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The Bahamas — Pigs on the beach.jpg

The Bahamas

cdorobek · CC BY 2.0

Nassau & the Exumas

Two days of city and fort, three of the clearest water in the Atlantic.

days
5
bases
3
places to eat
5
budget
elevated

Most Bahamas trips never get past Nassau, which is a shame, because the country is 700 islands and the good one is a 40-minute flight away. This route gives Nassau the two days it deserves, then moves to the Exumas, sandbars, swimming pigs, and water so clear the boat looks like it's floating on air.

What you get

The whole trip, decided.

Not a list of sights. A route someone has already walked, with the bookings that need doing early flagged, the transfers timed, and the costs written as real ranges instead of a fantasy number.

5 days
written out morning, afternoon and evening
3 bases
where to sleep each night, and why there
5 places to eat
with what to order and which base it is near
5 local tips
the things a guidebook does not tell you
A route map
showing how the whole trip fits together
Full costs
stay, food, activities and transport, broken out
6 pre-trip checks
what to confirm yourself before you book
A printable PDF
works offline, yours to keep

Why this one

Worth the flight.

  • The Exuma sandbars at low tide, where you stand in ankle-deep water a mile from land
  • Swimming pigs at Big Major Cay, daft, famous, and genuinely fun
  • Thunderball Grotto, a snorkelling cave used in two Bond films
  • Conch salad cut in front of you at the Fish Fry on Arawak Cay
  • Tropic of Cancer Beach, empty most days, with the line of latitude painted on the steps

Best months are December, January, February, March, April, May. Expect around $1,900–3,600 per person, excluding international flights for the whole 5 days, excluding flights. The guide breaks that into stay, food, activities and transport so you can see where it goes.

How this stays honest

Checked August 2026

Prices, opening days and entry rules drift, and no written guide can outrun that. So costs are always ranges rather than quotes, every plan carries the date it was last checked, and the last page is six things to confirm yourself before you book anything.

I take no commission from any hotel or operator. You book everything yourself, in your own name, at the price you can see.

See the other guides