The Bahamas

If the idea of swimming with a pig in aquamarine waters brings you joy, a visit to Pig Beach on Big Major Cay in the Exuma Islands of the Bahamas may be in your future. If you love flamingos, a visit to the largest lake of the Bahamas, Lake Rosa on southernmost Inagua Island, with over 80,000 of the magnificent pink birds, may be worth checking into. With numerous pink sand beaches, if you like the color pink, especially as it contrasts with shimmering clear turquoise waters, the Bahamas may be a great place for you to explore.

The Bahamas is a country archipelago of about 700 islands, only 30 of which are inhabited. 90% of its people are of African descent, mostly West African, with a small percentage of descendants of British loyalists who fled the United States when it gained Independence. A number of pink and pastel-colored buildings attest to the colonization of the islands in the 1780s. Endless pink and white sand beaches, fishing, sailing, diving, blue holes (water-filled cave systems explored by Jacques Cousteau), pirate history, and deep fried conch (shellfish) are everywhere. 

The people of the Bahamas are highly spiritual and there are a number of churches throughout the islands. There is also a history from West Africa of a kind of spiritism called Obeah. Select the word to read more.

The Bahamas has a rich history in oral story telling. Patricia Glinton-Meicholas, born on Cat Island, writes poety and novels and published a collection of Bahamian folktales in 1993 called An Evening in Guanima. The folktales involve trickster characters with names like B’Rabby, B’Bouki, B’Spider, and B’Elephant. Select Bahamian Literature to read more.

Goombay is a rhythmic Bahamian Calypso music popular for decades. Rake and Scrape Music, originating from Cat Island, combines European and African influences and uses recycled objects such as a saw, a piece of wood, a fishing line, a tin washtub, and a goatskin drum. Select the links to hear samples of the music. Select the name to listen to Bo Hog and the Rooters.

The national food of the Bahamas, conch (konk) is a mollusk featured all kinds of dishes such as conch soup, conch fritters, conch cake, and even conch pizza. Switcha, made with fresh lemons and limes, is the national drink. For more about the food of the Bahamas, select Authentic Bahamian Dishes and Traditional Bahamian Dishes.

Ten of the islands of the Bahamas are working together on a cultural program for visitors with locals as tour guides called People-to-People. “This unique opportunity offers the chance to connect on a deeper level with those generous enough to open their homes and hearts to travelers like you.” Select the program name to find out more.

Select the link to learn more about the Culture of the Bahamas.

Select Pirate History of the Bahamas to learn more the pirate past.

Following are the main island groups, primarily from northeast to southwest:

BIMINI
Just 50 miles due east from Miami, Florida, the islands of Bimini are the closest part of the Bahamas to the United States. A great place for big game fishing, Bimini was one of writer Ernest Hemingway’s favorite escapes. Roughly 2,500 people live in Bimini and the two main islands are North Bimini and South Bimini. Its main town is Alice Town on North Bimini. Some believe the Lost City of Atlantis is nearby. There is a Healing Hole of lithium and sulfur in a saltwater swamp in Bonefish Creek. 
Select the title to learn about the Dolphin House Museum in Alice Town.
Select The Fountain of Youth Monument to read its story.

GRAND BAHAMA
64 miles east of Palm Beach, Florida, Grand Bahama is the northern-most island of the Bahamas. It is the fourth largest island in the country at roughly 530 square miles and has a population of about 52,000. Nearly half of the homes on the island were destroyed in September 2019 by Hurricane Dorian. 
Freeport is the main city on Grand Bahama Island with a population of about 27,000. 
Port Lucaya Marketplace is a popular shopping area in Freeport.
Lucayan National Park has an underwater limestone cave system. 
Garden of the Groves is a beautiful area of nature trails, waterfalls, and fountains.

