Tours and experiences
Swimming pigs, reef snorkelling, blue holes, fishing, cultural tours and Junkanoo: the experiences that define a Bahamas trip, arranged with trusted operators.
Request tours and experiences on Acklins and CrookedAcklins and Crooked Island
Acklins, Crooked Island and Long Cay form a broken ring around the Bight of Acklins, a vast, shallow lagoon in the southern Bahamas. Fewer than a thousand people live across the three islands, in small settlements strung along the coast. Anglers come for the flats, and almost nobody else comes at all, which is part of the appeal.
Crooked Island lies on the northern side of the ring. Colonel Hill, with the airport, is the main settlement; Landrail Point and Pittstown Point are at the northwestern tip, looking across to Bird Rock and its lighthouse, built in 1876 to guide ships through the Crooked Island Passage, one of the main shipping lanes through the archipelago. Loyalist planters established cotton estates here in the 1780s and 1790s, and the ruins of their houses and walls survive in the bush.
Acklins is the larger, longer island on the southern and eastern side of the bight, with its airport at Spring Point. Castle Island Lighthouse, built in 1867, stands off its southern tip. Acklins is the main source of cascarilla bark, harvested from a native shrub and exported as a flavouring; it is one of the ingredients of Campari. The bight between the islands, with its channels and flats, is the reason most visitors come: it is among the finest bonefishing water in the country.
Samana Cay, an uninhabited island to the northeast, was proposed by a National Geographic study in 1986 as Columbus's true first landfall, an alternative to San Salvador. Hurricane Joaquin caused severe damage to both islands in 2015, and rebuilding has been gradual.
Accommodation is limited to a few fishing lodges and guesthouses. Visitors should book lodging and guiding together and expect a self-reliant trip.
Getting there
Routes change by season. We describe how arrivals work and leave schedules and fares to the carriers.
- Flights from Nassau serve Colonel Hill (CRI) on Crooked Island and Spring Point (AXP) on Acklins, typically a few times a week.
- A small ferry crosses between Crooked Island and Acklins at the narrow channel between them. Mailboats from Nassau serve both islands.
What we can arrange on Acklins and Crooked
Boats and charters
Crewed yachts, bareboat sailing in the Abacos and Exumas, day boats with a captain, and fishing charters across the islands.
Request boats and charters on Acklins and CrookedStays
From large resorts on Paradise Island to beach cottages on Eleuthera and villas in the Exumas, matched to the island that suits your trip.
Request stays on Acklins and CrookedPlanning a trip to Acklins and Crooked?
Send us your dates and what you have in mind. We will come back with real options for this island and honest advice about what fits.
Questions about Acklins and Crooked
Can I travel between Crooked Island and Acklins?
Yes. A small government ferry crosses the channel between the two islands; check its schedule locally as it is tide and demand dependent.
Is this a good destination for a family beach holiday?
Not really. Services are minimal and the islands are oriented to fishing and solitude. Families wanting facilities will be happier on Exuma, Eleuthera or the main islands.
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Often planned with Acklins and Crooked
Inagua
The southernmost island: a national park with tens of thousands of West Indian flamingos, a working salt company town and a hand-wound 1870 lighthouse.
Long Island
Eighty miles of contrasts: Atlantic cliffs on one side, calm shallows on the other, Dean's Blue Hole, twin hilltop churches and beaches without footprints.
Mayaguana
The easternmost and least visited island: three small settlements, a few hundred residents, bonefishing flats, and the only island keeping its Lucayan name.