In The Islands of The Bahamas, every story starts with a smile.
Life's one big party here and we've been celebrating since we could walk. rley Casheron Coakley and Kieasha Adde Nassau/Paradise Island
Welcome to The Islands of The Bahamas... and to a genuine laid-back rhythm of life, colourful traditions and rich culture. Feel free to discover how many amazing things there are to enjoy, how many unforgettable islands there are to explore and you’ll find your very own holiday story has already started.
Your story starts here...
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Choose your activities 6 7 8 9 10 11
Beach Fishing Diving Golf Cruises Eco adventures
12 Food and nightlife 13 Shopping 14 Weddings 15 Spas
Find your Island
The incredible rush of Junkanoo and the intoxicating spirit of one of the world’s greatest cultural festivals will stay with you forever.
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New Providence/Paradise Island Grand Bahama Island Abaco Island Andros Bimini The Berry Islands Eleuthera Exuma Cat Island San Salvador Rum Cay Long Island Acklins Mayaguana Inagua
Explore our world 37 History 38 People
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Activities If you’re looking for exhilarating new challenges, blissful relaxation or real once-in-a-lifetime adventures, you’ll find everything you’re looking for in The Islands of The Bahamas and the waters that surround them.
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From blinding white to pastel pink, our sand is as seductive as our climate.
Soak up some Bahamian beach culture.
Fishing Hook up with some of
Gently lapped by translucent turquoise water, the endless stretches of powder-soft sandy beaches you’ll find on every island are some of the most idyllic in the Caribbean. And whether you want to relax, sip drinks at the friendly beach bars, celebrate with the locals at their nightly fish fry, swim, snorkel or simply explore in blissful isolation, you’ll be more than welcome.
the best sport fishing in the world.
Beach Land yourself a bonefish Offering the drama of deep-sea fishing and the thrills of reef, bottom and fly-fishing, The Bahamas attracts the keenest anglers from around the world. But ask ‘the one and only Bonefish Folley’, and he’ll tell you that your biggest challenge is to fight it out with a beautiful Grey Ghost.
d fisherman – y, storyteller an Bonefish Folle a Island Grand Baham
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Diving
Crystal clear waters, blue holes and the third largest reef in the world.
Golf
Dive in for a real underwater adventure For sheer breathtaking diversity, from shark feeding and dolphin encounters to wreck and reef dives, no place on earth can match The Islands of The Bahamas. With a wealth of shallow, clear water sites for beginners and an incredible range of blue hole caverns and precipitous spongeencrusted sea walls for advanced divers, everyone will experience something utterly amazing. And enjoy an unforgettable adventure.
s Manager Golf Operation Lloyd Jones, dise Island ra Pa – p player and 7-handica
Tee-off and watch for birdies
With 60 to 140ft of underwater visibility, it's easy to see the attraction of diving here. tour guide – Nassau Stuart Cove, shark wrangler and dive
From San Salvador and Andros, to Grand Bahama Island and Exuma, every island has a unique collection of dive sites.
Get into the swing of things and discover some of the sweetest spots in The Bahamas right here on our islands’ championship courses.
Serious golfers are in for some memorable games in The Islands of The Bahamas. Dramatic views, created by nature, and tricky holes, created by top-class players and leading international designers, make for some of the most spectacular courses in the world. And take the sport to an exciting new level.
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Phil Russell, ec otour guide an d science write r – Grand Baha ma Island
Eco adventures Make our islands your natural choice.
Prepare for your close-ups with wild flamingoes, land crabs, egg-laying green turtles and the distinctive Abaco parrot.
Cruises Drop anchor in our tax-free paradise. Jump ship for a voyage of discovery A rewarding time spent hunting for tax-free bargains in the colourful quayside streets of Nassau, or a few heavenly hours where you’re free to venture across the uninhabited tropical islands of The Bahamas, will be the highlight of any Caribbean cruise.
Cruise through the warm Bahamian waters with over a dozen major cruise lines and you’ll have the perfect opportunity to stop off and explore.
