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 MayaguanaMayaguana
Mayaguana sits alone on the eastern edge of The Bahamas, about 24 miles long and six miles wide, with roughly 300 residents in three settlements. It is the only island in the country that still carries the name the Lucayan people gave it. Nothing here is developed in the resort sense, which is precisely why the few travellers who come, come.
Abraham's Bay on the south coast is the main settlement, with the airport, the government dock and most of the island's guesthouses. Betsy Bay to the west and Pirate's Well to the north are smaller still. Between them lie miles of scrub, creeks and beaches that see almost no one.
The island's modern history includes a United States Air Force tracking station built in the 1950s to monitor missile tests from Cape Canaveral; the station closed in the 1970s and its airstrip became the island's airport. Booby Cay, off the eastern end, is home to boobies and to a population of rock iguanas, and is reached by boat.
Mayaguana's shallow bays and creeks hold bonefish, and the reefs and walls offshore are undived by almost anyone. There are no dive operators based on the island, so divers generally come by live-aboard boat or with their own equipment and a local boat. Visitors should bring what they need: shops are tiny and supplies arrive by mailboat. The island's one road links the three settlements, and a rental car or a lift from your host is the way to move around.
This is the island for travellers who want to be genuinely far from everything. Plan carefully, book lodging ahead and confirm flights, which run only a few times a week.
Getting there
Routes change by season. We describe how arrivals work and leave schedules and fares to the carriers.
- Scheduled flights from Nassau to Mayaguana (MYG) operate a few times a week, sometimes via Inagua or other southern islands.
- The mailboat from Nassau calls on its southern run. Bring essentials with you; supplies on the island are limited.
What we can arrange on Mayaguana
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 MayaguanaPlanning a trip to Mayaguana?
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 Mayaguana
Is there anywhere to stay on Mayaguana?
A small number of guesthouses and a lodge, mostly at Abraham's Bay. Book well ahead and confirm by phone or email, since availability is not listed online in any reliable way.
Why is it called Mayaguana?
The name is Lucayan, the language of the people who lived here before European contact. It is the only Bahamian island that kept its indigenous name.
Related guides
4 min read
Which Bahamas island is right for you?
An honest comparison of Nassau, Paradise Island, Exuma, Eleuthera, Harbour Island, Abaco, Grand Bahama, Andros, Bimini and the Out Islands.
4 min read
How to get around The Bahamas: flights, ferries and island transport
A practical guide to moving between and around the islands of The Bahamas: domestic flights, fast ferries, mailboats, rental cars, golf carts and taxis.
Often planned with Mayaguana
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.
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.
San Salvador
Widely held to be Columbus's first landfall in 1492, a small island of wall dives, interior lakes, a hand-wound lighthouse and one large resort.