Long Island

Long Island is one of the southernmost of the Bahamas' Out Islands, a narrow strip roughly 80 miles (130km) long and rarely more than four miles wide, lying south-east of Nassau across the Tropic of Cancer. Its defining feature is the contrast between its two coasts: the western, leeward side faces the shallow, glassy turquoise of Exuma Sound and the Great Bahama Bank, sheltering long calm beaches and the settlements where most people live; the eastern, windward side is open Atlantic, with dramatic limestone cliffs, blowholes and pounding surf. Between the two runs the single main road, the Queen's Highway, threading a chain of small settlements from Cape Santa Maria and Stella Maris in the north down through Salt Pond in the centre to Clarence Town and the sparsely populated south. The population is only a few thousand, spread thinly, and the island trades almost entirely on its natural assets rather than on resorts or entertainment. It is famous well beyond its size for Dean's Blue Hole, one of the deepest known saltwater blue holes in the world, and for beaches such as Cape Santa Maria that appear routinely on 'best in the Caribbean' lists. This is a destination for divers, freedivers, beach-lovers, sailors and anyone actively seeking quiet; it is emphatically not for those wanting nightlife, shopping or polished infrastructure.

The case for Long Island rests on space and scenery rather than attractions in the conventional sense. Dean's Blue Hole, in a sheltered bay just west of Clarence Town, plunges to about 202 metres (663 ft) and is one of the deepest saltwater blue holes on earth; unusually, it sits in shallow water metres from a beach, so you can wade in and float above an abyss, and it hosts the Vertical Blue freediving competition that has seen numerous world records set. Beyond it, Cape Santa Maria in the north is a two-mile arc of soft white sand and pale shallow water that regularly ranks among the Caribbean's best beaches, and the diving and snorkelling across the island — reefs, walls, wrecks and further blue holes — is genuinely world class and rarely crowded. Add the architectural curiosity of Clarence Town's twin churches, the Lucayan history at Hamilton's Cave, the wild Atlantic cliffs of the east coast and the sailing culture of the Long Island Regatta at Salt Pond, and you have an island that rewards curiosity and self-sufficiency. It pairs naturally with a few days in Nassau at either end of the trip, or with island-hopping to nearby Exuma.

Eating on Long Island is simple, local and seafood-led rather than varied — this is home cooking and small settlement restaurants, not a dining scene. Conch is the staple, served as fresh conch salad (diced raw with citrus, onion and pepper), cracked (battered and fried) or in a peppery chowder; fresh-caught fish such as grouper and snapper, and spiny Bahamian rock lobster (crawfish) in season, appear on most menus, often grilled or served with peas 'n' rice, plantain and mac and cheese. Native mutton dishes are a feature at the regatta and at local gatherings. The beer of choice is Kalik, the Bahamian lager, alongside Sands and the ever-present rum. Restaurants are few, cluster around the settlements and the northern resorts, and often keep short or variable hours, so it is worth asking locally what is open and, for dinner, calling ahead. Self-caterers should stock up at the larger stores in Deadman's Cay and Salt Pond, as village shops carry limited ranges and prices are high given everything is shipped in.

A hire car is essential on Long Island — the settlements are strung out along roughly 80 miles of the Queen's Highway, and there is no meaningful public transport or ride-hailing to fall back on. Rental cars are available at and around both airstrips and through many accommodations, though the fleet is small and older vehicles are common, so reserve ahead, especially in high season and around the regatta. Driving is on the left, the main road is generally paved but narrow with soft verges, and side tracks down to beaches and blue holes are often unsealed sand or rock — a higher-clearance vehicle helps. Fuel stations are limited and spread out, so top up when you can and carry water, as stretches between settlements are empty. Distances feel longer than the map suggests; plan day-trips in one direction at a time rather than criss-crossing the island.

There is effectively no public transport on Long Island — no scheduled bus network, no metered taxi ranks and no app-based ride services of the kind found in Nassau. A small number of local drivers offer informal taxi and transfer runs, chiefly between the airstrips and accommodations, and these should be arranged in advance through your hotel or the operator; expect to negotiate a flat fare rather than pay a meter, and to pay in Bahamian or US dollars cash. Because supply is thin and drivers may be occupied elsewhere on the island, do not rely on being able to summon a lift at short notice. For any real independence you will need your own hire car; visitors without one find themselves stranded at a single beach or settlement.

Match your airport to your plan: fly into Stella Maris (SML) if you are staying north and into Deadman's Cay (LGI) for the centre and south — arriving at the wrong end costs you a long, dull transfer drive. Book your hire car and internal flights well before you arrive, as both are in genuinely short supply and sell out around the June regatta. Go to Dean's Blue Hole early in the morning for the calmest water, best light and the chance to have it almost to yourself; if the Vertical Blue competition is on, expect it busy and access managed. Don't neglect the wild side — the east-coast cliffs, blowholes and the ruins and views around the north repay a slow drive, and Hamilton's Cave near Deadman's Cay is worth arranging a local guided tour for its scale and Lucayan history. Carry cash: card acceptance is patchy outside the larger operators, and US dollars are accepted everywhere at par. Finally, stock a cool-box with water and supplies for any full-day drive, because long stretches of the Queen's Highway have nowhere to stop.

Long Island has a warm, subtropical maritime climate with little seasonal temperature swing — daytime highs generally sit in the high 20s to low 30s Celsius year-round, cooling pleasantly overnight in winter. The practical calendar splits into two: the drier, cooler, breezier high season from roughly December to April, with lower humidity, comfortable temperatures and the most reliable conditions for beaches and diving; and the hotter, more humid, wetter months from about May to November. Critically, the Atlantic hurricane season runs June to November, peaking in late summer and autumn, when tropical storms and hurricanes are a genuine risk this far south in the Bahamas — travel insurance and a flexible itinerary matter if you visit then. The east coast is consistently windier and rougher than the sheltered western banks; steady trade winds keep even hot days bearable and make the island popular with sailors, but they also mean the Atlantic side is frequently too choppy for swimming.

There are no direct international flights to Long Island; almost everyone connects through Nassau (NAS), which British travellers reach via the US (Miami, Fort Lauderdale) or on seasonal/one-stop routings from London. From Nassau, small domestic aircraft serve the island's two airstrips: Deadman's Cay (LGI) in the central-south, the main gateway, and Stella Maris (SML) in the north. Bahamasair and Southern Air Charter operate the Nassau–Deadman's Cay hop (around 45–55 minutes), with a limited number of flights each week, and charter/scheduled services also reach Stella Maris; schedules are sparse and change seasonally, so book internal flights early and keep connection times generous. A slower alternative is the mail/freight boat from Nassau, which is cheap and characterful but takes many hours and runs infrequently. Match your arrival airport to your base — Stella Maris for the north, Deadman's Cay for the centre and south — to avoid a long transfer drive on arrival.