How to visit the swimming pigs of Exuma

Where the pigs are

The original colony lives on Big Major Cay, widely called Pig Beach, next to Staniel Cay in the Exuma Cays. Nobody is certain how they arrived; the stories range from shipwreck survivors to pigs left by sailors who meant to return for them. What is certain is that they have been there for decades, that they swim out to approaching boats because they have learned boats bring food, and that they are now looked after by residents of Staniel Cay with support from the government.

Smaller pig colonies have since been established elsewhere for visitors: on No Name Cay in the Abacos, on Rose Island near Nassau and on Meeks Patch off Spanish Wells in Eleuthera. These are easier to reach from their respective islands but they are not the Exuma pigs, and tour descriptions should say which you will see.

Reaching Big Major Cay from Great Exuma

The most common way to visit is a full-day boat excursion from Great Exuma. Boats leave from the northern end of the island, around Barraterre and the Emerald Bay area, and run roughly an hour north through the cays to Staniel Cay. The pigs are one stop among several: a typical day also includes the iguanas on Bitter Guana Cay, snorkelling at Thunderball Grotto, nurse sharks at Compass Cay and a sandbar stop, with lunch at Staniel Cay or on the boat.

Expect an early start and a long, sun-exposed day on the water. Operators run shared boats with set departures and private charters that follow the same route at your own pace. Book ahead in winter and around holidays; boats are small and fill quickly.

Reaching them from Staniel Cay or Nassau

If you are staying on Staniel Cay or arriving by private boat, Big Major Cay is minutes away and can be visited at quiet times of day. Small aircraft fly to Staniel Cay's airstrip from Nassau and Fort Lauderdale, and some visitors fly in for a night or two specifically for the cays.

From Nassau, operators run long day trips by powerboat, usually leaving early and covering the crossing to the northern Exumas in a couple of hours each way. There are also fly-and-boat packages that put you on a flight to Staniel Cay and a boat from there. Both work, but the time at the pigs is short relative to the travel; if the pigs are the point of your trip, stay on Great Exuma or Staniel Cay instead.

How to behave around the pigs

The pigs are animals, not an attraction with staff, and several died in 2017 after visitors gave them food and drink that harmed them. Follow your captain's instructions, which will usually include the points below.

• Feed only what the crew provides, and feed it in the water rather than on the sand, where the pigs can swallow sand along with food.
• No alcohol, no human snacks, nothing with packaging.
• Give the large pigs space; they can bite and they do not understand personal boundaries.
• Keep children close and do not let anyone ride, chase or corner the animals.
• Take nothing from the beach and leave nothing behind.

What to bring and when to go

Reef-safe sunscreen, a hat, a long-sleeved sun shirt, water shoes for rocky landings, a dry bag for phones and a towel. The boats are open and the sun is relentless; shade is limited. Winter days are pleasant but the crossing can be choppy after a cold front; summer is calmer and hotter. Trips run year round, with the quietest beaches early in the day before the Nassau boats arrive.

Finally, remember that the cays around the pigs include the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, a no-take marine reserve. Nothing may be fished, collected or disturbed inside its boundaries.