700 islands strung across the Atlantic, water that genuinely is that colour, and swimming pigs. Expensive, and there is a way to do it without a resort.
The Bahamas are 700 islands and cays spread over 800km of Atlantic, and the version most visitors see is Nassau's cruise port and a resort on Paradise Island.
Nassau itself is worth a day or two — the straw market, Fort Charlotte, the fish fry at Arawak Cay where locals eat conch on a Friday night — but the country opens up on the Out Islands: Eleuthera with its pink sand beaches and a rock arch where two oceans meet, the Exumas with swimming pigs and sandbars, Andros with the world's third largest barrier reef and blue holes.
The practical challenge is that inter-island travel costs money and takes planning — flights, mail boats and ferries all connect them, at very different speeds and prices.
A week for Nassau and one Out Island. Two weeks to do more.
Flights and mail boats link the islands. Nothing about it is quick or cheap.
The capital on New Providence: the fish fry at Arawak Cay, forts, and the cruise port.
Nassau was fantastic. Most people in town are helpful and the city is gorgeous with rich vibrant history. It was a bit more expensive than I had budgeted for but you can't put a price on serenity now. Don't be afraid to walk or take buses.
A traveller, on Hostelworld
Sandbars, swimming pigs at Big Major Cay, and some of the clearest water anywhere.
Pink sand beaches, the Glass Window Bridge, and Harbour Island a short water taxi away.
The largest and least visited island: blue holes, bonefishing and a vast barrier reef.
Freeport and Lucaya, with beaches, caves and easy access from Florida.
The sailing capital: Hope Town's striped lighthouse, ferries between the cays and Treasure Cay beach.
Eighty kilometres from Florida: hammerhead dives, wild dolphins and Hemingway's old haunt.
The Bahamas is a water trip, and which island you pick decides everything else.
The water colour is not exaggerated.
Blue holes, reef and the third largest barrier reef on earth.
Conch in every form, and a Friday fish fry.
Junkanoo, forts and a Bahamian identity behind the resorts.
Hard, and the Out Islands are where the value is.
Nassau, and mostly on Fridays.
The Exuma Cays are the postcard: sandbars that appear at low tide, Thunderball Grotto for snorkelling, and the swimming pigs at Big Major Cay — feral pigs that swim out to boats, which is either delightful or absurd depending on your mood. Day trips from Great Exuma run US$150 to US$250.
Eleuthera is the Out Island for a longer stay: pink sand at French Leave and Lighthouse Beach, the Glass Window Bridge where the deep blue Atlantic meets the pale Caribbean side within a few metres, and a string of settlements with guesthouses instead of resorts.
Andros has the highest concentration of blue holes anywhere and the third largest barrier reef in the world, and receives a fraction of the visitors.
In Nassau, the fish fry at Arawak Cay on a Friday night is the best value evening in the country: conch salad made in front of you, fried snapper, and rake and scrape music.
Conch is the national food and comes in every form: conch salad made raw in front of you with lime, citrus and pepper; cracked conch fried; conch fritters; and conch chowder.
The fish fry at Arawak Cay in Nassau is the institution — a strip of brightly painted shacks selling conch, snapper, peas and rice, and Kalik beer, busiest on Friday nights and far cheaper than restaurants elsewhere.
Rock lobster in season and fresh grouper are the other staples, and Bahamian macaroni and cheese is a baked, sliceable dish that bears no resemblance to the export version.
Eating out is expensive — restaurant mains run US$25 to US$45 plus 10 per cent VAT and 15 to 20 per cent tipping — so fish fries, takeaway shacks and self-catering are how most independent travellers manage.
Nightlife is limited and concentrated in Nassau, where the fish fry at Arawak Cay is also the best night out — food, Kalik beer, rake and scrape music, and a mixed crowd of Bahamians and visitors, busiest on Fridays.
Paradise Island has casinos and resort bars at resort prices.
On the Out Islands there is very little: a bar or two per settlement, closing early, and evenings that are mostly your guesthouse and the stars.
Junkanoo is the exception and the highlight of the Bahamian year — street parades with elaborate crepe paper costumes, cowbells and brass, starting around 2am on Boxing Day and again on New Year's Day, and it is genuinely extraordinary.
Kalik and Sands are the beers at US$5 to US$8.
Inter-island travel is the expense and the planning problem. Bahamasair and small carriers fly between Nassau and the Out Islands for US$120 to US$300 return, and schedules are limited — often one flight a day.
Mail boats leave Nassau for the Out Islands carrying freight and passengers, take eight to sixteen hours depending on the island, and cost US$50 to US$80. They are slow, basic and by far the cheapest option.
Fast ferries run to Harbour Island, Eleuthera, Exuma and Abaco, taking two to five hours.
On the islands, jitney buses cover Nassau cheaply. Elsewhere you need a hire car, a scooter or a golf cart, and taxis are unmetered so agree fares in advance.
This is one of the most expensive destinations in this guide, and almost everything is imported.
Dorms in Nassau start around US$45 and Out Island guesthouses are US$100 to US$180. Restaurant mains are US$25 to US$45 before 10 per cent VAT and 15 to 20 per cent tipping. Inter-island flights are US$120 to US$300 return.
A day comes to US$120 to US$220.
The levers are real but limited: eat at fish fries and takeaway shacks, take mail boats instead of flights, stay in guesthouses on Eleuthera rather than resorts, and self-cater where you can. The Bahamian dollar is at par with the US dollar and both circulate interchangeably.
The Out Islands are very safe and crime against visitors is rare. Nassau is different: there are areas with high crime rates, particularly "Over the Hill" south of the centre, and several governments issue specific warnings about them. Stay in the tourist and waterfront districts, avoid walking at night, and use taxis after dark.
On the water, the risks are the ones people underestimate. Currents between cays are strong, jet ski rentals in Nassau have a long-standing reputation for disputes and injuries, and boat operators vary in standards — book through reputable operators rather than beach approaches.
The swimming pigs bite when they think food is coming, and people are injured every year — feed from the water's edge rather than in it, and follow the operator's instructions.
Hurricane season runs June to November and these islands are directly exposed; Dorian in 2019 devastated Abaco and Grand Bahama.
Most European, UK, US and Canadian citizens enter visa-free for up to three months, with the exact period at the officer's discretion.
Passports need to be valid for the stay, and proof of onward travel is commonly requested.
An electronic immigration card is completed online before arrival. There is also a departure tax, usually included in airfares, and a separate departure fee applies when leaving by boat.
Note that US-bound travellers clear US immigration in Nassau before departure, which means arriving at the airport considerably earlier than a normal international flight.
December to April is the dry season and peak. Hurricane season runs June to November and these islands are directly in the path.
Average highs for Nassau. The northern islands are cooler in winter than the southern ones, and hurricane exposure is genuine here — Dorian devastated Abaco and Grand Bahama in 2019.
Pick how you travel and how long for. Per night, for one person, in US dollars, which circulate at par here.
Add 10% VAT and 15–20% tipping to food and drink. Inter-island flights at US$120–300 return sit outside these figures; mail boats at US$50–80 are the cheap alternative.
Junkanoo at Christmas and New Year is the event the Bahamian year is built around.
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