The Berry Islands

The Berry Islands are a district of The Bahamas made up of around 30 islands and more than 100 cays, arranged in a thin hook of land and reef between Nassau to the south and Grand Bahama to the northwest, along the western rim of the deep-water Tongue of the Ocean. The permanent population is tiny — a few hundred people, most of them on Great Harbour Cay, which is the main settlement and holds the district's only sizeable village, marina and airport. This is not a conventional island holiday destination. There are no resort strips, no nightlife to speak of, no reliable public transport and very little to occupy a visitor who does not go out on the water. What the Berrys have instead is space and sea: seven miles of continuous beach on Great Harbour Cay, the sheltered anchorages and cays that make the chain a magnet for private yachts and sportfishing boats, world-class bonefish flats, and a deep-water drop-off a short run offshore that draws serious billfish anglers. Several of the northern cays are private — Great Stirrup Cay and Little Stirrup Cay (now Royal Caribbean's Perfect Day at CocoCay) are owned or leased by cruise lines and closed to independent travellers. The character of the chain is quiet, low-key and, in places, distinctly exclusive: a haven for boaters, anglers and second-home owners rather than a mass-market beach island.

Come to the Berry Islands for the water, the fishing and the emptiness, and you will not be disappointed; come expecting a full-service resort island and you will be. Chub Cay, at the southern tip of the chain, sits on the edge of the Tongue of the Ocean, where the seabed drops away into deep blue within a short run of the marina — the reason it is marketed as the Billfish Capital of the Bahamas, with blue and white marlin, sailfish, tuna, wahoo and dorado all within reach and a well-regarded marina and clubhouse to base from. Around the shallows, the flats hold extraordinary numbers of bonefish, making this one of the better fly-fishing corners of the country. Great Harbour Cay offers a gentler pull: seven miles of beach that you can often have almost to yourself, the sandy coves and caves of Sugar Beach, the shell-strewn sand of Shark Creek at the island's southern tip, and the rays that patrol the flats at the aptly named Stingray City. Boaters love the chain for its sheltered cruising and quiet anchorages. Pair the Berrys with a night or two in Nassau (a short hop by air or boat) if you want any urban contrast — the islands themselves deliberately offer none.

Dining in the Berry Islands is simple, seafood-led and limited in choice — this is not a place for restaurant-hopping. The staples are what comes out of the surrounding water: fresh fish, conch (served as cracked conch, conch fritters, conch salad and in chowder), and Bahamian rock lobster in season. Expect grilled or fried fish, peas and rice, and the occasional beach-bar burger rather than an ambitious menu. On Great Harbour Cay, eating and drinking centres on a handful of spots around the marina and settlement, while Chub Cay's food is essentially the resort's own clubhouse and bar. Kalik, the Bahamian lager, and Sands are the local beers, and rum is the spirit of choice. Because supply comes in by boat and plane, opening hours can be erratic and stock can run short, so it pays to ask locally what is open and to book ahead where you can. Most villa-based visitors self-cater at least part of the time; bring or buy provisions in Nassau or Florida if you have particular needs, as the island shops are small and stock is variable.

Getting around the Berry Islands means one of two things: a golf cart on land, or a boat on the water. On Great Harbour Cay, golf carts are the standard way to move between the village, the marina and the beaches, and can be hired locally; the island is small enough that distances are short. There is no meaningful road network beyond the settled cay, and no way to drive between islands — the cays are separated by water, so any travel along the chain is by boat. Chub Cay is compact enough to walk or cart around within the resort. If you want to reach the uninhabited cays, the blue hole at Hoffmann's Cay, the better snorkelling spots or a private beach, you either bring your own boat, charter one, or arrange a trip with a local operator. Anyone planning to explore the chain properly should budget for boat time — it is the defining cost and the defining pleasure of a Berry Islands trip.

There is effectively no public transport in the Berry Islands. There are no scheduled buses, no shared vans and no ferries running between the cays on a timetable; the chain is far too small and thinly populated to support them. Movement between islands is by private or chartered boat, or by the small inter-island flights (for example Aztec Airways between Great Harbour Cay and Chub Cay). On Great Harbour Cay itself, getting about is a matter of golf-cart hire, walking, or the occasional informal taxi or lift arranged through your accommodation; expect to negotiate rather than consult a fare chart. Anyone used to hopping between Bahamian islands on the government mail boats should note that services to the Berrys are infrequent and geared to freight rather than tourists. In practical terms, plan your transport before you arrive — hire the cart, book the charter, confirm the flight — because you cannot rely on turning up and finding a ride.

Treat the Berry Islands as a boating and fishing trip with beaches attached, and plan accordingly. Arrange your key logistics before you arrive — cart hire, boat charter or fishing guide, and any inter-island flights — because you cannot count on sorting them on the spot. On Great Harbour Cay, walk or cart down to Sugar Beach for its sheltered coves, cliffs and caves, and continue to Shark Creek (Shell Beach) at the southern tip for the best beachcombing, where seashells wash up in quantity. The rays on the flats near Great Harbour Cay (Stingray City) are a genuine highlight and cost nothing if you have your own or a chartered boat. If you fish, the deep drop-off a short run off Chub Cay is the reason serious anglers come, but the surrounding bonefish flats reward the fly-fisher just as much and cost far less to reach. Provision up in Nassau or Florida before you fly in, since island shops are small and stock is unpredictable. And do not plan your visit for August to October unless you are relaxed about hurricane-season disruption — the settled December–April window is far more reliable for the water-based activities that define the chain.

The Berry Islands have a warm, subtropical climate with two clear seasons. The high season, roughly December to April, is the drier, cooler and more settled time: daytime temperatures typically in the mid-20s Celsius, lower humidity, and the calmest, clearest water for fishing and boating. From late spring the heat and humidity build, and June through November is the Atlantic hurricane season, with the greatest risk concentrated in August, September and October — September historically the most active month. Storms are not a daily event, but the season brings the possibility of major disruption, higher humidity, more rain and rougher seas, and it is worth watching forecasts and arranging travel insurance if you visit then. Sea temperatures stay pleasant for swimming much of the year. Because so much of a Berry Islands trip happens on or beside the water, wind matters as much as temperature: the settled winter and early-spring conditions are what make the flats fishable and the offshore runs comfortable, which is a large part of why December–April is the recommended window.

There are no direct flights from the UK; you route via a US or Bahamian gateway. From London, fly to Nassau (with a US or regional connection) or to a South Florida airport such as Fort Lauderdale, then take a short hop into the Berrys. Great Harbour Cay Airport (GHC) is the primary gateway: Bahamasair operates the scheduled link from Nassau, while Aztec Airways connects Great Harbour Cay with Chub Cay and Florida. From Fort Lauderdale, Makers Air runs scheduled small-aircraft service, and Tropic Ocean Airways flies amphibious Cessna Caravans into Great Harbour Cay. Chub Cay has its own airstrip, Chub Cay International (CCZ), used by charters and private aircraft. Many visitors — arguably most — arrive by private boat or on a chartered vessel from Nassau or Florida, which is very much in keeping with the character of the chain. Note that the cruise-line private islands in the northern Berrys (Great Stirrup Cay, and Little Stirrup Cay / Perfect Day at CocoCay) are reached only aboard the relevant cruise ship and are not accessible to independent travellers.