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Tours, beaches and activities

Things to Do in the Bahamas

What to do on Nassau, Bimini, Exuma, Freeport, Harbour Island and Abaco, sorted by island and by type, with prices and check dates.

  • Checked October 2026

Photo: Exuma Cays from the air · James St. John · CC BY 2.0

Most Bahamas trips center on a few islands: Nassau for resorts and history, Bimini and Freeport as the nearest points to Florida, Exuma for the swimming pigs, Harbour Island for its pink beach and Abaco for its boating cays. The sections below sort activities by island and by type, and each links to a guide with the full price list.

Prices are the figures published on those guides, with the date of the check, and change by season and operator. Tours are sold through GetYourGuide, and BahamasHopping may earn a commission on bookings at no extra cost to the traveler.

Things to do by island

Nassau

Nassau pairs resort days on Paradise Island with a historic center that can be covered on foot. Prices are from the Nassau guide as of July 25, 2026.

  • Atlantis day pass: from $195 per adult and $95 per child for Aquaventure, the marine habitat and the beach. Passes for non-guests are limited and rise above $250 in peak weeks.
  • Queen’s Staircase (free, 65 steps cut from limestone) and Fort Fincastle ($2), a one-hour walk with views over the harbor.
  • Blue Lagoon Island: beach package from $85 including the boat ride and lunch; dolphin swims from $199.

Things to do in Nassau

Bimini

Bimini lies about 50 miles from Florida, and Alice Town and Radio Beach are within walking or golf-cart distance of the ferry dock. Prices are from the Bimini guide as of July 27, 2026.

  • SS Sapona: snorkel a concrete-hulled wreck in 15 to 20 feet of water, boat tours from $90 including gear.
  • Honeymoon Harbour on Gun Cay: wade with southern stingrays, from $40 on the Resorts World catamaran (about 20 minutes).
  • Radio Beach: free public access, chair and umbrella rentals $15 to $20; golf carts $80 to $100 per day.

Things to do in Bimini

Exuma

Exuma consists of 365 islands and cays, and most visitors see it by boat. No fast ferry runs from Nassau, so tours or flights are the usual way in. Prices are from the Exuma guide as of August 20, 2026.

  • Swimming pigs at Big Major Cay: shared boat-only trips from $250; the all-inclusive fly-and-boat day from Nassau costs $750 to $850.
  • Thunderball Grotto near Staniel Cay: no entry fee, reachable at low tide only.
  • Compass Cay nurse sharks: landing fee of $10 to $15 per person, usually included in organized tours.

Things to do in Exuma

Freeport & Grand Bahama

Grand Bahama is quieter than Nassau, and its two main attractions keep different opening days. Prices are from the Freeport guide as of August 12, 2026.

  • Lucayan National Park: cave entrances and Gold Rock Beach, $15 adults, $8 children, $10 seniors, open Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 to 16:00.
  • Dolphin Encounter at Sanctuary Bay: $85 per adult plus VAT, open Monday to Saturday, closed Sunday.
  • Peterson Cay snorkel tour: $65 for the boat ride, snorkeling and beach time; Port Lucaya Marketplace is free to enter.

Things to do in Freeport

Harbour Island & Eleuthera

Harbour Island is about 3.5 miles long and walkable. Eleuthera is about 110 miles long and needs a car. Prices are from the island guides as of August 12, 2026.

  • Pink Sand Beach: free, a 10-minute walk from Government Dock; golf carts from about $55 per day.
  • Bo Hengy III day trip from Nassau on Wednesday, Friday or Saturday: $139 one way or $257 round trip for adults, about 4.5 hours on the island.
  • Eleuthera: Glass Window Bridge, Queen’s Bath and the Friday fish fry at Anchor Bay in Governor’s Harbour.

Harbour Island guide

Abaco

Abaco is a boating island, and its cays are reached by short ferry rides from Marsh Harbour. Prices are from the Abaco guide as of August 13, 2026.

  • Hope Town lighthouse on Elbow Cay: a 15-minute walk from the ferry dock; the G&L Ferry (formerly Albury’s) takes 20 minutes and costs $25 round trip.
  • Golf carts on Elbow Cay: from about $70 per day for a four-seater plus 10 percent VAT.
  • Nipper’s on Great Guana Cay: the Sunday pig roast is the weekly event, and the reefs offshore suit snorkeling.

Abaco guide

Things to do by type

Swimming pigs

The original colony lives on Big Major Cay in the Exumas, roughly 15 to 25 adult pigs plus piglets. Nassau-based tours often visit closer colonies such as Rose Island, a shorter ride but not the original beach. Half-day tours from Great Exuma start at $190 to $250, and full-day powerboat tours from Nassau cost $400 to $500 (August 12, 2026). Feed only what the guide provides, since bread and alcohol have killed pigs.

