Exuma is a 120-mile chain of cays, and the famous stops are spread along it. These ten are the ones people cross the country for, ranked, with the practical detail that decides whether a day works.
Updated 22 October 2026 · By the BahamasBooking editorial team
Great Exuma and Little Exuma are joined by road, so the beaches on this list are a drive from George Town. Everything in the cays to the north needs a boat: the pigs, the grotto, the sharks and the iguanas are usually strung together on one long excursion from the north end of Great Exuma or from Staniel Cay. Where you are based decides what is a short hop and what is a full day on the water.
The ranking weighs how distinctive each place is against how reliably you can actually do it. Wildlife stops are observations, not shows, and tides and sea state decide the grotto and the sandbars. Each item below says how you get there, how long to allow and what to confirm before you go.
Number 1. Wildlife excursion
The original swimming pigs on Big Major Cay are the single most requested excursion in The Bahamas, and the reason many people choose Exuma at all. Go early or late in the day; the middle hours are the busiest.
Confirm access locally. The original swimming pigs. Go early or late to avoid the busiest hours.
Number 2. Snorkelling
A sea cave lit from above, minutes from Staniel Cay, with a cast of fish inside. It featured in two James Bond films, and the tide decides when you can swim in, so the captain sets the time.
Confirm access locally. Currents and tide control access. Follow the captain's plan.
Number 3. Beach
The long white beach at Moore Hill on Little Exuma is the one Great Exuma visitors talk about afterwards. It is reached by car over the Little Exuma bridge, so it works without a boat day.
Confirm access locally. Use the public approach and carry supplies.
Number 4. Wildlife excursion
Nurse sharks gather around the Compass Cay marina, close enough to watch from the dock. Getting in the water is optional and the operator sets the rules, which makes it the easiest wildlife encounter in the cays.
Confirm access locally. Water entry is optional. Follow operator instructions.
Number 5. Wildlife
Bitter Guana Cay's rock iguanas come down to the beach when boats arrive. It is a short stop on the way to or from the pigs and a chance to see an endangered animal in its own place.
Confirm access locally. Keep your distance and leave wildlife undisturbed.
Number 6. Beach
Stocking Island sits across Elizabeth Harbour from George Town, a water taxi away, with beaches on both the harbour and ocean sides. It is the easy day out when you want sand rather than a long boat run.
Confirm access locally. Arrange the collection point and return time.
Number 7. Kayaking
Shroud Cay's tidal creeks run through the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park and are explored by kayak. Motorised access is limited to the north creek, which keeps the rest quiet.
Confirm access locally. Motorized access is restricted to the designated north creek.
Number 8. Beach
Coco Plum Beach near Rolleville faces wide tidal shallows, and at low tide the sand flats stretch out far from shore. It is a drive from George Town, so it fits a land day.
Confirm access locally. Low tide reveals more of the sand flats.
Number 9. Beach and wildlife
Hooper's Bay is a Great Exuma beach where wild turtles are often seen in the shallows. Sightings vary and the turtles need distance, but it is a few minutes from town.
Confirm access locally. Keep a respectful distance. Turtle sightings vary.
Number 10. Food and drink
The cluster of waterside stands just north of George Town is where fried fish and conch come with the harbour view. It is busiest on weekend evenings and each stand keeps its own hours.
Confirm access locally. Busiest on weekend evenings. Stands keep their own hours.
With one boat day, the pigs, the grotto, the nurse sharks and the iguanas fall on the same route from the north of Great Exuma or from Staniel Cay, with a sandbar stop depending on tide. A second boat day takes you north into the park for Shroud Cay. The beaches, Hooper's Bay and the fish fry fill the land days around them.
Tell us your dates and your base and we will suggest a realistic order, which boats you need and what to confirm first. The full list for the island has every area and entry.
Tell us when you are travelling, where you are staying and which of these matter most. We will suggest the order, the boats or drivers you need and what to confirm first.
See all 38 things to do in Exuma, the Exuma travel guide, or every island in the islands overview.
