Harbour Island, or Briland, is three and a half miles long and reached by water taxi from North Eleuthera. These ten are what fills the days there, ranked, with how to reach each one and what to check first.
Updated 24 October 2026 · By the BahamasBooking editorial team
Nobody drives a car here. From the Government Dock in Dunmore Town, the pink beach on the Atlantic side is a few minutes' walk at most points, and a golf cart or bicycle covers everything else. That makes this the easiest island in the country to plan: no boat day is needed for the beach, the town or the sunset, and the boat trips that do exist leave from the harbour in front of the hotels.
The ranking puts the things only Harbour Island has first: the pink sand, the 18th-century town, the driftwood tree on the flats and the wreck-strewn reef off the north shore. The water items depend on the sea and on an operator's calendar, so confirm those before you confirm anything else.
Number 1. Beach
Three miles of sand tinted pink by crushed foraminifera shells, on the Atlantic side of the island. It is the reason most people come, and the colour shows best where the sand is wet, in morning or evening light. Use a public access path.
Confirm access locally. Choose a public access path.
Number 2. Culture
Dunmore Town was laid out in the late 18th century and was for a time the capital of The Bahamas. Its grid of lanes, lined with clapboard Loyalist houses in pastel colours with picket fences and gingerbread trim, is the other half of the island's appeal and takes an hour or two on foot.
Confirm access locally. Walking works well in the town center.
Number 3. Scenery
A driftwood tree stranded on the harbour-side flats north of the dock, reached on foot at low tide. It arrived in a storm and has shifted before, so check it still stands, but when it does it is the most photographed thing on the island after the beach.
Confirm access locally. The tree was washed in by a storm and has moved before. Check it is still standing and go at low tide.
Number 4. Scuba and history
The shallow reef off Eleuthera's north shore wrecked ships for centuries and several lie along it, including a barge that was carrying a steam locomotive. Dive operators on Harbour Island run trips when the northerly swell allows.
Confirm access locally. Certification required. The reef is exposed to northerly swell, so the operator chooses the day.
Number 5. Scuba and snorkelling
The island's dive operator runs reef trips for every certification level from the harbour, which is the easy way to get underwater if the Devil's Backbone wrecks are beyond your experience or the swell is up.
Confirm access locally. Choose a program matching your certification.
Number 6. Scenery
The beach faces east, so the sunset belongs to the harbour side, where the docks and bars along Bay Street look west over the channel to Eleuthera. It is a ten-minute walk from the beach and needs no planning at all.
Confirm access locally. The beach faces east and does not get the sunset. The harbour side does.
Number 7. History
Founded in 1768, St John's is the oldest Anglican church in The Bahamas and still holds services in the middle of Dunmore Town. It takes half an hour and sits naturally inside the heritage walk.
Confirm access locally. Visitors are welcome outside service times. Dress respectfully.
Number 8. Fishing
The flats to the south of the island are bonefishing water, and local guides pole or wade them on the tide. It is arranged in advance and the guide sets the start time, so ask early in a short stay.
By arrangement. Tides decide the fishing, so let the guide set the start time. Catch and release is the norm.
Number 9. Sailing
A day sail from the harbour takes in nearby cays with snorkelling stops, the one outing here that strings several places together. Confirm the departure dock and the day's itinerary when you reserve.
Confirm access locally. Confirm the actual departure dock and itinerary.
Number 10. Scenery
Renting a golf cart and driving the island end to end is how Harbour Island is actually experienced: the harbour lanes, the north end, the beach access paths and the quieter south in a couple of hours. Most hotels arrange one.
Confirm access locally. Carts are rented locally and most hotels can arrange one. Book ahead for peak weeks and keep to the speed limit in town.
Most of this list needs no booking. The beach, the town, the church, the Lone Tree and the sunset fit around each other on any day, and a golf cart gets you between them. Book the dive, the bonefishing guide and the day sail first, because each depends on an operator's calendar and on the sea; the Devil's Backbone in particular waits for a calm northerly forecast.
Getting here is a flight to North Eleuthera, a taxi to the Three Island Dock and a water taxi across to Dunmore Town, usually under half an hour door to door. Tell us your dates and we will suggest the order and the operators to confirm. The full list has the remaining entries.
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 12 things to do in Harbour Island, the Harbour Island travel guide, or every island in the islands overview.
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