Things to Do in Exuma: Swimming Pigs & Complete 2026 Guide

The famous swimming pigs live at Big Major Cay (also called Pig Beach) in the Exuma Cays. You can visit on a day trip from Nassau, by boat charter from Staniel Cay, or by flying directly to Staniel Cay. All-inclusive plane-and-boat day trips from Nassau run about $750–$850 per person depending on season and include round-trip flights, the boat tour, entry fees and lunch. Shared boat-only day trips from Nassau start around $250–$400 per person.

From Nassau: fly to Staniel Cay (30 min) or Great Exuma (45 min), then take a boat to Pig Beach. Day trip packages from Nassau include round-trip flights. From Florida: fly direct to Great Exuma or connect through Nassau. The swimming pigs are about 25 minutes by boat from Staniel Cay.

Yes! Nurse sharks are very gentle and have never harmed visitors at Compass Cay. They're docile bottom-dwellers that have been hand-fed by humans for years. Just don't corner them or grab their tails. Swimming alongside them is completely safe and an amazing experience.

Thunderball Grotto is a stunning underwater cave near Staniel Cay that was featured in two James Bond films (Thunderball and Never Say Never Again). At low tide, you can swim into the cavern and snorkel in a cathedral-like space filled with tropical fish. It's one of the most unique snorkeling experiences in the world.

December through April offers the best weather (70-85°F) with calm seas and the lowest hurricane risk. Visit the pigs in the morning when they're most active. Low tide is essential for Thunderball Grotto. The National Family Island Regatta in George Town is held annually in late April — the 2026 edition, its 70th staging, ran April 21–25 — and is spectacular but means crowded accommodations. Hurricane season runs June 1–November 30, peaking August–September.

All-inclusive plane-and-boat day trips from Nassau run about $750–$850 per person (Bahamas Air Tours lists $850 peak, $800 winter, $750 off-peak) and include round-trip flights, boat tour, hotel transfers, entry fees and lunch. Shared powerboat day trips from Nassau without the flight start around $250–$400 but take much longer — 1 hour to the northern cays, 2+ hours each way to reach Staniel Cay and Big Major Cay. Premium small-group tours starting from Exuma itself run roughly $350–$600 per person, and private charters $1,500–$3,500+ per boat.

The Compass Cay Marina landing fee is a per-person charge collected at the dock. Recent visitor accounts put it at $10–$15 per person. Bring USD cash even though the dock store usually accepts cards. Most organized day-trip operators include this fee in their tour price — double-check your booking confirmation so you don't pay twice.

The Bahamas National Trust raised entrance fees across its national parks effective July 1, 2026. For the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park the rates are $15 for adults, $8 for children and $10 for seniors, with free entry for BNT members. Boaters pay separately: daily moorings run from about BSD $27 for vessels under 40 ft up to BSD $173 for 120–150 ft, anchoring is BSD $0.45 per foot under 90 ft, and there is a $14 per-person dive fee. All fees carry 10% VAT. Source: Bahamas National Trust fee schedule, 2026.

No. Big Major Cay (Pig Beach) sits outside the boundaries of the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, so the park entrance fee does not apply there. Park fees and mooring charges apply further north inside the park — for example at Warderick Wells and Shroud Cay. The separate charge most pig-beach visitors actually encounter is the Compass Cay Marina landing fee for the nurse sharks.

There is no commercial fast-ferry service to the Exumas. The only scheduled boat is the Bahamas Ferries mail-boat-style overnight service from Nassau to George Town (Great Exuma), which takes around 12 hours. Most visitors fly to Staniel Cay or George Town, then join a day boat tour to Big Major Cay.

Yes. All air arrivals to the Bahamas (including Exuma) require a valid passport for US and Canadian citizens. A US passport card or birth certificate is not sufficient for flights. Children under 16 travelling by sea may use a birth certificate, but air travel always requires a passport.