Nassau, the capital city of the Bahamas is situated on the island of New Providence. The island has something for everyone. New Providence and nearby Paradise Island are home to golf courses and numerous beaches. Outdoor activities include swimming with turtles, diving, jetski adventures and more. Dining on the islands is cosmopolitan and a variety of food types are on offer including Caribbean, local, seafood, steakhouses, Italian, Mexican, Chinese, café and American. The popular speciality food and rum tours are not to be missed.
Highborne Cay is a privately owned cay and is known as the gateway to the Exuma Cays. The cay is home to luxury cottages and eight beaches. Beach activity is the order of the day, but those with diving experience can explore the nearby shipwreck of an unknown ship thought to have been built about five hundred years ago.
Allan Cay is strictly for nature lovers and conservationists. It is the home to some endangered species like the Audubon Shearwater and the gentle but fearsome looking iguanas. Access is limited to boat with no wheelchair access. Activity on the cay is limited to walking, swimming and diving. A walk to the signing tree, where a plethora of items hanging from it naming cruise ships, sporting teams, visitors’ names and even blog web addresses have been left by visitors to the cay. The iguanas are partial to fruit and vegetables, particularly lettuce, which you can feed to them. They are a protected species and care should be taken during any interaction with them. There is nowhere to buy food on the cay and you should take your own food with you, remembering to take away with you any packaging or bottles.
Staniel Cay is a gem of the Exuma chain! There are many fun things to do and explore on this exciting island. Feed the famous swimming pigs at Big Majors. Thunderball Cave is a great snorkeling site named after the Bond Movie filmed here. A social hot spot on the island is the Staniel Cay Yacht Club for day and evenings. Compass Cay is a 2 mile stretch of unspoiled beaches, palms cliffs and lagoons and where you can feed the sharks. Rachel Falls and Samson Cay are both great to access by tender.
Salt Island is the perfect spot to anchor and enjoy your yacht’s water toys or laze on the beach in complete tranquility. If you prefer diving, then the wreck of the RMS RHONE, which is situated west of Salt Island and is one of the best dive sites in the Caribbean. It is divided into three sections underneath the surface, the deepest of which is 24 meters (80 feet). Divers will encounter grey angelfish, pipefish and barracuda along with a number of colourful schools of fish swimming around the corals. While Salt Island has barely been inhabited for years, with no more than 3 residents on the island, they do pay rent in the form of a one pound bag of salt, presented ceremoniously to the Queen of England each year.
Norman’s Cay was once a major trans-shipment base for smuggling of cocaine from Colombia to the USA. The operation was closed down, the cay will become a tourist resort being now privately owned. Apart from beaches, one of the diving sites is a sunken aeroplane once used by drug smugglers. The cay has a single eatery which serves Bahamian and Caribbean food.
