Cat Island

Cat Island Bahamas is a stunning and enchanted tropical paradise. This remote island is filled with adventures, nature, history and culture. Flying from Florida to Bahamas is a journey fitting for everyone: families, friends, and couples.

You will find much to explore in this tropical place including ancient plantation ruins, an active bat cave, a religious hermitage on the tallest peak in the Bahamas, celebrations and festivals, tasty Bahamian cuisine and of course the white sand beaches highlighted with aquamarine waves. Listen, can you hear the waves? Can you smell the salt air? Feel the sun on your face and the sand between your toes. Cat Island Bahamas is calling you!

Walk the pink sand beaches and bask in the sun. Hike up Mt. Alvernia, the tallest peak in the Bahamas, to visit an historic monastery. As you continue with your Bahamas island hopping tour, gear up for a snorkel trip or a scuba dive near some fantastic reefs. Grab your camera and notebook for a journey back in time as you visit historic plantation ruins. Take a nature trek inside an actual bat cave. Absorb the culture as you delight in the native Junkanoo festival. This Bahamas tour has it all and Bahamas Air Tours is your vehicle to make it all happen.

Cat Island Bahamas is one of the largest Bahamas islands geographically but has a small population. It is highly likely you will have the island to yourself and your own private beach. Your private Bahamas air charter will deliver you to the true Bahamas Out Island experience. Bahamas Island hopping is truly a treat when the conditions are quiet and not over crowded. There are adventures to meet every style from romantic rendezvous to girlfriend getaways; there will be an exciting quest around each corner.

The Out Islands are still Bahamas, but just further out from the capital and the main islands. Factoid: the Bahamas is a collection of over 700 small islands. These remote islands are ideal for Bahamas Island hopping.

There is a bit of celebrity that surrounds Cat Islands Bahamas. Originally named San Salvador by Christopher Columbus, the name was changed in 1926 to Cat Island; it was believed to be based on a notorious pirate named Arthur Catt who sailed the seas in the early 1700s and was an acquaintance with Edward “Blackbeard” Teach. A modern day celeb is Sir Sidney Poitier, famed Hollywood actor and director, who was born and raised on Cat Island and periodically returns to his childhood hometown. There is so much to see and do on your Bahamas Island hopping adventure.

Cat Island Bahamas is less than two hours away from Florida and perfect for Miami day trips. Flying to Bahamas from Florida is a snap. Hook up with Bahamas Air Tours and let them work out the details. It could be a Miami day trip to Bahamas or flying to Bahamas from Florida for a multi-day vacation; you decide what you want. You can island hop Bahamas as much or as little as you desire. So, hold on and buckle your seat belt and get ready for an adventure you will never forget!

Cat Island Beaches

Fernandez Bay Beach is home to Fernandez Bay Village, one of a few Cat Island Bahamas resorts. The beach is a one-mile, white sand beach with crystal clear turquoise water. The beach is lined by trees and is absolute paradise. Only five minutes from the New Bight Airport, you can have your feet in the sand just minutes after the Bahamas Air Tours charter touches down.

The resort itself has private bungalows that look out over the splendid beach that you will most likely have to yourself. The resort’s clubhouse is tiki hut-styled with a favored beach bar. You are sure to meet some of the locals if you hang out at this hot spot. Book your private Bahamas air charter today and start Bahamas Island hopping!

There are plenty of beach activities to do on your Bahamas tour including kayaking, snorkeling, scuba diving, paddle boarding and fishing. If those things don’t interest you, there is always relaxing on the beach with a cool beverage.

Greenwood Beach can be described as one of the most beautiful beaches on Cat Island. There are 8 miles of gorgeous pink sand beaches, plenty of room for you and your friends to enjoy a private day at the beach. This beach will make your Bahamas Island hopping tour worth it and you will want to come back year after year. Located on the remote southeast end of the island, another of the Cat Island Bahamas resorts is sited. Greenwood Beach Resort has some great adventure sports including kite surfing, kayaking, crabbing and hiking. It is also a world renowned dive center.

The hotel is small and charming with only 16 rooms. Accommodations are keenly appointed with king beds and a lovely a terrace. The beach is just a few steps from each room. There is an all-inclusive package that includes meals. Guests and locals gather at the clubhouse in the evening to tell tales about their adventures.

Fountain Bay Beach is the ideal beach if you want to snorkel the Bahamas Island hopping tour. This mile long beach ends at a shallow lagoon where there are reefs just off shore a short distance. There is a natural fountain nearby which is how this beach received its name.
The Bride Inn, yet another of the Cat Island Bahamas resorts, is a small property with just 12 rooms. This spot is ideal for a secluded get away. However, if you enjoy an active night life, this is the place for you, as it comes alive at night. They have live music on weekends including a local “Rake ‘n Scrape” band. Enjoy local cuisine such as fish stew for breakfast and cracked conch for lunch. This spot will give you a real taste of Bahamas Out Island life, a perfect feature on the Bahamas tour.

