Getting to Exuma and getting around: airports, ferries, cars and boats

Which Exuma you are going to

George Town on Great Exuma is the main settlement, with the airport, the ferry dock, the banks, fuel and most of the island's hotels and villas. Little Exuma, across a short bridge to the south, holds Tropic of Cancer Beach and a handful of quiet settlements. The Exuma Cays run north from the top of Great Exuma for more than sixty miles: Staniel Cay and Black Point are the inhabited hubs, the swimming pigs and Thunderball Grotto sit beside Staniel Cay, and the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park lies further north still.

Most visitors base themselves on Great Exuma and take a long boat day into the cays. Those who want the pigs and the grotto on their doorstep stay on or near Staniel Cay instead, and accept that everything else is a boat ride away.

Flying in

Exuma International Airport (GGT) is at Moss Town, a short drive northwest of George Town. It has direct flights from Nassau and, with more frequency in winter, from several cities in the United States and Canada. Schedules change by season, so check the airlines directly for the dates you want and allow for the fact that some routes run only on certain days.

Staniel Cay has a small airstrip served by scheduled small-aircraft and charter flights, including from Nassau. It is the direct route to the northern cays and avoids the long boat run from Great Exuma, but small aircraft carry strict luggage limits and weather can delay them. For a group, a charter into Staniel Cay can cost about the same as scheduled flights plus transfers.

By sea

A fast ferry links Nassau with George Town on certain days, taking several hours, and the mailboat makes the same run more slowly with cargo. The ferry suits travellers with heavy luggage or who dislike small aircraft; it does not suit a tight schedule, because sailings are infrequent and can be cancelled for weather. Mailboats also serve Staniel Cay and Black Point on long runs through the cays. Timetables and fares change, so confirm them with the operator before you plan around a sailing.

Cruising yachts arrive under their own power, and the cays are among the most popular cruising grounds in the country. The Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park has mooring fields and rules set by the Bahamas National Trust, which publishes the current fees.

Getting around Great Exuma and Little Exuma

A rental car is close to essential. One road, the Queen's Highway, runs the length of Great Exuma from Barraterre in the north through George Town and over the bridge to Little Exuma, and the beaches and settlements are spread along it. Driving is on the left. Rental cars are available at the airport and in George Town, and they book out in winter, so reserve one with your accommodation.

Taxis meet flights and are the usual way from the airport to a hotel if you are not collecting a car. There is no public bus service. Fuel is sold in George Town and a few other points, so fill up before a long day north or south. Allow about half an hour from George Town to Tropic of Cancer Beach and about forty-five minutes to the north end of the island.

Getting onto the water

Stocking Island sits across Elizabeth Harbour from George Town and is reached by water taxi from the town waterfront in a few minutes. Boat excursions to the swimming pigs, Thunderball Grotto, the nurse sharks and the sandbars leave from the north end of Great Exuma and from George Town; from the north end the run into the cays is shorter, so many operators collect guests there. These are full days, usually eight hours or more, and the stops depend on tide and sea state.

From Staniel Cay the pigs, the grotto and the iguanas are minutes away by small boat, and a day trip north into the Land and Sea Park is practical. Private charters, from a centre console for a family to a crewed catamaran for a week, are the other way to see the chain; our boat charter guide explains how they are quoted.

Between the cays

There are no roads between cays and no scheduled passenger boats, so every move is by private boat, water taxi arranged locally or the mailboat. Staniel Cay and Black Point are a short run apart. On the inhabited cays, golf carts and walking cover the distances. Nothing here is spontaneous: book boats, fuel and rooms ahead, and keep a spare day for weather.

• Fly to Exuma International (GGT) for Great Exuma and Little Exuma; fly to Staniel Cay for the northern cays.
• Reserve a rental car with your accommodation; driving is on the left.
• Confirm ferry and mailboat sailings with the operator, and airline schedules for your dates.
• Boat days into the cays run eight hours or more and depend on tide and weather.
• Check current park fees and mooring rules with the Bahamas National Trust.