3 min read
How to visit the swimming pigs of Exuma
Where the swimming pigs are, how to reach Big Major Cay from Great Exuma, Staniel Cay or Nassau, what a day trip includes, and how to behave around the animals.
Swimming with the pigs: tours to Pig Beach in the Exumas
The swimming pigs of Big Major Cay are the most requested experience in The Bahamas. Tours reach them by boat from Great Exuma in about an hour, from Staniel Cay in minutes, and from Nassau on long day trips. This page explains the options so you can choose the right one and send a request for the day that fits.
What a swimming pigs tour includes
A typical full-day tour from Great Exuma combines several stops in the northern cays: the pigs at Big Major Cay, the rock iguanas on Bitter Guana Cay, snorkelling at Thunderball Grotto, the nurse sharks at Compass Cay and a sandbar stop timed to the tide, with lunch at Staniel Cay or on the boat. Shared boats run set departures; private charters follow the same route at your pace and can linger where you like.
From Nassau, operators run long day trips by powerboat to the same cays, and fly-and-boat combinations that put you on a small aircraft to Staniel Cay with a boat waiting. Both work, but the travel time is long relative to the time with the animals.
Choosing a departure point
Great Exuma is the best base if the pigs are the point of your trip: the ride is about an hour each way, the day is spent among the cays, and boats leave from the northern end of the island near Barraterre and Emerald Bay. Staniel Cay, with its own airstrip, is closest of all and suits a night or two in the cays. Nassau is the most convenient for a single day from a resort, at the cost of a very early start and several hours of crossing.
Visiting responsibly
The pigs are animals living on an uninhabited cay, not a managed attraction, and several died in 2017 after being fed unsuitable food. Operators now brief every guest: feed only what the crew provides and feed it in the water, bring no alcohol or packaged snacks near the animals, give the large pigs room, and keep children close. Nothing may be taken from the beach, and the nearby Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park is a strict no-take reserve.
What we can arrange
Full-day cays tour from Great Exuma
Shared or private boat covering the pigs, iguanas, Thunderball Grotto, Compass Cay and a sandbar.
About this placePrivate charter with a captain
Your own boat and route through the northern cays, with as long at the pigs as you like.
Nassau day trip
Powerboat or fly-and-boat from New Providence for travellers staying in Nassau or Paradise Island.
Thunderball Grotto snorkel
The cavern swim near Staniel Cay that most pig tours include at low tide.
About this place
Ready to plan it?
Send your dates, group and what you have in mind. We check availability with verified local operators and reply with real options, free of charge.
Common questions
Where are the swimming pigs?
On Big Major Cay, next to Staniel Cay in the northern Exuma Cays. Smaller colonies established for visitors exist on No Name Cay in the Abacos, Rose Island near Nassau and Meeks Patch near Spanish Wells, Eleuthera.
How far are the pigs from Nassau?
Roughly 80 miles by sea. Day trips from Nassau take most of a day, with two to three hours of travel each way. From Great Exuma the boat ride is about an hour.
Can children go?
Yes on most tours, though operators set their own minimum ages and swimming requirements. Tell us the ages in your group and we will recommend suitable boats.
Can I swim with the pigs?
Yes. The pigs swim out to boats and wade in the shallows, and visitors get in the water with them under the crew's guidance.
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