With 700 islands to choose from, the Bahamas’ sights split cleanly by island: resort spectacle near Nassau, wild swimming pigs and blue holes out in the Exumas and Long Island, and quieter nature and history on Grand Bahama. This page covers the ones worth building a trip around.
Atlantis Paradise Island
The resort on Paradise Island, just across the bridge from Nassau, opened under the Atlantis name on 11 December 1998, replacing an older hotel and casino that had stood on the site since 1968. It covers 154 acres (62 ha) across five hotel towers with 3,805 guest rooms. The main draw for a day visit is its marine habitat, billed as the largest open-air marine habitat in the world, holding more than 65,000 aquatic animals across 250 species, including dolphins, sharks, sawfish and stingrays. The Aquaventure Waterpark threads through the same grounds, and the resort’s casino runs to 60,000 square feet with 85 table games and more than 700 slot machines. You do not need to stay at the resort to visit, but day-pass access and prices change by season, so check current rates before you go.
The swimming pigs of Exuma
Big Major Cay, an uninhabited island in the Exuma Cays roughly 89 miles from Nassau (about two hours by speedboat), is home to a population of feral pigs that swim out to meet arriving boats. Numbers were estimated at fifty to sixty pigs as of 2019. Nobody knows for certain how they got there: theories range from sailors who meant to return and eat them, to shipwreck survivors who swam ashore, to a deliberate release by Staniel Cay residents in the 1990s as a tourist draw. Whatever the origin, the pigs now depend partly on food brought by visiting boats, so bring only what your tour operator recommends rather than feeding them yourself.
Dean’s Blue Hole
Near Clarence Town on Long Island, Dean’s Blue Hole drops 202 metres (663 ft), making it the world’s third-deepest known blue hole. It opens at the surface to a modest 30 m diameter before widening underwater into a cavern 100 m across, a shape that has made it a leading freediving venue: the annual Vertical Blue competition has been held there since William Trubridge set a no-fins world record of 92 metres in 2010. The sport carries real risk, underlined by freediver Nicholas Mevoli’s death there in November 2013 while attempting an American national record. Snorkelling the surface and shallows is popular and far safer than diving the depths, which is for trained freedivers only.
Lucayan National Park
On Grand Bahama, near Freeport, Lucayan National Park was established in March 1982 and covers 40 acres of land within a 1,937-acre protected area. Beneath it runs 6.4 miles (10.3 km) of charted underwater cave tunnels, among the longest surveyed underwater cave systems anywhere, explored by divers and, in places, accessible to walking visitors. The caves are also where scientists first described the Remipedia, a class of blind cave-dwelling crustaceans, in 1979. The park doubles as an Important Bird Area, home to the thick-billed vireo, Bahama swallow and olive-capped warbler, and is managed by the Bahamas National Trust.
Queen’s Staircase, Nassau
In Nassau, the Queen’s Staircase climbs Bennet’s Hill within the Fort Fincastle Historic Complex: 65 steps (one fewer than originally cut) rising a total of 102 feet (31 m). A workforce of 600 slaves began carving the steps from solid limestone in 1793, finishing in 1794, to link the fort on the hilltop to the town below. It was later named for Queen Victoria in recognition of her role in abolishing slavery across the British Empire, though, despite what some tour guides claim, the step count does not match the length of her reign. Water still runs down beside the steps to a pool at the base, and the walk up is shaded by tropical plants and limestone walls.
Practical tips
- Getting beyond New Providence and Grand Bahama (for the Exuma pigs or Dean’s Blue Hole) usually means a short domestic flight or a chartered boat; see the country page for inter-island transport basics.
- Atlantis and the Queen’s Staircase are easy half-day visits from Nassau; Big Major Cay and Dean’s Blue Hole need a full day and, for the blue hole, a flight or ferry to Long Island.
- Freshwater and salt water don’t mix evenly in a blue hole: expect a haze layer partway down if you snorkel Dean’s Blue Hole, which is normal and not a sign of poor visibility.
- Pair a day at Lucayan National Park with the where-to-stay guide for Grand Bahama’s quieter lodging options compared with Nassau.
What to check before you go
- Current Atlantis day-pass availability and pricing, which the resort adjusts seasonally and sometimes restricts to hotel guests only.
- Tour operator rules for the Exuma pigs, since feeding guidelines and which beaches are open to boats can change.
- Vertical Blue’s competition dates each year, which can mean Dean’s Blue Hole has restricted public access during the event.
- Cave access at Lucayan National Park, since some passages require a permit or a guide and conditions can change after storms.