Pig Beach on the Swimming Pigs Island, known as Big Major Cay, is the star attraction in the Bahamas Islands. Surrounded by 360 small islands that make up the Exuma Cays archipelago, Big Major Cay is the home of the famous Bahamas Swimming Pigs Exuma.
To get from Nassau to Pig Beach requires transportation to one of these small islands in the Exuma Cays and then onwards to Pig Island. Nassau to Exuma is a frequented and well travelled route for visitors to the Bahamas. The majority of visitors will find an all inclusive tour operator that provides a full day tour excursion experience like those offered by Bahamas Air Tours.
Included in the standard full day tour excursion from Nassau to Pig Beach are the transportation to Exuma (by Plane with Bahamas Air Tours, or by speed boat for other operators), the boat tour to Pig Island and visits to local attractions such as the sharks at Compass Cay and the underwater plane wreck at Staniel Cay. Read on to discover how to get to Pig Beach from Nassau
Pig Beach Excursion from Nassau Bahamas
Where is Pig Island (Big Major Cay)?
Pig Island, officially called Big Major Cay, is a small uninhabited island in the Exuma Cays. The Exuma Cays are a collection of over 360 islands – which make up a large number of the overall 700 islands that makeup the Bahamas Islands nation. Pig Beach is the only beach on Big Major Cay island, which runs along most of it’s western shoreline.
The nearest major inhabited island is Staniel Cay, still only the size of a village, it is home to Pig Beach’s nearest airstrip at the Staniel Cay Airport. Staniel Cay airport is essentially the major hub for visitors learning how to get to pig beach from Nassau.
Staniel Cay is a 40 minute flight away from Nassau on New Providence Island. And a 1 hour 30 minute flight from Miami Florida. These flight times may seem far, but when compared to the 3 hour speed boat ride offered by some excursion providers in Nassau, you will discover that flying by plane is by far the easiest, most comfortable and cost efficient way of traveling from Nassau to Pig Beach.
Getting from Nassau to Exuma
There are only 2 options for getting from Nassau to Pig Beach: Plane or Boat.
Bahamas Air Tours offers flights from Nassau to Exuma Staniel Cay. There are a number of local airlines that also offer scheduled flights for getting from Nassau to Exuma. The other option is by Boat. There is no Passenger Ferry service that operates from Nassau to Staniel Cay – these are small Speedboat charter services primarily for Nassau to Exuma Day trip excursions.
Flying from Nassau to Exuma is really the best way to travel for several reasons:
- Faster: 40 minute flight vs 3 hour speed boat ride
- Comfortable: 3 hour speed boat ride can be uncomfortable when crossing rough sea conditions. The speed boats also tend to offer little protection to the elements.
- Outstanding views of the Exuma Cays can only be enjoyed form the window seats of a plane!
- Guaranteed Travel: the aircraft on the Nassau to Exuma routes fly almost all year round except for major hurricanes. Speed boat travel is frequently cancelled at last minute due to poor sea conditions.
Getting from Nassau to Exuma: Stunning Views by Flying to Staniel Cay
Staniel Cay Island: How to get to Pig Beach
As mentioned already, Staniel Cay Island is the major gateway to both the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, as well as Pig Beach. During the peak travel seasons Staniel Cay airport is abuzz with activity of flights arriving from not just Nassau but Miami and Florida also.
From Staniel Cay airport, it’s a short walk (5 minutes) to the nearby Boat Dock that serves many boat operators offering day trips, excursions and charter trips from Staniel Cay to Pig Beach. If you want to find the best way of how to get to pig beach from Nassau then this is certainly the easiest route to choose.
Staniel Cay Airport: How to get to Pig Beach From Nassau
Staniel Cay is a small island, infact the airport is such a large part of the island it is considered the beating heart of the island. The Staniel Cay village has a few shops and one restaurant. There are number of beaches (all beaches in the Bahamas are fully open to public access). The focal point of Staniel Cay is the Staniel Cay Yacht Club, a boutique island resort that has a very popular restaurant and bar. The island is home to many Staniel Cay accommodations including the Luxury Water Villas at Lazy Bay.
Pig Island Tours from Nassau
The easiest way to arrange getting from Nassau to Exuma to visit Pig Beach and the Swimming Pigs Exuma is to take a Pig Island Tours from Nassau. There is a good choice of Tour Operators in Nassau, however most tour operators use speedboats and the rather unbearable 3 hours speed boat ride to reach Pig Beach from Nassau. Bahamas Air Tours is unique in that they offer the Pig Beach Excursion from Nassau exclusively by plane. The short 40 minute flight means that guests get ahead of the crowds and can visit Pig Island when it is quiet, calm and tranquil.
The Pig Island Tours from Nassau offered by Bahamas Air Tours are full day excursions that visit not just Pig Beach but also the popular swimming with sharks experience at Compass Cay. And there are are many other tour highlights included on the Pig Beach excursion from Nassau, these include:
- The famous Bahamas Swimming Pigs – Pig Beach at Big Major Cay
- Swimming with Nurse Sharks at Compass Cay
- Diving in the James Bond Cave at Thunderball Grotto at Staniel Cay
- Visiting the underwater drug smugglers plane wreck at Staniel Cay
- Exploring the pre-historic Bahamian Rock Iguanas at Bitter Guana Cay
- Discovering the serene Sand Bar at Pipe Creek
- Having lunch at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club, SCYC Restaurant & Bar.
The benefit of the Bahamas Air Tours Day Trips to Staniel Cay is the ability to visit all these sights and top things to do in Exuma. No other tour operators and excursion providers offer such a full itinerary. This is impart down to the fact that flying from Nassau to Pig Beach is so much quicker that most of the day can be spent on island enjoying these activities and scenic islands.
The Bahamas Underwater Plane wreck at Staniel Cay
Unique to Bahamas Air Tours is the Underwater Plane Wreck. This drug smugglers plane which crash landed in the shallow water of Staniel Cay, ditched here in the 1970’s after experiencing technical difficulties with it’s aircraft systems. Most likely flown and owned by one of the major drug cartels, the Bahamas had rampant Drug Trafficking from central and south America, most notorious of all was Pablo Escobar who based his drug smuggling operation at Normans Cay, one of the northern most islands in the Exuma Cays.
On the Nassau to Exuma Day Trip, guests can experience a tour of the underwater plane wreck. Private charters and longer snorkeling or scuba diving trips can be arranged for visiting this Bahamas plane wreck. It remains one of the most accessible plane wrecks in the Bahamas Islands because of it’s close proximity to Staniel Cay airport.
How to get to Pig Beach from Nassau Bahamas: Take the Plane!
Flying from Nassau to Pig Beach is without doubt the easiest and most convenient way to visit the Stunning Exuma Island and the Famous Bahamas Swimming Pigs at Big Major Cay. Take your window seats for the most stunning views from above of the Exuma Cays archipelago. This is a view you just wont get by taking the speedboat!
Have a look at the Bahamas Air Tours Pig Island Tours from Nassau. They offer many interesting Bahamas Travel Guidebooks and Island destination guides which you can enjoy and download for free.
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