# The Exumas Travel Guide

> Plan the Exumas with a travel advisor: how to get there from Canada, Great Exuma vs Staniel Cay, the swimming-pigs boat loop, best months, budgets and a 5-day itinerary.

- Country: Bahamas
- Canonical page: https://savvyjetsetter.ca/destinations/exumas
- Last updated: 2026-10-13
- Author: Bobby Atwal, TICO-registered travel advisor (Fora Travel), Toronto — https://savvyjetsetter.ca/inquiry

## Overview

The Exumas are what people picture when they say 'the Bahamas' — 365 cays strung across 200 km of water so clear it photographs like a swimming pool. This is the home of the swimming pigs, the nurse sharks of Compass Cay, the Thunderball Grotto, and a sandbar for every hour of the tide. There's no cruise port, no strip, and barely a town — just Great Exuma at the bottom, the private-island resorts in the middle, and a boat as your car. It's a yacht trip you can do from a hotel.

## At a glance

- **Best time to visit:** November to May is the window — dry, 24–29°C, light winds and the clearest water. February to April is peak demand and price.
- **Budget:** $250–350 USD/day (a Great Exuma guesthouse or Airbnb, a rental car, groceries, one shared boat tour).
- **Getting there from Canada:** Fly into Nassau (NAS) nonstop from Toronto (YYZ) on Air Canada and WestJet (~3.5h), then a 40-min hop on Bahamasair or a charter to Great Exuma (GGT), or a scheduled Flamingo Air / charter into Staniel Cay (TYM) for…

## Best time to visit

**November to May** is the window — dry, 24–29°C, light winds and the clearest water. **February to April** is peak demand and price. **May and November** are the value months: fewer boats at the pigs, lower resort rates, calm seas. **June to October** is hot, humid and hurricane season; some resorts and boat operators pause in September. The water temperature only dips to about 24°C in January — still swimmable.

## Budget

**Budget:** $250–350 USD/day (a Great Exuma guesthouse or Airbnb, a rental car, groceries, one shared boat tour). **Mid-range:** $500–800/day (Sandals Royal Bahamian is on Nassau, so here that means Grand Isle Resort or Peace & Plenty, plus a full-day boat charter split with another couple). **Luxury:** $2,000–5,000+/day (Fowl Cay, Kamalame Cay on Andros, a Staniel Cay villa with a boat, or a crewed yacht charter). Boat days are the big line item — budget $800–1,500 for a private full-day charter.

## Getting there

**Fly into Nassau (NAS)** nonstop from **Toronto (YYZ)** on Air Canada and WestJet (~3.5h), then a 40-min hop on Bahamasair or a charter to **Great Exuma (GGT)**, or a scheduled Flamingo Air / charter into **Staniel Cay (TYM)** for the central cays. Bahamasair also flies GGT direct from Miami. A private transfer from GGT to the Grand Isle / Emerald Bay area is 15 min; to George Town, 10 min.

## Getting around

**On Great Exuma, rent a car** (drive on the left) — the island is 60 km long and the beaches are spread out. **Everywhere else, you need a boat**: day charters out of Barraterre or George Town run the pigs/sharks/grotto loop; staying on Staniel Cay puts you 5 minutes from everything by rented skiff. There is no ferry network between the cays worth relying on.

## Quick facts

- **Airport:** Great Exuma (GGT) via Nassau (NAS); Staniel Cay (TYM) by charter
- **Currency:** BSD (Bahamian Dollar, 1:1 with USD); USD accepted
- **Language:** English
- **Time zone:** GMT-5 (Eastern, follows daylight saving)
- **Plugs:** Type A/B, 120V (Canadian plugs work)
- **Visa (Canadians):** Visa-free for Canadians (up to 8 months)
- **Tipping:** 15%; often added automatically

## Where to stay

- **Emerald Bay (Great Exuma)** — The resort zone — Grand Isle Resort villas, the Emerald Bay marina and golf course, a mile of white beach. Polished and easy. — best for: families, golfers, first-timers
- **George Town & Elizabeth Harbour** — The sleepy capital, the yacht anchorage and the ferry to Stocking Island’s Chat ’N’ Chill. Peace & Plenty is the classic hotel. — best for: sailors, a local base, value
- **Stocking Island** — A long barrier island across the harbour with the famous Sunday pig roast at Chat ’N’ Chill, stingrays in the shallows and hiking to Atlantic-side beaches. — best for: a lazy Sunday, snorkellers
- **Staniel Cay** — The hub of the central cays — Staniel Cay Yacht Club, the swimming pigs at Big Major next door, Thunderball Grotto across the channel. Tiny, charming, boat-dependent. — best for: boat lovers, couples, repeat visitors
- **The private cays** — Fowl Cay (all-inclusive island with your own boat), Musha Cay (David Copperfield’s), Over Yonder Cay. Buy-out or ultra-luxury territory. — best for: once-in-a-lifetime, large family groups, honeymoons with a budget to match

