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Swimming pigs on the beach in the Exumas

22 of the best · The Bahamas

Things to Do in The Bahamas: Pigs, Blue Holes and Forts

The Queen’s Staircase and Nassau’s forts, flamingos at Ardastra, the Exuma Cays and the swimming pigs, Thunderball Grotto, Dean’s Blue Hole and the national parks.

Our 22 favourites, listed A–Z · Updated October 2026

Insiders' picks

Three of our favourites from this list, vetted by people who know and love The Bahamas.

  1. The world’s first land-and-sea park

    Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park

    Exuma Cays·National park

    Created in 1958, 176 square miles of protected cays, reefs and water, and the wider Caribbean’s first no-take reserve.

    Park HQ, Warderick Wells, Exuma Cays, The BahamasExplore View on map

  2. The swimming pigs

    Big Major Cay (“Pig Beach”)

    Exuma Cays·Wildlife beach

    The official home of the swimming pigs, reached only by boat, usually from Staniel Cay.

    Big Major Cay, Exuma Cays, The BahamasExplore View on map

  3. 663 feet of blue

    Dean’s Blue Hole

    Long Island·Blue hole

    One of the world’s deepest known blue holes, 663 ft (202 m), in a white-sand cove beneath limestone cliffs.

    Long Island, The BahamasExplore View on map

The full list: Attractions, A–Z

Show 17 of 22 places on a map
Neighbourhood

In depth 3

Island hopping by boat.

  1. The back story

    Blue holes of the Bahamas: Dean’s, Andros and beyond

    The Bahamas·In depth: blue holes

    Dean’s Blue Hole, the more than 180 blue holes of Andros, Ben’s Cave and the inland holes of Abaco, Eleuthera and San Salvador.

    Explore View on map

  2. The back story

    Seven days in the Exuma Cays: an island-hopping itinerary

    Exuma Cays·In depth: by boat

    A week by boat from Nassau through the Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park to Staniel Cay, the pigs and back.

    Explore View on map

  3. The back story

    Sharks, pigs and stingrays: wildlife encounters and etiquette

    The Bahamas·In depth: wildlife

    The shark sanctuary of 2011, where to dive with sharks, the swimming pigs and nurse sharks of the Exumas, and how to behave around them.

    Explore View on map

Nassau & Paradise Island 7

History and fun.

  1. Slides, rapids and dolphins

    Aquaventure & Dolphin Cay

    Atlantis · Paradise Island·Water park & marine habitat

    The Atlantis water park with a mile-long river ride, and Dolphin Cay, a 14-acre marine habitat.

    Atlantis, One Casino Drive, Paradise Island, The BahamasExplore View on map

  2. The marching flamingos

    Ardastra Gardens, Zoo & Conservation Centre

    Nassau·Gardens & zoo

    Tropical gardens and a boutique zoo with more than 135 animals, famous for the flamingos, the national bird.

    Explore View on map

  3. Thirty-plus attractions on the beach

    Baha Bay

    Baha Mar · Cable Beach·Water park

    Baha Mar’s beachfront water park on 15 acres, with more than 30 attractions and a lazy river.

    Baha Mar Boulevard, Nassau, New Providence, The BahamasExplore View on map

  4. Dolphins, sea lions and a lagoon

    Blue Lagoon Island

    Salt Cay · off Nassau·Island day trip

    A private-island day out three miles north-east of Nassau, home to Dolphin Encounters.

    Salt Cay, The BahamasExplore View on map

  5. The largest fort on New Providence

    Fort Charlotte

    West Bay Street · Nassau·Historic fort

    The biggest of Nassau’s forts, on a 100-acre hilltop a mile west of downtown.

    West Bay Street, Nassau, New Providence, The BahamasExplore View on map

  6. The 66 steps

    Queen’s Staircase & Fort Fincastle

    Elizabeth Avenue · Nassau·Historic landmark

    The 66 steps cut from solid limestone in 1793–94 to link Fort Fincastle with the town.

