The Exumas

The Exumas are a chain of around 365 cays and islands strung for roughly 200km through the central Bahamas, southeast of Nassau. Geographically they fall into three parts: Great Exuma, the largest and most developed island, whose main town of George Town sits on the sheltered Elizabeth Harbour; Little Exuma, joined to it by a short bridge and home to the celebrated Tropic of Cancer Beach; and the long ribbon of the Exuma Cays running north towards Nassau, most of them uninhabited and reachable only by boat. It is the boat culture that defines the place. The shallow Great Bahama Bank on the western side produces the luminous, milky-turquoise water the Exumas are famous for, dotted with sandbars that surface at low tide, while the deeper Exuma Sound lies to the east. The permanent population is small — perhaps 7,000 across the whole chain — and life is quiet, low-rise and unhurried. Almost every headline attraction, from the swimming pigs of Big Major Cay to the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, lies out among the northern cays rather than on Great Exuma itself, which is the single most important thing to understand before you book. The Exumas suit boaters, divers, honeymooners and independent-minded travellers who want beauty and space over resorts and nightlife; they reward anyone willing to get out on the water and are frustrating for anyone expecting the sights to be on the doorstep.

The Exumas hold the single most iconic image in Bahamian tourism — the swimming pigs of Big Major Cay — but the chain is far more than one viral beach. This is the country's premier boating and island-hopping destination, where a day out means threading between uninhabited cays, wading onto a sandbar that exists only at low tide, snorkelling the James Bond cave at Thunderball Grotto and drifting over the protected reefs of the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, the Caribbean's first marine reserve. The water clarity is genuinely exceptional even by Bahamian standards, thanks to the shallow banks, and the sense of emptiness once you are among the northern cays is rare in the modern Caribbean. Ashore, George Town has an easygoing Out Island rhythm, Little Exuma has the postcard-perfect Tropic of Cancer Beach, and the food — cracked conch, fresh rock lobster in season, conch salad chopped in front of you — is a pleasure in itself. If your priority is beach and buzz, the Exumas will feel remote; if it is water, wildlife and quiet, few places do it better. The chain pairs naturally with a night or two in Nassau at either end, since almost all flights connect there, or with a wider sailing itinerary through the Bahamian Out Islands.

Exuma food is Bahamian Out Island cooking at its best: unfussy, seafood-led and generous. Conch is everywhere — cracked (breaded and fried), in fritters, and above all as conch salad, chopped raw to order with onion, pepper, tomato and citrus at a roadside shack or dock. Fresh rock (spiny) lobster is a highlight when in season (roughly August to March under Bahamian fishing rules), grilled or in a creamy 'lobster salad'. Expect fresh grouper and snapper, peas 'n' rice, johnnycake, and guava duff for pudding. The classic Little Exuma stop is Santana's, a beach bar-restaurant near the Tropic of Cancer Beach known for its lobster and conch. On Staniel Cay, the Staniel Cay Yacht Club is the social and dining hub for the northern cays. The national beer is Kalik (and the stronger Sands is common too); rum punch and Goombay Smash are the standard cocktails. Because much is imported and the islands are remote, dining out is not cheap, and menus can be limited or seasonal — many visitors on Great Exuma self-cater from George Town's groceries to balance the cost of restaurant meals and boat days.

On Great and Little Exuma, a hire car is the most practical way to get around — the islands are long and thin, joined by a single main road (the Queen's Highway) and a bridge, and public transport is minimal. Cars, jeeps and scooters are available at the airport and in George Town; driving is on the left, and roads are quiet but can be rough in places. Taxis operate but are not cheap and are best pre-arranged. The crucial point, though, is that the Exumas are fundamentally a boat destination: almost every famous sight — the swimming pigs, Thunderball Grotto, Compass Cay, the iguana cays, the sandbars and the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park — lies out among the northern cays and can only be reached by water. That means either joining an organised full-day boat excursion (widely available from George Town, Staniel Cay and by seaplane or fast boat from Nassau), or chartering/renting a boat. These trips are the heart of an Exumas holiday and also the bulk of the cost, so factor them in from the start. A day trip from George Town to the pigs is a long run in open water and weather-dependent; from Staniel Cay the same sights are minutes away.

Organised scheduled public transport barely exists in the Exumas. There is no meaningful bus network; a few local minibuses and community vehicles make informal runs along the Queen's Highway on Great Exuma, but they are not something to plan a trip around. In practice, getting around means a hire car, a scooter, a pre-booked taxi, or — for the cays — a boat. Taxis are unmetered with set fares for common routes (airport to George Town, into town, out to Little Exuma); agree the price before setting off, and expect Out Island rates rather than city ones. Between the settled islands and the cays there are no public ferries in the everyday sense: transfers are by charter boat, day-excursion vessel, or the light-aircraft link to Staniel Cay. If you intend to move around the chain independently, budget for boat charters, which are the single largest transport cost of an Exumas trip.

Base your logic around the boat, not the bed: if the cays are your priority, a night or two on Staniel Cay saves hours of open-water transit and lets you reach the pigs and Thunderball Grotto at first light, before the day-trip boats and seaplanes arrive from Nassau — early morning is by far the best time at Big Major Cay, both for photographs and for calmer, less crowded animals. Snorkel Thunderball Grotto at low tide, when the entrance is easiest and the light shafts inside are at their best. Don't overlook the wildlife beyond the pigs: the endangered Bahamian rock iguanas at Allan's Cay and Bitter Guana Cay are a genuine highlight and easy to fold into a northern-cays day. On Little Exuma, the Tropic of Cancer Beach is one of the finest and least developed strands in the country — go with a picnic and time it with a stop at Santana's. If a full charter is beyond budget, join a shared full-day excursion rather than skipping the cays altogether; the sights genuinely are the reason to come. Finally, carry cash: US dollars are accepted everywhere at par, but card acceptance and connectivity are patchy once you leave George Town.

The Exumas have a warm, subtropical climate with two broad seasons. The December to April high season is the sweet spot: sunny, dry and comfortable, with daytime highs around 24–28°C, low humidity, cooling trade winds and sea temperatures pleasant for swimming and snorkelling. This is also the busiest and priciest time, coinciding with the winter yachting season on Elizabeth Harbour. From May onwards it turns hotter and more humid, with highs into the low 30s°C and a greater chance of afternoon showers. Crucially, the Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November, with the highest risk from mid-August to mid-October; direct hits are infrequent in any given year but the threat, heavier rain and rougher seas make late summer and early autumn the least reliable window. Sea conditions matter here more than on many islands, because so much depends on boat trips — a windy day can cancel excursions to the northern cays even outside hurricane season. For the calmest water and the classic Exuma experience, aim for the winter and spring months.

There are no direct flights to the Exumas from the UK. The primary gateway is Exuma International Airport (GGT), about 15 minutes from George Town on Great Exuma. Most visitors connect through Nassau (NAS), where Bahamasair and Western Air run the short 45-minute hop from the Bahamian capital several times a day. There are also seasonal and regular US links: American Airlines flies from Miami, and Delta, Silver Airways and other carriers operate routes from the United States, so many travellers route via a US hub or Nassau. From London, the usual pattern is a flight to Nassau (via a US or regional connection) then the domestic hop to GGT, or a US routing through Miami. Separately, Staniel Cay (TYM) has a small airstrip served by charter and light-aircraft flights from Nassau — the fast way to reach the northern cays without a long boat run, and the choice for anyone basing on Staniel Cay. Because connections often require an overnight, many people build in a night in Nassau at one or both ends.