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 Rum CayRum Cay
Rum Cay lies between San Salvador and Long Island, a small island of rolling hills, long beaches and a single settlement, Port Nelson. Its population has fallen below a hundred, and the pineapple and salt industries that once sustained it are long gone. What remains is quiet, clear water and a few remarkable things to see.
Off the north coast, in about 30 feet of water, lies the wreck of HMS Conqueror, a Royal Navy ship of the line that ran aground here in 1861. She was the navy's first propeller-driven warship, and the site is protected as an underwater museum; nothing may be removed, but divers and snorkellers may explore the scattered remains. The reefs and walls around the island are otherwise little visited.
Hartford Cave, on the north shore, contains petroglyphs carved by the Lucayan people who lived on the island before 1492. Columbus is believed by some to have visited Rum Cay after his first landfall, naming it Santa Maria de la Concepción. Sumner Point, near Port Nelson, has had a marina serving passing yachts; services on the island come and go, so confirm what is open before relying on it.
Port Nelson has a few guesthouses, a church, a bar or two and the island's airstrip. Flights are irregular; many visitors arrive by boat or via San Salvador. Rum Cay is for the traveller who wants an island largely to themselves and is content to make their own entertainment. Electricity and water are limited and supplies arrive by mailboat, so bring what you need and keep plans flexible.
Getting there
Routes change by season. We describe how arrivals work and leave schedules and fares to the carriers.
- Rum Cay's airstrip at Port Nelson receives charter flights and occasional scheduled service; many visitors fly to San Salvador and continue by boat.
- The Nassau mailboat calls at Rum Cay on its route to San Salvador. Yachts anchor off Port Nelson.
What we can arrange on Rum Cay
Boats and charters
Crewed yachts, bareboat sailing in the Abacos and Exumas, day boats with a captain, and fishing charters across the islands.
Request boats and charters on Rum CayStays
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 Rum CayPlanning a trip to Rum Cay?
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 Rum Cay
Can I dive the HMS Conqueror wreck?
Yes, with your own equipment or a boat arranged locally; there is no permanent dive operator. The wreck is a protected site and nothing may be taken from it.
How do I get to Rum Cay?
Scheduled flights are infrequent. The most reliable options are a charter flight, the mailboat, or flying to San Salvador and arranging a boat across.
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Often planned with Rum Cay
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.
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.
Cat Island
The highest point in The Bahamas, a hilltop hermitage, empty beaches and the home of rake-and-scrape music, an hour's flight from Nassau.