Rollezz Beach located near Old Bight is the longest continuous beach on Cat Island Bahamas. The luxurious white sand and the sparkling aqua ocean beckon you to the water. Rollezz Beach Villas are quaint little cottages nestled along the beach with picture perfect views of the Atlantic Ocean. This beach resort is able to accommodate weddings and vow renewals with ease. A Bahamas Island hopping tour is great for honeymoons!

Don’t think that is the end of the beaches. There are several more both public and private beaches. In fact, during your Bahamas Island hopping trip you will get a great perspective of just how many beaches there are as you fly over the islands. As you fly from Fort Lauderdale to Bahamas you will get a great view of the Bahamas Out Islands.

New Bight Beach is one of the most popular beaches on Cat Island Bahamas. On your Bahamas tour you will be sure to experience several beaches. This is the beach many locals use so it is an ideal place to get to know more about the Out Island culture and immerse you in some of their customs, celebrations and cuisine. On weekends there is live music and holidays there are community picnics.

Old Bight Beach is a wonderfully quiet beach that is great for a private getaway, a romantic picnic or just some quiet time to yourself. The beach is five miles of sugary white sand, pristine aquamarine water and beach combing for some lovely shells.

Just about any place you go on Cat Island Bahamas is going to be near the beach. There Is Man O’ War Point Beach, Oyster Lake Beach, Orange Creek Beach, and Turtle Cove Beach…you get the picture. There are ample beaches to enjoy and on your Bahamas tour, you are sure to visit several. Consider some Miami day trips to Bahamas with your friends, a great way to celebrate friendship – Bahamas Island hopping!

The Hermitage at Mt Alvernia

Your island hop Bahamas tour can be all about the beach or you can sprinkle in a bit of the local history. Bahamas Air Tours makes it easy to pick the activities in which you are interested. Our next stop is Mount Alvernia, the tallest peak in all of the Bahamas. Ideal for a hike, the 206 foot mountain will still give you stunning, panoramic views despite its diminutive size.

On top of this mount sits a historic monastery that was built by Monsignor John Hawes, a Roman Catholic priest, also known as Father Jerome. He fashioned the buildings out of stones native to the island. Like the “mountain” it sits on, the buildings of the monastery are minute. There is an abbey, chapel, bell tower, and living quarters. Take a pilgrimage up the winding rock staircase to the hermitage located at the top. The stairway was hand carved by Father Jerome as well as the stone reliefs of the Stations of the Cross that follow the stairway. This stop is great for photographers and history connoisseurs. Once on top, spend a few moments in quiet contemplation just as Father Jerome did daily for 17 years and be thankful for your great Bahamas Island hopping adventure.

Plantation Ruins

History buffs and photography enthusiasts have a great opportunity to visit a piece of history on Cat Island Bahamas. Andrew Deveaux was a Loyalist and veteran of the American Revolutionary War. After the war, he fled to Cat Island and made it his home. The Andrew Deveaux Cotton Plantation was complete with an antebellum-styled mansion at Port Howe. This plantation was on land he received for protecting and recapturing Nassau, the Bahamas’ capital, from the Spanish invasion and occupation.

The Armbrister Plantation sits at the base of Mt. Alvernia. It was built by a Scotsman, Henry Hawkins Armbrister, in the mid 1700’s. It is the second oldest building in the Bahamas. It was burned in the mid 1800’s by African slaves who revolted. A famous photo opportunity lies at the grand arched front entrance which is still standing. A Bahamas tour is always interesting.

New Bight Cultural Village

New Bight Cultural Village is one place you must go when traveling with Bahamas Air Tours. Located at Regatta Beach, this part of Cat Island is beautiful year around, but especially during the annual sailboat regatta that takes place the first week of August during the Emancipation Holiday – a great time for a Bahamas tour. This little village is a collection of all things cultural. It is about family and children, friends and acquaintances, young and old, locals and visitors. There will be opportunities to enjoy conversation with the locals and hear some of their wild tales. You can enjoy a meal eaten at a “fish fry” – a small hut-like restaurant that serves up lobster, crab, conch, sweet potatoes and all the authentic Bahamian fixings. When the sun goes down there is a huge bonfire to enjoy, but also used to warm up the drums. This Bahamas Island hopping trip is about offering a wide variety of experiences.

On special occasions there will be some Rake ‘n Scrape music. You may even get in on a Junkanoo, which is best described as a street carnival. There are fabulous costumes, a lot of laughter and fun. This celebration dates back to the early 1800s when the enslaved were given three days off at Christmas. There was singing, dancing, food and parading house to house. You will be delighted with the sights, sounds and tastes of things that are hopping in New Bight Cultural Village, all made possible by Bahamas Air Tours.