Some cruise companies have even bought their own islands to offer you exclusive ‘desert island’ experiences – with all the luxuries of a cruise.
Grab your snorkel, wetsuit, kayak paddle or the edge of your 4WD seat and prepare to encounter the protected habitats of The Bahamas.
Enter another world You can’t beat The Islands of The Bahamas for a wide choice of luxury eco resorts and eco tours from hiking, bicycling, kayaking and walking to birdwatching. As an archipelago with over 700 islands and unnamed cays plus 25 National Parks, you can experience a close encounter with nature on every island and in the phenomenally clear waters that surround them.
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Foodand nightlife
Shopping Perfect your bargain hunting. From Nassau’s chic boutiques offering all kinds of tax-free designer brands, to colourful straw markets and a fabulous array of handmade crafts being sold by the artists themselves, it’s funny how there’s always time to indulge in some bargain hunting.
Taste the excitement. Satisfy your appetite for all things Bahamian – after sipping cocktails at a beach bar, enjoying traditional delicacies at a fish fry or dressing for dinner at world-class restaurants, you can dance the night away to the hypnotic rhythms of local goombay bands.
Fish Fry on the beach
You’ll find a different style of straw work on every island you visit.
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Stacy Dorsett, masseuse and foodie – Andros Island
Weddings You couldn't wish for a
Spas
more romantic setting.
Pamper your body and soul. Settling into the easy-going, laid-back Bahamian way of life is the easiest thing in the world after sampling the blissful treatments on offer at our islands’ luxurious spas. Based on locally grown ingredients, traditional remedies include pineapple, coconut, cascarilla bark, coffee beans, hibiscus, camomile and sea salt. Making for a deliciously relaxing experience.
With the chance to exchange your vows on an idyllic tropical cay, amid a picturesque 14th-century French Cloister, in glorious Junkanoo-style, or surrounded by aquamarine waters with your very own guest dolphin, you couldn’t wish for a more romantic wedding venue.
Set your heart on a Bahamian wedding and leave the rest to us.
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Find your island Whether you’re keen to feast your senses on rich and colourful experiences in our vibrant cities, or yearn for a taste of pure desert island escapism, the different flavours of our islands make it easy to find your personal paradise.
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New Providence1 Paradise Island Island of contrasts.
Along with the fabulous Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island, the toast of The Bahamas’ buzzing capital is the 5-star Graycliff Hotel and Restaurant
Life's one big party when you rush out to join the Junkanoo. Kieasha Adderley, Junkanoo dancer
Explore The Isles of Perpetual June’ With its own unique flavour of contemporary glamour, old world colonial charm and chilled-out tropical style, Nassau, capital city of The Bahamas, lies on New Providence Island, just a stone’s throw from the Monte Carlo of the Caribbean, Paradise Island. Here you can shop to your heart’s content, explore fascinating historical treasures, or venture out of town to wander across the shining golden sands of Cable Beach. Making every day another holiday.
Every Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and in the summertime everyone in The Bahamas celebrates Junkanoo! This traditional mix of music and colourful costumes is one of the world’s most flamboyant and vivid street carnivals.
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Grand Bahama Island Come out and play. An adventure playground of championship golf courses, sugary white sand beaches, top dive sites and exhilarating watersports, Grand Bahama Island is where all the unforgettable experiences of The Bahamas come together. Home to the second largest city in the chain, it’s also the location of the Lucayan National Park nature reserve – complete with mangrove creeks, walking trails and the world's longest known underwater cave and cavern system.
It's a pleasure! From the historical East and West Ends to the modern hot spot of Port Lucaya, having fun is a serious business on Grand Bahama Island. Ask the locals and they’ll be just as happy to invite you along to the crazy Coconut Festival or the Conch Cracking Contests as they are to show you their handicrafts! Swim with dolphins in Sanctuary Bay or hear what it takes to catch bonefish from the famous ‘Bonefish Folley’, and you’ll have plenty of tales to tell.
