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BAHAMAS The pearl of the Caribbean Islands

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Always fascinated by Caribbean movies and stories, I decided to organize some days in Exuma close to the famous Pig Island! It's a natural paradise where you can do whatever you want (diving,snorkelling,exploring the beautiful white sand beaches...). After New Year' Eve in Miami, I took a flight to Exuma and here started a new adventure!
January 2018 - 7 Days
Hamburger Beach Stocking Island

With crystal-clear water and a variety of marine life, reefs and shipwrecks, the Bahamas is one of the world’s premier destinations for scuba diving and snorkeling. 

You can relax on the pink sand beaches or enjoying the food festivals! 

The best time to visit the Bahamas is from mid-December to mid-April (peak season and the expensive one). Though temperatures here are great year-round, the islands fall within the hurricane belt, so hurricanes may be a factor between June and Nov (the Atlantic hurricane season). 

Most of these months (plus May) also fall within the region’s rainy season, which can leave you with fewer days spent enjoying the islands outdoor activities.

Stocking Island Beach

What's In This Article

Day 1 - 2 Exploring Exuma

I arrived in Exuma with a list of things not to miss!

• To rent a boat or kayak to cruise the cays

• A tour of Moriah Cay and Elizabeth Harbour and the nearby beaches

• To grab a drink at a beachside bar on the two largest islands in the chain: Great Exuma and Little Exuma

• To enjoy a bite at the Chat & Chill Sunday pig roast in George Town, on Great Exuma

And..To feed the Swimming Pigs!

There are 365 of these cays along this section of the Bahamas, covering 130 brilliantly turquoise miles. Some are privately owned by famous stars like Johnny Depp who fell in love with this area of the Bahamas while filming Pirates of the Caribbean and illusionist David Copperfield.

I spent the first days visiting and exploring Exuma: don’t miss the authentic fish fry experience at Shirley’s Fish Fry Shack (especially the coconut shrimp) on Great Exuma.

You can walk the Tropic of Cancer Beach – water & soft sand – no crowds – friendly locals it’s about a 30 min drive south from George Town. There’s a small sign on the side of the road indicating where the beach is. The dirt road to get to the beach is really bumpy. As you get to the end of the road, it veers right to a parking area.

If you would like to eat Bahamian Rock Lobster (Spiny Lobster) go at Santanna’s Bar and Grill. You will need to go to drive to the southernmost point of Great Exuma (to Little Exuma) to reach here, but the Bahamian rock lobster will be worth it. They have other items on the menu as well, but the cracker spiny lobster is their specialty. It’s served with an ample amount of sides, and you won’t be leaving the restaurant at the end of your meal hungry or unsatisfied.

Day 3 Stocking Island - Chat n’ Chill

Chat n’ Chill is located on Stocking Island. There are no roads or bridges to get you here. You’ll have to take a boat or seaplane (5-minutes boat ride from George Town’s Elizabeth Harbour for ~10$ round trip) and you will reach the perfect place to spend a day relaxing by the beach, exploring the natural beauty of the island or simply to enjoy a great meal (the Sunday Pig Roast at Chat n’ Chill is offered on every Sunday of the year). The seasoned and smoked pig, which is served Bahamian style, comes together with a couple of side dishes. I’d also advice for you to get there as soon as the place opens up at noon, as this dish is served on a first come basis, and it usually doesn’t take them more than a few hours to sell out.

Here the stingrays literally were swimming around my feet looking for food! The young man at the conch salad shack gave me some conch scraps and showed me how to feed them 🙂

There is another beautiful beach (Hamburger Beach) reachable via boat (ask the taxi boat to stop you here) known as one of the more quieter beaches in The Bahamas!

Day 4 Big Major Cay - Swimming Pigs

There are few tours if you want to  check here – but you can organize the trip with your resort too.

Big Major Cay, a small island ruled by pigs , it is in fact one of the biggest attractions on this island. The pigs will swim out to your boat as you approach the island and depending on how friendly they are on the day they will hang around, swim with you guys and have some of your lunch as well.

How did the pigs get to Pig Beach? We don’t know for sure. Big Major Cay is uninhabited and the pigs are not native to the island. Some say they were left by a group of sailors, who planned to come back and cook them. Or that the pigs swam over from a shipwreck nearby. Wherever they came from, there are now about 20 pigs and piglets on Pig Beach. With daily visits from Bahamians and tourists, the pigs are living the easy life on Big Major Cay.

Day 5 Thunderball Grotto (Staniel Cay) The James Bond Cave

Made famous by the James Bond Thunderball film, this underwater cave is is an impressive underwater cave system full of exotic marine life, bright colored coral, and even hidden entrances which divers go crazy about.

Upon seeing Thunderball Grotto from the outside, you may think there is not much to the small island/ rock. However, as your guide will surely explain to you as you near it, what makes the grotto special is its unique interior and entrance points. Swimming through short underwater tunnels, fitting through narrow gaps,you will arrive in the place of 007 spy movie.

Diving at Thunderball Grotto is considered some of the best in the Bahamas because of the kaleidescope effect which the sun creates under the water of Thunderball Bahamas. Snorkeling is also brilliant activity to do here.

The hollow center and holey exterior create quite a scene of sunshine and reflections within the grotto as you can see in my pictures.

It is recommended to enter the grotto at low tide. At high tide, one must come prepared with scuba diving equipment as it will require swimming through tiny sea tunnels and emerging from the other end to reach the surface.

Day 6 Compass Bay & Allen’s Cay

Swim with Nurse Sharks at Compass Bay will be another unique and interesting wildlife activity to add to your list of life experiences. I decided to book this tour which includes the Iguanas at Allen’s Cay trip.

Nurse sharks aren’t quite as big, or dangerous, as their white shark cousins, and so you get to actually swim in the water with them with no cages or anything separating the two of you! It might sound scary but, I assure you, it’s more thrilling in a positive way than anything! (there is a fee to pay ~10$).

The Iguana island was the other stop on my tour. I discovered that these Northern Bahamian Rock Iguanas can only be found on Exuma. They may not be as cute and friendly as our domesticated pet friends, but they’re endangered – you may want to put some caution into what you’ll feed them (purple grapes are ok) .When my grapes were done, I sat on a rock and two of them came towards me.

Day 7 Sailing in Exuma Cays

This is the best way to enjoy the Exuma Cays – check here the tours.

A professional skipper will organize a fantastic trip exploring the top beaches and places for swimming/snorkeling.

We had a great day-trip as we motored along beautiful scenery (secret beaches) with fresh food and fruits (and wine 🙂 ) 

MIAMI

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