natural habitat. I ended up spending a few hours at Chat n’ Chill then I headed back to Georgetown to check out the Straw Market. The market is a short walk from where the water taxi docks and is a covered outdoor market filled with handmade goodies from local artisans. They are most known for their handmade straw baskets so I had to get one of those. I really wanted a large one but knew it wouldn’t be able to fit it in my carry-on so I opted for a smaller oval basket that now sits nicely on my coffee table as a catch-all tray. I also picked up a small hand carved wooden sting ray, a sea turtle ornament hand carved from a conch shell, and a vibrant little painting from a local artist. The Straw Market has everything and is a must for any souvenirs you might need!
Day 3: The Best Boat Tour in Exuma
This was by far the most eventful day! I booked an all day tour through Four C’s Adventures and spent about 8 hours on a boat visiting different islands. Exploring the cays by boat is the ideal thing to do in the Bahamas but it’s also pretty pricey! You can rent your own boat (no boating license required) or charter one but be prepared to shell out a lot of cash. If you’re with a large group, this might not be such a bad idea but as I was alone, I didn’t want to spend that much money for one day. Instead, I opted for a boat tour which cost around $300 including tip, lunch, and the fee for swimming with the sharks (don’t worry, that part is totally optional!). Four C’s offers both full day and half day tours with options leaving from Exuma and from Nassau. They picked me up at my hotel by 8am and we drove for another 20 minutes or so until we reached the take off point in West Exuma. We started the day by passing by some massive villas on private islands owned by celebrities and then made a quick stop at Pablo Escobar’s sunken drug plane. I really wanted to snorkel this site but it didn’t happen on this trip so adding it my list for next time. Our first stop was Thunderball Grotto which is where one of the original James Bond movies was filmed. The boat stopped right outside the entrance then we swam the rest of the way. The entrance is tight and there’s a rope you can hold on to that helps guide you inside the grotto. Once inside, the current is really strong in the center so it’s best to stay closer to the edge. We stayed here for about 20 minutes or so and snorkeled. The coral is so colorful and there’s tons of fish! Our next stop was the thing I was most excited to do that day… swim with the pigs! I know it’s a little strange but these pigs are so cute and swim right up to the boat to get a snack. It was so much fun getting in the water with them! Some are very big and they will get right up on you in hopes for more food so be careful to not get scratched. On the shore they have the baby pigs that you can hold and bottle feed. There are many stories of how the pigs ended up on the island but the one I heard the most was that the pigs were brought there when the Y2K scares were happening and they ended up staying as life went on and they’ve now adapted to the island environment. The pigs are actually well taken care of by a group of Exuma residents who make sure they stay healthy at all times. After seeing the swimming pigs, we stopped at a huge sandbar that was absolutely breathtaking. Everyone on my tour was blown away by how blue the water was everywhere we went!
Swimming pig (and look at that water!)
Next, we ventured to Compass Cay Marina where you can swim with the nurse sharks for $10. I had initially not planned to partake in this portion but I figured why the heck not! After all, I was set on making this an unforgettable trip. Nurse sharks typically won’t bite you but they do have small teeth so when you’re in the water with them you need to make your hands into fists so they don’t think your fingers are food. I was super nervous to get in the water with them and the feeling didn’t change once I was in the water. I pet a few of them, they surprisingly like belly rubs and will flip on their backs when they get close to you! Their skin feels like sandpaper and all in all, I barely lasted 5 minutes in the water with them but at least I can say I tried! Our last stop before our late lunch was Bitter Guana Island, also known as Iguana Island. We got off the boat, went to shore, and were greeted by huge iguanas ready for their afternoon snack! We fed them bread and some let you get close but most were aggressive and even fought each other over the food. Back to the boat we went where we went to a nearby island for a Bahamian style buffet lunch. After lunch, it was time to head back home and my entire group was exhausted from the long, exciting day. Captain Smiley and his assistant, Otello, were beyond amazing! They did a great job at making us laugh and making us feel comfortable. I can’t wait to do another tour with them!
Day 4: Taking in the Beach Before Leaving
This was my third full day in the Exumas and to be honest, I was beyond tired so I used the day to enjoy the beach at Paradise Bay Resort and laid in the sun all day. I took breaks to snorkel and had hoped to rent a paddle board but it was too windy that day. For a midday treat, I walked along the beach to the Lighthouse Café & Ice Cream Parlour for an ice cream cone and it was just what I needed. Later that evening after freshening up, I ventured back down the beach for dinner at Big D’s Conch Spot and luckily got there right before the kitchen closed at 8pm that night! The waitress was kind enough to let me order and recommended the conch fritters and the snapper which I gladly gobbled up. The food in the Bahamas is mostly seafood as you would imagine and it’s so delicious. There wasn’t a meal I didn’t like on my vacation and the people made the food that much better!
My last day on Great Exuma was spent eating at the hotel restaurant and taking in the views of the most gorgeous water I’ve ever seen. I’ve traveled to quite a few places but I was surprisingly really sad leaving the Exumas. Something about the island made me feel at home and comfortable and I really didn’t want to leave. The Exumas are a truly magical place and worth the visit. Most people will stay on Nassau which is the most touristy place in the Bahamas and only take a day trip to the Exumas but try to carve out at least three days to spend in the Exumas and then you can island hop around. There’s so much to see and do in the Exumas that one day just doesn’t do it justice! Yes, the swimming pigs are really cool and cute but there’s way more to the Exumas than that. There’s still things I didn’t have a chance to do or see so I’ll be back soon!
Happy travels!
- Tess
Tess Arnold
Hi! I’m Tess, founder of TravelingTessie.com, and not only do I love to travel, but I love immersing myself in new places and finding off the beaten path experiences wherever I go! I’ve lived in 4 different states & traveled to 13 countries and counting. I believe that tourism is meant to benefit both visitors and locals alike—and I want to bring that idea back into the travel industry by highlighting companies run by locals such as tours, hotels, restaurants, and more. On Traveling Tessie you can find hidden gems in top destinations around the world, travel tips, detailed city guides, and tons of inspiration for your next trip! If you love travel as much as I do, then please join me on this journey! I hope you enjoy my content as much as I enjoy providing it for you!