Swimming pigs guide

Snorkel & dive

Bimini has the SS Sapona wreck and hammerhead dives from January to April, priced at $200 to $300. Thunderball Grotto near Staniel Cay is a free snorkel cave at low tide. Grand Bahama offers Peterson Cay and the Lucayan cave system, which has more than 6 miles of charted tunnels. Andros has the 190-mile barrier reef and the largest concentration of blue holes.

Bimini snorkeling and diving

Beaches

Harbour Island’s Pink Sand Beach runs for 3 miles on the Atlantic side, colored by crushed red foraminifera shells. Gold Rock Beach, inside Lucayan National Park, has a sandbar that reaches nearly a mile out at low tide, and park entry is $15. Radio Beach in Bimini is free, Cable Beach in Nassau is 2.5 miles long, and Tropic of Cancer Beach on Little Exuma has no facilities. Cabbage Beach on Paradise Island has free public access.

Harbour Island beaches

Fishing

Bimini charters cost from about $400 for a half-day reef trip and about $600 for half-day offshore, and $1,200 to $2,000 for a full day of big game, per boat (August 20, 2026). Blue marlin peak from May to July and wahoo from November to March, while bonefish are on the flats all year. Deep-sea charters on Grand Bahama run $600 to $1,200 per boat (August 12, 2026).

Bimini fishing guide

Culture & food

Junkanoo parades fill Bay Street in Nassau on December 26 and January 1. The Straw Market has more than 500 vendors, and Parliament Square and Queen’s Staircase are free to see. The Fish Fry at Arawak Cay costs $15 to $30 per meal, and conch salad at a street stand runs $10 to $12 (July 8, 2026). Potter’s Cay in Nassau and the Friday fish fry at Anchor Bay on Eleuthera are the local alternatives to the tourist strip.

Bahamas street food guide

Bookable tours

Tours with free cancellation up to 2 days before departure can be browsed below. The widget loads only after a click.

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Practical information

Park fees

The Bahamas National Trust (BNT) lists daily single-park admission at $15 for adults (15 to 59), $8 for children (6 to 14) and $10 for seniors (60 and over), VAT included, and free entry for BNT members. Lucayan National Park charges these rates. The Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, established in 1958 and covering 112,640 acres, is managed by the BNT, and boats pay moorings there through its PayExumaPark platform. Big Major Cay lies outside the park boundary, so a standard pig tour needs no park ticket.

Book ahead or decide on the day

Atlantis day passes, dolphin swims and hammerhead dives need advance booking. Beaches, Queen’s Staircase, Fort Fincastle and the fish fries can be done spontaneously. Book directly with a local operator where possible, because cruise-ship excursion desks add 20 to 30 percent to the boat’s own rate according to the swimming pigs guide.

Season

December to April is dry and calm and the most reliable period for boat tours. Hammerheads show up from January to April, and blue marlin peak from May to July. The hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30; the hurricane season guide covers cancellations. Morning departures between 7:00 and 9:00 are calmer than midday tours.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to book Bahamas tours in advance?

For some, yes. Atlantis day passes for non-guests are capped and sell out on cruise days, dolphin swims at Blue Lagoon Island should be booked 2 or more weeks ahead, and hammerhead dives in Bimini sell out months ahead. Beaches, Queen’s Staircase, Fort Fincastle and the fish fries need no booking.

How much does entry to a Bahamas national park cost?

The Bahamas National Trust lists daily single-park admission at $15 for adults (15 to 59), $8 for children (6 to 14) and $10 for seniors (60 and over). BNT members enter free. The same rates apply at Lucayan National Park on Grand Bahama. Boaters pay moorings in the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park separately.

Can I see the swimming pigs on a day trip from Nassau?

Yes, in two ways. The fly-and-boat day trip from Nassau to Staniel Cay reaches the original pigs at Big Major Cay and costs $750 to $850 per person with Bahamas Air Tours (August 20, 2026). Powerboat tours from Nassau run from $250, and not every one reaches Big Major Cay, so check the itinerary.

When can I dive with hammerhead sharks in Bimini?

From about January to April. Hammerhead dives cost $200 to $300 as of July 27, 2026 and sell out months ahead. Reef and nurse sharks can be seen year-round, and guided nurse-shark snorkels without certification start around $80 to $120.

Can I visit Lucayan National Park and the dolphin programs in one day?

Only on a Saturday. The park is open Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 to 16:00, and Sanctuary Bay is open Monday to Saturday from 9:00 to 17:00. The Florida ferry to Freeport leaves some days only and leaves about 4 to 5 hours ashore, so a day trip fits one of the two.

Sources

Prices and facts come from these BahamasHopping pages (check dates in brackets) and three Bahamas National Trust pages.

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