    Elizabeth Avenue South, Nassau, New Providence, The BahamasExplore View on map

  7. Taste your way round downtown

    Tru Bahamian Food Tours

    George & King Streets · Downtown Nassau·Food walking tour

    A three-hour guided tasting and culture walk through historic downtown Nassau.

    George & King Streets, Nassau, New Providence, The BahamasExplore View on map

The Exuma Cays 4

By boat.

  1. The swimming pigs

    Big Major Cay (“Pig Beach”)

    Exuma Cays·Wildlife beach

    The official home of the swimming pigs, reached only by boat, usually from Staniel Cay.

    Big Major Cay, Exuma Cays, The BahamasExplore View on map

  2. Swim with nurse sharks

    Compass Cay Marina’s nurse sharks

    Compass Cay · Exuma·Marine encounter

    Compass Cay Marina, where visitors snorkel and swim with the resident nurse sharks.

    Compass Cay, Exuma Cays, The BahamasExplore View on map

  3. The world’s first land-and-sea park

    Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park

    Exuma Cays·National park

    Created in 1958, 176 square miles of protected cays, reefs and water, and the wider Caribbean’s first no-take reserve.

    Park HQ, Warderick Wells, Exuma Cays, The BahamasExplore View on map

  4. The James Bond grotto

    Thunderball Grotto

    Staniel Cay · Exuma·Snorkelling cave

    An underwater cave just west of Staniel Cay, named after the James Bond film that made it famous.

    Staniel Cay, Exuma Cays, The BahamasExplore View on map

Nature & parks 8

Blue holes and caves.

  1. Lemon sharks and science

    Bimini Shark Lab

    South Bimini·Shark research station

    The Bimini Biological Field Station, a shark research station on South Bimini since 1990.

    Port Royal, South Bimini, The BahamasExplore View on map

  2. The blue-hole capital of the world

    Blue Holes National Park

    Central Andros·National park

    About 40,000 acres protecting the blue holes of Andros, which has more than 180 of them.

    Stanyard Creek, Andros, The BahamasExplore View on map

  3. A land-based coral farm

    Coral Vita

    Freeport · Grand Bahama·Coral farm

    A land-based coral farm in Freeport that grows resilient corals for reef restoration.

    1 Magellan Close, Freeport, Grand Bahama, The BahamasExplore View on map

  4. 663 feet of blue

    Dean’s Blue Hole

    Long Island·Blue hole

    One of the world’s deepest known blue holes, 663 ft (202 m), in a white-sand cove beneath limestone cliffs.

    Long Island, The BahamasExplore View on map

  5. Two seas, one view

    Glass Window Bridge

    North Eleuthera·Natural wonder

    The narrow bridge where the deep-blue Atlantic meets the calm Bight of Eleuthera.

    Queen’s Highway, North Eleuthera, The BahamasExplore View on map

  6. The flamingo capital

    Inagua National Park

    Great Inagua·National park

    Created in 1965 on 183,740 acres, home to the world’s largest breeding colony of West Indian flamingos.

    Matthew Town, Great Inagua, The BahamasExplore View on map

  7. Eleuthera’s first national park

    Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve

    Banks Road · Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera·Botanic garden & national park

    A 30-acre botanic garden of Bahamian plants, managed by the Bahamas National Trust, with a medicinal plant trail.

    Banks Road, Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera, The BahamasExplore View on map

  8. Caves, creeks and Gold Rock Beach

    Lucayan National Park

    Grand Bahama·National park

    A 40-acre national park with one of the world’s largest underwater cave systems, mangrove trails and Gold Rock Beach.

    Grand Bahama Highway, Grand Bahama, The BahamasExplore View on map

Keep your distance from wildlife and follow the rules on site. In the Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park, fishing, conching and shelling are prohibited.

Explore more of The Bahamas

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