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Abaco Island
Sailing capital of the world. Of all the outstanding experiences waiting for you on and around this charming cluster of Out Islands and cays, taking in the stunning views from Hope Town’s 120ft high candy-striped lighthouse is not to be missed! And the highlight of the sailing calendar, July’s Regatta Time is so exciting and fun packed you should set sail for The Abacos even if you don’t have a boat!
unters For close enco g lin zz with the da ld or w underwater thing no of marine life, ng the beats snorkelli crystal-clear ers aquamarine wat ds an isl r round ou
Even though it is the most developed of the Out Islands, Abaco Island is still imbued with the natural charm and ambiance of all our tropical hideaways.
Traditionally tropical. Arriving from America in 1783, the first settlers on Abaco Island built their villages in the style of the homes they’d left behind. And today, if it wasn’t for the bright sunshine and the colourful Bahamian parrots – these attractive clapboard houses, with their neat gardens and quaint picket fences, could easily be 18th century New England.
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Andros The mystery Island. Fall under the spell of the magical charm. Listen to the remarkably fresh-faced islanders and you’ll hear that explorers believe Bimini is the home of the mythical Fountain of Youth!
Bimini Ernest Hemingway's haven. Catch on to the world's game fishing capital.
It’s said that if you arrive on Andros carrying flowers to charm the red-eyed, birdlike ‘Chickcharnies’, you’ll be blessed with good luck for life!
The discovery of huge limestone blocks in the shallow waters off the coast of North Bimini led many to believe they’d found the Lost City of Atlantis.
Over the years, passionate sports fishermen (and women) including Ernest Hemingway, Howard Hughes, former US President Richard Nixon and Lana Turner, have all been captivated by Bimini’s Gulf Stream waters, which teem with marlin, swordfish and giant tuna. And these days, swimming and diving are catching on too.
Credit: Powerboat Adventures
Surrounded by legend and mystery, Andros is an Eden-like paradise of sun-kissed white sand beaches, lush green foliage, vivid wild orchids, spectacular tidal blue holes and stunning coral reef – the third longest barrier reef in the world.
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Eleuthera 'Pink Sand' island.
The Berry Islands The ultimate escape.
As famous for its pink sand beach as its destination as a romantic hideaway, this 110-mile-long Out Island exudes an air of casual sophistication and privacy that has made it a favoured haunt of rock stars, actors, celebrities and most especially, British royalty.
The most popular pink beach is at Harbour Island, but you’ll find another, stretching from the remote James Point to Governor’s Harbour.
Made up of 130 tiny cays and islands, bordered by spectacular reefs tailor-made for diving, snorkelling and fishing, the Berry Islands are the ultimate hideaway for budding Robinson Crusoes.
Drop anchor and explore the Fish Bowl of The Bahamas. rt Cove’s Dive Credit: Stua
Raquel Horton, model and Miss Bahamas 2004 – Harbour Island
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Exuma Film set of the Pirates of the Caribbean.’ Serenely beautiful and splendidly remote, Exuma is as much a naturalist’s paradise as a film buffs; boasting the world's first Land and Sea Park, established in the Exuma Cays in 1958, which today encompasses 176 square miles of deep cobalt blue water, endless jade and sapphire shallows, reefs, sandbars and low rocky islands.
Cat Island A real Treasure Island. For captivating tales of Exuma past and present, take a seat at the bar of George Town’s oldest hotel and swallow all that barman ‘Doc’ Lermon tells you! It’s the perfect 19th hole after a round or two at the scenic Four Seasons Golf Club.
Taking its name from the notorious 17th century pirate, Arthur Catt, Cat Island is shrouded in colourful tales of undiscovered buried treasure and piracy. Its miles of stunning pink and white sand beaches, lush rolling hills, rugged cliffs and world-class diving and fishing make it a wonderful honeymoon destination.
