Pig Island on Big Major Cay of the Bahamas is home to the famous swimming pigs. Pig Island is known worldwide for the Exuma pigs, but there are a plethora of reasons to see the rest of Pig Island. Turquoise blue waters meet white sand beaches of this remote island getaway on Big Major Cay. Join us as we show show-off the Exuma pigs, Staniel Cay, how to act around Swimming Pigs Bahamas, and an alternative pig beach excursion from Nassau that will change your entire trip!
Imagine yourself, warm sand in-between your toes; crystal clear waters at your feet, a slight Caribbean breeze, underneath the rustling palm trees. Cute, pink Exuma pigs floating with you in the Caribbean Sea underneath the sun. Exactly how life should be. This is now the new phenom in Big Major Cay of the Bahamas. Don’t you want to get away from Nassau to Pig Beach? The Exuma Cays are a paradisical collection of 365 tropical islands in the Exuma Cays Archipelago. In total, there are over 700 islands that make up the Bahamas, and Pig Island is one of the most visited.
Wild pigs on Pig Beach Bahamas
There are plenty of other reasons other than the Swimming Pigs Bahamas that travellers are coming to Pig Island and the greater Bahamas Sea. The area of Staniel Cay is a nature lover’s paradise. Sharks, turtles, endangered iguanas, tropical fish, underwater caves and a plethora of underwater wrecks to explore. There’s only one Pig Beach Bahamas tour that will show you it all. Read more to learn about all that Big Major Cay and Pig Island have to offer.
Fly to the Swimming Pigs from Miami or Nassau with Bahamas Air Tours.
Where is Pig Island?
Pig Island, also known as Big Major Cay, is an uninhabited island in the Exuma Cays of the Bahamas.The closest airport is in Staniel Cay — about a ten-minute boat ride to reach Pig Island but a longer trip to get from the airport to the boat. There are regular visitors to the island and self-guided tours can become crowded and time-consuming. That is why it is widely suggested to book your own private tour before going.
A pig swimming at Pig Beach Bahamas.
The World-Renown Swimming Pigs Bahamas of Pig Island
You wouldn’t believe it, but these Bahamas pigs are actually great swimmers! Especially the smaller ones. Normally, as you arrive, they’ll hear the boat engine and immediately start swimming toward you. There’s no happiness greater than a big, round pink Exuma pig floating toward you for the first time.
Our Day trip Bahamas tour to see swimming pigs at Pig Beach Bahamas.
Touring around Pig Beach Exuma is only one of the Pig Beach Bahamas tours offered both as a Pig Beach excursion from Nassau and also Fort Lauderdale in Miami if you’re going by plane (which we recommend).
The Bahamas pigs aren’t always as friendly as they look. When the masses of people arrive, they can become aggressive. That’s why it’s important to have a knowledgeable guide for your Pigs Beach Bahamas Tour.
Why do Swimming Pigs Bahamas Exist on Pig Island?
That’s a great question and one that is often asked during each Pigs Beach Bahamas Tour. The answer depends on who you ask. There are many tall tales circulating Pig Island in regards to how the Bahamas pigs arrived on Big Major Cay. The story that is most often heard involves sailors who arrived on the island with the pigs (intending to reserve them as food), but then they left Big Major Cay never to return again. There are other stories, too, but this is the one that is often the most-told. It is great island folklore that falls right in line with the atmosphere of Pig Island.
Join our day tour of Bahamas to see the best of the Pig Beach Exuma Pigs.
What are the other Things to do on Pig Island?
Besides swimming with the loveable Exuma Pigs, you can venture inside the Pig Beach Pavillion where there are small cafes and places to grab a break from the sun. While you’re there, you can read a little bit about each of the pigs which all have individual names!
Educate yourself on proper behavior on Pig Island. Such as, it is absolutely disallowed to feed the Exuma pigs anything but fruits, veggies, or bread. Local guides also suggest not feeding the pigs by hand as they could bite. They suggest dropping the food into the water (not on Pig Beach) and letting the Bahamas pigs swim to their meal.
Bahamas Air tours day trip to Bahamas pigs and Pig Island.
When is the best time to visit Pig Island?
There is never a bad time to visit a beach full of pink Exuma pigs. However, there are better times to visit than during the peak tourist season in the Bahamas. If you want to avoid the massive crowds, book your Nassau to Pig Beach Bahamas tour in May or June or in-between September and November. This is the off-season of Bahamas tourism. Usually, then, you will have the pigs’ attention longer and the pigs will be hungrier. Go during the early morning or late afternoon which is their normal feeding times (however, pigs always eat — especially ones who swim)!
Which Pig Beach Bahamas Tour should you do while visiting Pig Island?
Whether you are coming from Nassau to Pig Beach or all the way from Miami (Fort Lauderdale), there’s a Pig Beach Exuma tour for any vacationer. You can choose to go by boat, although, if you’re coming from Miami, you will not have much time on Pig Island.
The better option is to fly — whether it is from Nassau or Miami — so that you get the most time with the pigs for your money. You can choose to book a Pig Beach excursion from Nassau or come to see the swimming pigs Bahamas all the way from Florida in a day. Pig Island air tours open up a world of possibilities that a regular boat tour cannot and we cannot stress enough how much this will change your trip!
Our day trip Bahamas tour to see Exuma swimming pigs.
Pig Island Map and Big Major Cay Attractions
Take a Bahamas Day Trip with Bahamas Air Tours to the stunning Staniel Cay in the Exuma Cays Bahamas Islands. We will visit the famous Exuma Pigs, Swimming Pigs Bahamas, Iguanas, and sharks at Compass Cay as well as the unique Thunderball Grotto Cave.
If you fancy visiting Pig Beach by plane, have a look at the Bahamas Day Trips and Tours on offer with Bahamas Air Tours. We operate day trips to the Bahamas by plane from Nassau and Miami. So even if you’re visiting the Bahamas on a cruise and your stopover in Nassau isn’t long enough to make the day trip, you can take the Staniel Cay Day Trip from Miami before or after your cruise and have ample time to see a part of the archipelago you would otherwise miss!
Select images courtesy of the Bahamas Ministry Of Tourism.
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