THE ABACOS 
The Abacos, a 120 mile chain of islands, the sailing capital of the Bahamas. They were hard hit by Hurricane Dorian in 2019. 
There’s a plaque at Carleton Point commemorating the founding of Treasure Cay by a group of British Loyalists who came there from the colonies in 1783 after the independence of the United States. 
Abaco National Park is 20,500 acres of pine forest in southern Abaco, an area with a number of parrots and the Hole in the Wall Lighthouse built in 1836.
Cherokee Sound Beach has the longest wooden dock in the Bahamas: 770 feet into the sea.
Black Sound Bay National Park is a two acre mangrove reserve on Green Turtle Cay. Gilliam Beach is highly recommended. 
Great Guana Cay is a close community of former British loyalists with excellent snorkeling, and a colorful underwater coral garden.
Elbow Cay with charming Hope Town.

ANDROS ISLAND
“Most islands are surrounded by water. Andros merges with water,” says the Caribbean Journal. The largest of the islands of the Bahamas, Andros has the only freshwater river, Goose River. Full of mangrove swamps, Andros Island has the largest national park system in the country. Andros Island has the world’s third largest fringing barrier reef (190 miles long and more than 6,000 feet below the ocean), and the most blue holes in the Bahamas. There is a legend of a creature called Lusca, a sea monster who can suck you into a blue hole, and a legend of Chickcharney, a large bird-like creature who lives in the pine forests. 
The Tongue of the Ocean is a mile-deep abyss full of aquatic life. 
The All Andros Crab Fest celebrates the Land of the Crabs each June.
The Berry Islands – cluster of 30 cays, remote and sparse, you could go an entire day without seeing anyone else

NEW PROVIDENCE ISLAND
New Providence Island has 80% of the country’s population (@250,000) and its big city capital Nassau. Blackbeard was part of the history of Nassau, and there is a Pirates of Nassau Museum. 
Paradise Island just to the north has the world famous Atlantis resort. Right next door, Rose Island is a more serene option.
Parliament Square in Nassau with colonial pink buildings.
The Queen’s Staircase goes up 66 steps from Nassau to Fort Fincastle, which was built between 1793 and 1794 with slave labor. It leads to the highest point on the island.
The Straw Market is an open-air market selling handwoven straw crafts.
Junkanoo is a colorful parade of music and dance celebrated in various places in the Bahamas, but the main celebration occurs in Nassau at the end of December/beginning of January.

ELEUTHERA
Eleuthera & Harbour Island have pink sand beaches, pineapple fields, and is the area where the British first settled in 1649.
The Glass Window Bridge is a beautiful bridge with turquoise waters of the Bight of Eleuthera on one side and dark blue waters of the Atlantic on the other.
The Eleuthera Pineapple Festival occurs in June.

CAT ISLAND
Cat Island is 48 miles long and a forty minute flight east from Nassau. Cat Island is named after the pirate Arthur Catt. Environmentally conscious, it’s considered the hippy island with a population of about 1,700. There is an 8 mile pink sand beach to walk. Sir Sydney Poitier lived here as a boy. 
Cat Island has the highest point in the Bahamas, Mount Alvernia (206 ft), with a monastery called the Hermitage built in 1939 at its top. 
Cat Island is where Rake and Scrape music originated and the Rake and Scrape Festival is held there each June.

The EXUMAS
The Exumas are an island chain of 365 islands (!!!) where it is sometimes shallow enough to walk from one island to another. At Pig Beach on Big Major Cay in the north, here are world famous swimming pigs that come up to boats expecting to be fed. 

LONG ISLAND
Long Island has cliffs, coral reefs, and pink and white sand beaches. Dean’s Blue Hole is the deepest blue hole in the world.

San Salvador is where Christopher Columbus landed in 1492 and he named it San Salvador. It’s a quiet, pristine, and friendly place to truly relax.

Acklins & Crooked Island are remote and viewed as retirement islands.

Ragged Island is a quiet island and the least inhabited with less than 100 people. It’s a haven for fishermen and boat builders.

Mayaguana has the only native mammal species of the Bahamas: the Bahamian Hutia, which is a plump, round member of the rodent family. 300 people live on Mayaguana in small, close fishing and farming villages.

Inagua Island is the southernmost island in the Bahamas with over 80,000 West Indian flamingos. As the bird watching island of the Bahamas, there are more than flamingos to see with over 140 different species of birds.
Matthew Town, in the southwest corner, features the old Great Inagua Lighthouse.