Clamber the 206 ft to the top of Mount Alvernia and as well as reaching the highest point in The Bahamas, you’ll discover a tiny mysterious monastery.
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Even in The Bahamas, few scuba diving experiences compare to the thrill of exploring San Salvador’s 15 miles of spectacular Atlantic Ocean walls.
San Salvador 'Holy Saviour' of Christopher Columbus.
RumCay Jewel of the Caribbean. Enjoy a taste of paradise The tranquil home of the Arawak Indians was Columbus’ second stop in 1492. ‘Santa Maria de la Conception’, as he named his discovery, became Rum Cay, a renowned haven for world-class surfing, boating, scuba diving and deep-sea fishing, after the cargo of a wrecked freighter washed up on its shores.
Vast coral walls rising to just below the waters’ surface create incredible diving conditions.
Begin your own voyage of discovery. The exposed peak of a submerged mountain that plunges 15,000ft to the ocean floor, San Salvador is the most easterly of the Out Islands – and the very first New World land to be discovered by Columbus. With its spectacular dive sites and fascinating archaeological remains, today’s adventurers have plenty to explore.
Take in your beautiful surroundings from the secluded beaches or enjoy a bird’s eye view from the 160ft high Dixon Hill Lighthouse.
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Long Island Island hideaway.
As well as great harvests from the sea, the island generates vast quantities of cascarilla bark, an essential ingredient in a cool Campari.
Dive into the clearest waters on earth. A wonderfully varied terrain and dramatically contrasting coastline, make Long Island one of the most scenic tropical hideaways in The Bahamas chain. But venture out to fish some of the world’s clearest waters or to dive the famous 663ft deep Dean’s Blue Hole, and you’ll be just as richly rewarded.
The natural wonders of the island are every bit as magnificent as its Loyalist mansions and plantation ruins.
Acklins Every anglers dream. Feel the bonefish bite. One of the most remote of the inhabited Out Islands, Acklins Island boasts hidden coves, beautiful beaches and tiny colourful villages. Separated from its neighbour, Crooked Island, by a shallow lagoon known as the Bight of Acklins, it offers some of the finest bonefishing in The Bahamas.
Set out to explore the island’s hilly terrain and you’ll find a wealth of unusual rock formations, rare plants and weird and wonderful animal life, including the occasional swamp turtle.
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Mayaguana The island time forgot. Inagua Natural wonderland. From coral reefs and shipwrecks to nature reserves and well over 100 species of birds, there’s plenty to bring you to Mayaguana. And even more to keep you here.
Take off for nature's playground Attracted by the saline lagoons created by salt production on the island, Inagua is home to the world's largest breeding colony of West Indian flamingoes – ‘fillymingos’ as they’re known locally – which outnumber the resident human population by a staggering 61:1.
life and rich, Waters teeming with marine and farming fertile soils have made fishing d’s inhabitants. islan the of the main occupations
Get away from it all. Uninhabited until 1812, Mayaguana is one of the few Bahamian islands to retain its original Arawak Indian name. Precious little else has changed here either, which means the weekly mail boat remains the main form of communication with the world and its arrival is celebrated as a grand occasion.
Inagua is in fact two islands; Great Inagua, almost half of which is a National Park, and Little Inagua, which apart from wild donkeys, goats and birds, is completely uninhabited.
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Explore our world Stretching back way beyond the arrival in 1492 of the first European, Christopher Columbus, evidence of the fascinating history and culture of The Islands of The Bahamas is everywhere you turn; in the customs and traditions, the landscape and architecture, and most of all the Bahamian people themselves.
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Join us You'll be more than welcome. Getting to know the locals and sharing a part of their lives is a great way of getting under the skin of the islands you visit. That’s why The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation runs a ‘People-to-People’ programme matching up Bahamian volunteers with visitors of a similar age and compatible interests.
Whether you get to attend a local church, you’re invited to a family party or you’re introduced to everyone in the neighbourhood, your holiday experience will be that much richer.
For more inspirational holiday ideas, visit our image gallery. 39