The Swimming Pigs of the Exumas.

The Exumas

The Exumas are a 120-mile chain of more than 360 islands and cays scattered across some of the most beautiful water on earth, a dazzling palette of turquoise, jade and sapphire. Their most famous residents are the swimming pigs of Big Major Cay, who paddle out from the beach to greet arriving boats, a joyful, surreal Bahamian icon.

A day cruising the Exuma Cays takes in far more: snorkeling with friendly nurse sharks at Compass Cay, hand-feeding iguanas, the underwater Thunderball Grotto made famous by James Bond, sandbars that appear at low tide, and the pristine Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park.

It is the Bahamas at its most idyllic and adventurous, a boating paradise of empty cays and impossible blues.

Where: The Exuma Cays, central Bahamas
Best time: Dec–Apr (dry season); year-round
Good for: Boating & wildlife
Pair it with: Nassau or a yacht charter

Where it is

On the map.

The Exuma Cays stretch across the central Bahamas; Big Major Cay (Pig Beach) and Staniel Cay are the hub, reached by boat or a short flight from Nassau.

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What you'll see

On the route.

Stop 01

A swimming pig at Big Major Cay

The Exumas' most famous residents paddle out from the beach to greet arriving boats in the clear turquoise shallows.

Stop 02

A turquoise sandbar from above

Pale sandbars surface at low tide across water so clear and bright it hardly looks real, the Exumas at their most dazzling.

Stop 03

The nurse sharks of Compass Cay

Friendly nurse sharks glide through the shallows off Compass Cay, where snorkelers can wade in alongside them.

Stop 04

A quiet Exuma cay

Beyond the headline stops lie empty beaches and palm-fringed cays, the pure, unhurried calm of the Out Islands.

Know before you go

The practical details.

Good to know

Seeing the pigs

The famous pigs live on uninhabited Big Major Cay near Staniel Cay; most visitors come on a boat tour, either a full-day excursion from Nassau or a shorter trip if staying in the Exumas. Feed them only what guides allow, keep a respectful distance, and go early before the crowds.

Good to know

The full Exuma day

A classic Exuma boat tour strings together the pigs, the nurse sharks at Compass Cay, the iguanas, the Thunderball Grotto and a sandbar swim. Conditions depend on the tide and weather, so a flexible, well-run charter makes all the difference.

Good to know

Getting there & when

The Exumas are reached by a short flight or boat from Nassau, or by private yacht. The dry season (December to April) brings the calmest seas and clearest water, ideal for boating, while summer is warm with the small chance of a passing storm.

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The Swimming Pigs of the Exumas.

On the map.