Exuma boat tours are one of the best ways to explore the Bahamas. As the nation is an archipelago with 700 islands, the best sightseeing doesn’t take place on land — it takes place on or near the water.
Located around 80 miles to the south of the capital, Nassau, the Exumas are a jewel in the crown of the Bahamas. They’re famous for crystal-clear water, stunning beaches, and fun and unique attractions, like the Exuma pigs on Pig Beach.
Exuma excursions from Nassau are the perfect opportunity to see the region’s top sites. While you can take the ferry, the best way to enjoy a Nassau to Exuma day trip is to hop on a plane and then use a boat to get around once you arrive. Doing so saves a ton of time, helps you avoid the crowds, and allows you to enjoy a more comfortable experience. Bahamas Air Tours can help you get to the Exumas!
Exuma excursions by plane let you enjoy these views from the sky.
7 Incredible Things to See on Exuma Boat Tours
From the Exuma pigs to underwater plane wrecks, here are seven amazing sites you get to see on Exuma boat tours.
1. Staniel Cay
When you embark on Exuma Cays adventures with Bahamas Air Tours, the first stop on your journey is Staniel Cay. It will take your private-class plane around 30 minutes to arrive there from Nassau.
Once you’re there, you’ll have plenty of time to explore the island. And taking the time to see Staniel Cay is something you’ll want to do!
Although the island only has a little more than 100 full-time residents, it features a charming town with a couple of restaurants and shops worth visiting. Of course, it also has beaches and the stunning scenery that make the Exumas famous. When you travel with Bahamas Air Tours, you’ll eat lunch at the famous yacht club on the island.
2. Big Major Cay
Big Major Cay, or as most people know it, Pig Island, is one of the highlights of Exuma boat tours. That’s because a Nassau to Exuma day trip that stops at the island gives you the chance to see the world-famous Exuma Pigs.
While you’ve probably seen pigs on a farm before, they’re nothing like these pigs. The ones on Big Major Cay live all by themselves! There aren’t any people that inhabit the island with them, just a few goats and stray cats.
But besides just living by themselves, the pigs have also learned to make the most of their island home. When Exuma boat tours full of visitors pull up to the island, the pigs jump in the water and swim out to greet them! You can hop in the water with them and hang out on their stunning island.
No Bahamas vacation is complete without a stop by Pig Island.
Using air travel to answer the question of ‘how to get to Exuma Bahamas’ gives you more time to see the pigs and the other sites mentioned.
3. Compass Cay
Compass Cay is another popular stop on Exuma excursions from Nassau. While the island’s beauty is certainly a draw, what makes it a favorite destination of many are the schools of nurse sharks that swim around the marina.
The owner of the marina is a shark-lover and managed to “tame” some sharks in the past. Because of that, they decided to stick around the nearby waters and have since multiplied. Today, there are dozens of sharks that you can see up close.
While you can watch them from the docks, some people traveling on Exuma Cays adventures even choose to jump in the water with them. Of course, before you do, you learn how to act to ensure the experience is a safe one.
Whether you want to jump in the water is up to you, but either way, the experience of seeing massive animals right next to you is certainly one you won’t forget.
Stop wondering how to get to Exuma Bahamas—fly by plane and see the nurse sharks at Compass Cay.
4. Bitter Guana Cay
Swimming pigs and sharks aren’t the only creatures you get to see on Exuma boat tours, however. With Bahamas Air Tours, you also get to see an endangered animal: the Bahamian rock iguana. They currently have a “vulnerable” classification on the ICUN Red List. As fewer than 5,000 individuals remain in the wild, Bitter Guana Cay is one of the only places where you’re guaranteed to see them.
When you pull up to the island, you’ll see the giant lizards slither out from the vegetative undergrowth. With their unique pink and brown colors, the iguanas at Bitter Guana Cay are a sight to behold.
The same goes for the island itself; many travelers are taken aback by how beautiful it is.
5. Thunderball Grotto
No matter what sort of traveler you are, Thunderball Grotto is another destination everyone enjoys. With an extensive underwater cave system, the site is one of the best places in the Exumas to see some of the famous marine life of the Bahamas.
The site is so beautiful that it was even in a James Bond film. So besides getting to swim, snorkel, and sightsee, you also get to live out your inner superspy fantasy.
6. Pipe Creek
While most travelers to the Bahamas visit the country’s famous beaches, not everyone gets to see sand bars. These sandy expanses are disconnected from the land and are most visible during low tide.
In the Exumas, the best sandbars are at Pipe Creek. Once you’re there, you’ll be able to watch the tide pull back and walk around. The blues that will surround you are hard to describe, so make sure to bring a camera. You’ll want to document everything!
One of the best things about Pipe Creek is that it offers you a break from the crowds that populate other areas of the Bahamas, like Nassau. It encapsulates what the Exumas are famous for — quiet and peaceful beauty!
7. An Underwater Plane Wreck
The Bahamas is famous for many things, but few people know it was also on drug smuggling routes when the Colombian cartels were at their height. While the smuggling empires of the past may no longer remain, evidence of their activity does. On Exuma boat tours, this is evident at the underwater plane wreck near Staniel Cay!
When the plane crashed years ago, it contained crates full of marijuana. Today, the local marine life has taken over, making it one of the best spots in the country to see fish, coral, and other creatures.
The plane wreck in the waters around Staniel Cay is another highlight of Exuma boat tours.
When you travel with Bahamas Air Tours, you’ll get the chance to snorkel around the wreck, letting you appreciate how the wreck has become what it is today. It’s one of the best sites in the country for underwater photos!
Exuma Boat Tours: Know What to Look Forward to
Exuma boat tours are one of the best ways to explore the world-famous region of the Bahamas. Once you’re there, you’ll get the chance to see the Exuma pigs, nurse sharks, sandbars, and so much more.
But instead of taking the ferry from Nassau to Exuma, choose to travel by air with Bahamas Air Tours. Doing so gets you there in a fraction of the time, avoids the crowds, and makes the experience as a whole much more comfortable.
Sign up for Staniel Cay day trips today to help bring your dream vacation to life!
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