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Top 10 things to do in Inagua

Great Inagua is the southernmost island of The Bahamas, a flat, dry place with the world's largest breeding colony of West Indian flamingos at its centre. These ten are what the few visitors come for, ranked, with how each one is arranged.

Updated 24 October 2026 · By the BahamasBooking editorial team

Inagua National Park

Almost everything on Inagua is arranged rather than simply visited. The national park is entered with a Bahamas National Trust warden, the lighthouse keeper opens the tower, the salt company shows its ponds by appointment, and the reefs and flats need a local boat. Matthew Town, the only settlement, is where all of that is organised and where the museum, the birds and the walkable history sit.

The ranking puts the things that exist nowhere else first: the flamingos, a hand-wound kerosene lighthouse, a hummingbird found only on these two islands and a turtle reserve. Flights run a few times a week, so plan at least two nights and fix the park visit before you book the rest.

  1. Inagua National Park

    Number 1. Birdwatching

    Inagua National Park flamingo expedition

    Inagua National Park holds the largest breeding colony of West Indian flamingos in the world, tens of thousands of birds on the shallow brackish water of Lake Rosa. The Trust's wardens know where the flocks are on the day, and a visit is arranged with them in advance.

    Where
    Lake Rosa / Lake Windsor area
    Getting there and time
    4WD / local birding guide · About 7 hours

    Confirm access locally. Book an experienced guide. Routes depend on conditions.

  2. Great Inagua Lighthouse

    Number 2. History and scenery

    Great Inagua Lighthouse

    The Great Inagua Lighthouse of 1870 still burns kerosene and is wound by hand, one of the last anywhere. The keeper usually welcomes visitors, and the climb gives a view over the whole southwest of the island and, on a clear day, towards Cuba.

    Where
    Mortimer's Hill / Matthew Town
    Getting there and time
    Local permission · 1 to 2 hours

    By arrangement. Confirm whether tower access is available.

  3. Morton Salt Factory

    Number 3. Industry and culture

    Morton Salt production visit

    Morton Salt has evaporated seawater here since the 1950s in one of the largest solar salt operations in the world. The ponds shape the landscape south of town, and a visit explains the industry that nearly everyone on the island works in.

    Where
    Morton Salt operation / north of Matthew Town
    Getting there and time
    Prior permission / guided access · About 3 hours

    By arrangement. An active industrial operation. Arrange authorized visitor access.

  4. Number 4. Wildlife

    Union Creek Reserve nature visit

    Union Creek Reserve on the northwest coast protects green turtles in a mangrove creek system that has been used for turtle research for decades. It is reached with a guide and is the island's other wildlife reason to come.

    Where
    Northwest Great Inagua
    Getting there and time
    BNT / guide / permission · About 6 hours

    By arrangement. Research and protected areas require authorized access.

  5. An Inagua woodstar hummingbird perched on a twig, photographed on Great Inagua

    Number 5. Birdwatching

    Inagua woodstar and Matthew Town birding

    The Inagua woodstar is a hummingbird that lives only on Great and Little Inagua, and the gardens and roadsides of Matthew Town are the easiest place to find it, along with Bahama parrots and burrowing owls. No permit or vehicle is needed.

    Where
    Matthew Town gardens and roadsides
    Getting there and time
    Walk · About 2 hours

    Confirm access locally. Early morning is best. No park permit is needed for the town itself.

  6. Little Inagua National Park

    Number 6. Nature

    Little Inagua National Park expedition

    Little Inagua is uninhabited and protected as a national park, with a reef running up to a mile offshore and sea turtles nesting on its beaches. It is a separate boat expedition and landing is discouraged, so this is a day on the water rather than ashore.

    Where
    Little Inagua coast
    Getting there and time
    Expedition boat / prior arrangements · About 10 hours

    By arrangement. No freshwater or visitor infrastructure. Specialist expedition logistics.

  7. Matthew Town

    Number 7. Culture

    Matthew Town heritage walk

    Matthew Town is a salt company town with a grid of streets, a harbour, an old salt storehouse, a disused prison and the airport, all walkable in an afternoon. It is where every other item on this list is arranged.

    Where
    Matthew Town
    Getting there and time
    Local guide / walk · About 2 hours

    Confirm access locally. Arrange guiding and food locally.

  8. Number 8. Museum

    Erickson Museum and Library

    The Erickson Museum and Library, in the former home of the family that ran the salt works before Morton, tells the island's history and the salt story in one room. Hours are short, so check them when you arrive.

    Where
    Gregory Street, Matthew Town
    Getting there and time
    Walk · About an hour

    Confirm access locally. Opening hours are short and change; ask at your guesthouse or call ahead.

  9. Number 9. History

    Henri Christophe's Northeast Point ruins

    At the far northeast corner stand the unrestored ruins of a summer retreat built for Henri Christophe, king of northern Haiti, between 1811 and 1820. It is a long rough drive with a guide, and almost nobody makes it.

    Where
    Northeast Point
    Getting there and time
    Guide / 4x4 · About 5 hours

    By arrangement. A long rough drive with no services. Go with a local guide and carry water and a spare wheel.

  10. Number 10. Snorkelling

    Reef snorkelling off Matthew Town

    The reefs off the west coast are close to shore and clear because the deep water comes in near the island. There is no dive shop, so you bring your own mask and fins and go out with a local boat.

    Where
    Reefs along the west coast
    Getting there and time
    Local boat / reservation · About 3 hours

    By arrangement. There is no dive shop. Bring your own mask and fins and arrange the boat a day ahead.

Fitting them into a trip

Fix the national park day first with the Trust's wardens, then fit the lighthouse, the salt works and the museum around it; all three are a short drive or walk from town and depend on someone being there to open up. The turtle reserve and the Christophe ruins each take most of a day with a guide and vehicle, and Little Inagua is a boat day that only happens in settled weather.

Tell us your dates and whether birds, history or the water matter most, and we will suggest the order and who to confirm with. The full list for the island has the remaining entries.

Want these ten planned for your dates?

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.

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Photo credits

  • Unattributed photographs: Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation, used with permission.
  • Inagua woodstar and Matthew Town birding: M.R. Perry, CC BY 4.0

See all 12 things to do in Inagua, the Inagua travel guide, or every island in the islands overview.

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