## Food and drink

- **Chat ’N’ Chill** (Stocking Island) — Beach-bar institution — conch salad made in front of you, the Sunday pig roast, stingrays nosing your ankles. ~$25–35/person. Take the water taxi from George Town.
- **Santanna’s Bar & Grill** (Williams Town, Great Exuma) — Johnny Depp ate here during Pirates filming and the sign won’t let you forget it. Grilled lobster and cracked conch on the water, ~$30–40/person.
- **Staniel Cay Yacht Club** (Staniel Cay) — The central cays’ only real restaurant and bar — conch fritters and cold Kalik on the dock while nurse sharks circle below. ~$35–50/person. Dinner is a set seating; book.
- **Shirley’s at the Fish Fry** (George Town) — The cluster of shacks north of town — fried snapper, conch, peas ’n’ rice, Friday night music. ~$15–25/person. Cash.
- **Big D’s Conch Spot** (Steventon) — Conch every way, on a dock over gin-clear water, with swimming and rum punch between courses. ~$20–30/person. Ask about Sunday.

## Day trips

- **The Exuma Cays boat loop** (Full day from Barraterre or George Town (~$150–250/person shared; $1,000+ private)) — The reason you came: swimming pigs at Big Major, nurse sharks at Compass Cay, iguanas on Allen’s Cay, Thunderball Grotto, Pig Beach, and a sandbar lunch. Private charters beat the group boats for pacing and photos.
- **Moriah Harbour Cay sandbars** (20 min by boat from George Town) — A national park of shifting sandbars, mangroves and shallows just south of Great Exuma — kayak, paddleboard or anchor and wade for hours. Few tourists.
- **Tropic of Cancer Beach** (45 min by car from George Town) — A vast, empty, impossibly blue beach on Little Exuma right on the Tropic of Cancer line, with a painted marker on the steps. Bring everything — there’s nothing there.
- **Exuma Land & Sea Park (by yacht)** (1h by boat from Staniel Cay) — The protected no-take park around Warderick Wells — the clearest water in the chain, hiking to Boo Boo Hill, and reef snorkelling. Only practical from a boat or a Staniel Cay base.

## Common mistakes

- **Staying in Nassau and “doing the Exumas in a day”:** The speedboat day trips from Nassau are 3 hours each way on open water. Fly to Great Exuma or Staniel Cay instead — you’ll see twice as much with none of the misery.
- **Taking the big group boat to the pigs:** Thirty people and a fixed timetable. A private or small-group charter gets you to Big Major early, before the pigs are fed up with visitors.
- **Not packing for a boat week:** Dry bag, rash guard, reef-safe sunscreen, water shoes and a waterproof phone case. There are no shops on the cays.
- **Forgetting the Nassau connection:** Build 2–3 hours between flights at NAS; Bahamasair runs late, and missing the GGT hop costs a night. An advisor will time this for you.

## Sample itinerary

### Day 1: YYZ → Nassau → Great Exuma

- Morning nonstop to Nassau
- Afternoon hop to GGT
- Check in at Emerald Bay, first swim
- Fish fry dinner near George Town

### Day 2: The Cays boat loop

- Early private charter from Barraterre
- Swimming pigs, nurse sharks, iguanas
- Thunderball Grotto snorkel
- Sandbar picnic and the long blue ride home

### Day 3: Stocking Island Sunday

- Water taxi to Chat ’N’ Chill
- Pig roast and stingrays
- Hike to the Atlantic beach
- Sunset back at Elizabeth Harbour

### Day 4: Little Exuma by car

- Drive south over the bridge
- Tropic of Cancer Beach for the morning
- Lobster at Santanna’s
- Conch and a swim at Big D’s

### Day 5: Sandbars → departure

- Kayak the Moriah Harbour Cay shallows
- Last swim at Emerald Bay
- Afternoon flight to Nassau
- Overnight in Nassau or late connection home

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I get to the Exumas from Canada?

Nonstop to Nassau from Toronto (3.5h), then a 40-minute flight to Great Exuma. For the central cays, a charter into Staniel Cay. Allow a generous connection in Nassau; many trips add a Nassau night at the end.

### Where exactly are the swimming pigs?

Big Major Cay, next to Staniel Cay in the central Exumas. It’s a full-day boat trip from Great Exuma or a 5-minute skiff ride if you stay on Staniel Cay.

### Should I stay on Great Exuma or Staniel Cay?

Great Exuma for resorts, a car, beaches and a wider choice of restaurants — good for families and first trips. Staniel Cay for couples and boat people who want to be in the middle of the action with a rented skiff.

### Is this a good honeymoon?

One of the best in the hemisphere if you love water and don’t need nightlife. A Staniel Cay villa with a boat, or a few nights on a private cay, is the trip advisors dream of planning.

## Plan this trip

- Have a TICO-registered advisor plan The Exumas (complimentary; the hotel pays the commission): https://savvyjetsetter.ca/inquiry?destination=The%20Exumas
- Free AI itinerary for The Exumas: https://savvyjetsetter.ca/plan?destination=The%20Exumas
- All destinations: https://savvyjetsetter.ca/destinations · Site index for AI agents: https://savvyjetsetter.ca/llms.txt