Rake ‘n Scrape

Cat Island is home to the annual Rake ‘n Scrape Festival – a fabulous time to book your Bahamas Air Tour from Fort Lauderdale to Bahamas. Every year, here at the New Bight Village they have a Rake ‘n Scrape Festival. Rake ‘n Scrape is instrumental music that involves bending a saw and scraping a small tool such as a screwdriver over the surface. The degree of bend in the saw is what changes the pitch. Add in a concertina and some Goombay drums and you have traditional Rake ‘n Scrape.

The festival takes place the first weekend in June, the Bahamian Labor Day weekend. It is chocked full of musical events including local and national Rake ‘n Scrape bands, a gospel concert, a battle of the bands, dancing, eating, crafting, farmer’s market and games. Reserve a spot with Bahamas Air Tours now for next year’s exciting festival.

Nature Lover’s Tour: Bat Caves

Imagine climbing down a ladder into a dark, damp cavern. As you listen you hear water dripping along with squeaking and wings flapping. This is a Bat Cave, just one of the many experiences you will enjoy with Bahamas Air Tours. The bats are using their echo-location skills to tell where they are and help them navigate through the cave and tunnels. In this Bahamas tour you will discover the Cat Island bats and learn about their habitat and behaviours.

There are actually a couple of caves on Cat Island; the biggest and most hidden is Peter’s Cave. It has many openings, but there is one large enough to just walk in. The tunnels and caverns wind their way around under the island. Eventually the cave opens up to the oceanside where you can jump into the water if the conditions are right. Alexander Wilson is a local farmer and bat cave tour guide extraordinaire. Ask for him around Arthur’s Town on the north end of Cat Island Bahamas. He will gladly give you a tour.

Natural Wonders: Healing Hole

Healing Hole on Cat Island is a salt lake that is believed to have healing properties. Salt water is known to have antiseptic properties for cleansing and pain relieving properties for joint pain. If you visit on a windy day you may witness the salt water to froth up.
Mermaid Pool is also found on Cat Island. The lake is about 65 feet across and 10 feet deep. There is a blue hole that goes deep underwater into caverns and tunnels. It is reported a mermaid has been seen here on several occasions, thus the name.

The blue holes are great for diving and there are several others on Cat Island including Boiling Hole, Crown, Big & Little Fountain, Gaiters and Bad Blue Hole. This is a great adventure on your Bahamas tour.

Your Miami day trip to Bahamas could be all about diving blue holes and ocean reefs. You are sure to see some fantastic fish and sea creature. If you are lucky, you may see a mermaid!

Hawks Nest

Hawks Nest Cat Island is located on the southwest peninsula of Cat Island Bahamas. It is a lovely resort with many amenities the first of which is a private, full-service marina and airstrip; though a private airstrip it could be thought of as one of the Bahamas airports. With Bahamas Air Tours, you could land at this air strip and be at your resort and on the beach in minutes!

The Hawks Nest Cat Island resort offers many amenities such as a large swimming pool, paddle boards, kayaks, bicycles, charter fishing, PADI dive center, snorkeling and much more. Aside from traditional rooms, they also have two 3-bedroom houses that are available to rent weekly.

How to Get to Cat Island Bahamas

A Bahamas tour has become the new trendy vacation hotspot. Bahamas Air Tours provides your Florida to Bahamas charter, a complete Bahamas Island hopping tour. From day trips to multi-day stays to private Florida air charters you design yourself; Bahamas Air Tours has the expertise and experience to make your vacation holiday unforgettable. The Bahamas tour starts by boarding a charter plane where everyone gets a window seat. It’s a large window so you can view the ocean and islands and take some fabulous photographs. As you fly over islands and pristine waters you will notice an archipelago of islands called the Out Islands. When Cat Island Bahamas comes into view and you start the descent down to one of two Cat Island Bahamas airports you get a glimpse at just how remote Cat Island is and you realize the Bahamas tour is going to be fantastic.

Cat Island Bahamas Island Hopping

Isn’t it time you booked a Bahamas Island Hopping tour around Cat Island Bahamas? Exclusive, private Florida air charters with Bahamas Air Tours headed from Florida to Bahamas are a very trendy getaway. There is so much to experience on Cat Island Bahamas. The authentic Out Islands are waiting for you. The virtually private, untouched beaches, the historical plantations and hermitage, Mount Alvernia, scenic views, water activities, the Cultural Village with its fine cuisine, Junkanoo and Rake ‘n Scrape are ready for you to enjoy. Come for the remote, small island experience with few tourists leaving Cat Island all for you.

Visit Cat Island from Florida: Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Vero Beach, and Orlando. Try a day trip or a multi-day, overnight trip. This will be a Bahamas Island Hopping Tour that will build a lifetime of memories.

Select images courtesy of the Bahamas Ministry Of Tourism.

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