While South Florida is beautiful, the natural beauty of The Bahamas is in a league of its own. And with the closest Bahamian islands being just 55 miles away from the continental United States, day trips to Bahamas from Florida aren’t only possible, but something you’ll want to consider signing up for.
Below are two of the top day trip to Bahamas from Florida options: a Miami to Bahamas day trip to Exuma and a Florida Bahamas day trip to Eleuthera. For each trip, we’ll highlight some of the many attractions you can look forward to seeing.
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Trips to Bahamas From Florida: The Best Florida Bahamas Trip Options
Day Trips to Exuma
Exuma is a district of The Bahamas that encompasses 365 out of the 700 islands in the country. While renowned for its natural beauty, the area is also famous for having unique local attractions, most notably the Swimming Pigs of Big Major Cay.
In recent years, the Exuma Pigs have become a global phenomenon, to the point that Big Major Cay (Pig Beach) has inspired imitation pig beaches throughout the country. Nevertheless, while you can find pigs on beaches throughout the country, the original Swimming Pigs remain on Big Major Cay.
The original Swimming Pigs reside on Big Major Cay in Exuma.
Trips to Bahamas from Florida traveling to Exuma depart from South Florida in the early morning and arrive on the island of Staniel Cay less than two hours later. After landing, you switch over to a powerboat and begin making your way to the Swimming Pigs of Big Major Cay and several other nearby attractions.
Besides the friendly Exuma Pigs, you can also get excited about seeing the following:
An Underwater Plane Wreck
Exuma is home to many great snorkeling destinations, and on your day trips to Bahamas from Florida, you’ll visit a couple of these. One is an underwater plane wreck near Staniel Cay.
The Staniel Cay underwater plane wreck is a great snorkeling site.
Decades ago, a drug smuggling plane saddled to the brim with marijuana crashed into the warm Exuma waters. Airport operators had tried assisting the vessel, but it ultimately went silent. After crashing, the plane was so full of drugs that the pilots were unable to escape.
Despite its harrowing origins, the Staniel Cay plane wreck has become a home for marine life in the years since. The waters around the vessel are shallow, making it an excellent snorkeling destination on a Miami to The Bahamas day trip.
Iguanas at Bitter Guana Cay
Besides the Swimming Pigs, trips to Bahamas from Miami make it easy to see all types of wildlife. Another animal you can look forward to seeing is the northern Bahamian rock iguana, which resides on Bitter Guana Cay.
A group of iguanas reside on Bitter Guana Cay.
In recent years, this colorful lizard has seen its population decline, making their sightings on day trips to Bahamas from Florida extra special. You’ll see several lizards crawl out of the undergrowth as your boat approaches their island.
While all of Exuma is beautiful, Bitter Guana Cay is, without a doubt, one of the prettiest islands. Both the iguanas and the local natural beauty make Bitter Guana Cay a traveler-favorite stop on day trips to Bahamas from Florida.
Nurse Sharks at Compass Cay
Another animal you’ll see up close and personal is sharks – specifically nurse sharks. While that might sound terrifying, nurse sharks are one of the more docile species. Although they can grow to large sizes, they’re bottom dwellers that resemble catfish and are not typically aggressive toward humans.
The nurse sharks of Compass Cay are there because the owner of the local marina is a shark fanatic. Over the course of years, he managed to befriend a school of nurse sharks, which caused them to want to stick around the waters by the marina. Today, Compass Cay is one of the best places in the world to go swimming with sharks.
On your Florida Bahamas trip to Exuma, you’ll see guides feed the sharks before having the chance to hop in the water and swim with them. While doing so is optional, the experience is safe yet exhilarating, making it the perfect moment to check swimming with sharks off of your bucket list.
Day Trips to North Eleuthera
Bahamas day trips by plane let you appreciate the stunning beauty of the country.
Eleuthera is a long and thin island east of Nassau and north of Exuma. Several smaller islands, border Eleuthera, so day trips to Bahamas from Miami that visit Eleuthera usually also take you to some of the nearby locations.
Harbour Island is a popular island next to Eleuthera, with a five-minute ferry ride connecting the two. Home to the world-famous Pink Sands Beach, as well as the quaint settlement of Dunmore Town, Harbour Island is a must-visit destination.
Eleuthera itself is famous for its rugged natural beauty. Surrounded by cays and sandbars and serving as a barrier against the rough waters of the Atlantic, the area offers a much different experience than other popular destinations on day trips to Bahamas from Florida.
The total journey time on day trips from Fort Lauderdale to The Bahamas Eleuthera takes an hour and 15 minutes. After clearing customs at North Eleuthera, you hop onto a boat and begin exploring the area with your captain.
Ocean Swings
The Bahamas is home to stunning vistas everywhere you look. That said, it’s hard to rival the sheer natural beauty found at the Ocean Swings of Spanish Wells.
Swing into paradise on an Eleuthera day trip.
Located near Spanish Wells, a small cay near Eleuthera, the Ocean Swings were added in 2022 and have become popular amongst travel influencers and celebrity circles. When you visit the attraction on your day trips to Bahamas from Florida, you’ll quickly understand why.
Located in remote shallow waters with a low tide sandbar, the Ocean Swings offer sweeping tropical views that extend far into the horizon. The vivid colors of the water, the sky, and nearby islands are so strikingly beautiful that, when you’re there, it’s hard to believe you’re just a couple of hundred miles off the coast of Florida.
Stunning Sandbars
As mentioned, near the Ocean Swings is a stunning stretch of soft white sand. At low tide, this area is traversable, making it the perfect place to wander around and soak up the sparkling views.
Nobody can deny the beauty of Florida, particularly South Florida. However, the blues and greens of the water you see on your day trips to Bahamas from Florida are on another level. All of the places you visit on your trip to Eleuthera look like something out of a postcard.
The Spanish Wells sandbars offer unbeatable views.
If you want to see the original Swimming Pigs on your day trip to Bahamas from Florida and don’t travel to Eleuthera, you’ll still get to visit another beautiful sandbar. The sandbars at Pipe Creek Exuma are just as beautiful and similarly devoid of other people.
Regardless of which of the day trips from Fort Lauderdale to The Bahamas you sign up for, the stop at the respective sandbar is sure to be one of your favorite destinations you visit.
Trips to Bahamas From Florida: Sign up Today
If you’re looking for day trips to Bahamas from Florida, you have quite a few options to choose from. That said, the best options are day trips to Exuma or Eleuthera that travel by plane.
Traveling to either destination lets you meet Swimming Pigs, tour local attractions, and tap into the natural beauty of the country.
Book day trips from Fort Lauderdale to The Bahamas with Bahamas Air Tours today!
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