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.
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Great Inagua is the southernmost island of The Bahamas and the closest to Cuba, Haiti and the Turks and Caicos. It is flat, hot and dry, covered in scrub and salt flats, and it holds the largest breeding colony of West Indian flamingos in the world. Nearly everyone who lives here lives in Matthew Town and works, directly or indirectly, for the salt company.
Inagua National Park, established in 1965 and managed by the Bahamas National Trust, covers much of the island's interior around Lake Rosa, also called Windsor Lake. Tens of thousands of West Indian flamingos, the national bird, feed and breed in its shallow brackish water, and the park is also home to Bahama parrots, roseate spoonbills and many other birds. Visits are arranged through the Trust's wardens, who know where the flocks are.
Morton Salt has operated on the island since the 1950s, evaporating seawater in vast ponds to produce salt that is shipped around the world; the operation is one of the largest solar salt works in the world and shapes the landscape south of Matthew Town. The company town has the island's airport, a small museum, a few guesthouses and restaurants, and a relaxed pace.
The Great Inagua Lighthouse, built in 1870 south of Matthew Town, is one of the last kerosene-lit, hand-wound lighthouses still operating anywhere, and its keeper usually welcomes visitors. Union Creek Reserve on the north coast protects green turtles, and Little Inagua, uninhabited and protected as a park, lies just to the northeast.
Inagua is for birdwatchers, naturalists and travellers who like the far end of the map. It is not a beach resort island, and services are basic.
Getting there
Routes change by season. We describe how arrivals work and leave schedules and fares to the carriers.
- Matthew Town airport (IGA) has scheduled flights from Nassau several times a week.
- Mailboats from Nassau call at Inagua on a long southern run. Arrange park visits in advance with the Bahamas National Trust wardens.
What we can arrange on Inagua
Stays
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 InaguaPlanning a trip to Inagua?
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 Inagua
When is the best time to see the flamingos?
Flamingos are present all year. Nesting takes place in the spring, when the park wardens restrict access to the colonies; ask the Bahamas National Trust about current access when planning.
Can I visit the salt works?
The salt ponds and stockpiles are visible from the road south of Matthew Town. Access inside the operation depends on the company; ask locally.
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Often planned with Inagua
Mayaguana
The easternmost and least visited island: three small settlements, a few hundred residents, bonefishing flats, and the only island keeping its Lucayan name.
Acklins and Crooked Island
Two sparsely settled islands around a shallow lagoon: world-class bonefishing, plantation ruins, Victorian lighthouses and the bark that flavours Campari.
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.