Day Trips from Nassau by Boat and Air

October 18, 2026

Travel advisory: The US State Department rates The Bahamas Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, and the UK Foreign Office calls the water sports industry poorly regulated. The UK also warns that fatal shark attacks can happen without warning and that you should never enter baited water, which some excursion operators use. Weather decides every boat day, so read the US advisory and the UK safety page before choosing a trip.

Every worthwhile day trip from Nassau involves water or air. The islands below are separate from New Providence, so each needs a boat or a plane, and rough weather cancels trips often. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November. Prices are in Bahamian dollars, which match US dollars one to one.

Blue Lagoon Island

Blue Lagoon Island, also called Salt Cay, lies about 3 miles north-east of the harbour. Boats leave from the Paradise Island marina at One Marina Drive and take 25 to 30 minutes. Most guests spend four to six hours including the crossing. The Island Beach Day package covers the ferry, lunch, beach time and an inflatable aqua park, and resellers list it at about $120 for adults. The island also sells animal encounter programmes, which this guide does not cover. In November 2023 a catamaran carrying cruise passengers to the island flooded and sank, so check the forecast and the operator before you book.

Rose Island

Rose Island is reached by boat only and takes about 25 to 30 minutes from Nassau, with no public ferry. Several operators run beach club days, snorkelling and a turtle stop at Green Cay. Names that turn up include Sandy Toes, Da Pig Beach, Pigs Beach Tours and Tour Daddy. Packages run from roughly $70 to $180 depending on what is bundled. The pigs here belong to the operators and are a separate group from the famous Exuma colony.

The Exuma Cays

The Exuma pigs live on Big Major Cay, roughly 70 to 75 nautical miles, or about 80 miles, south-east of Nassau. There are two realistic ways to go.

By air: Bahamas Air Tours flies to Staniel Cay in 30 to 40 minutes, then runs a short boat ride of about 10 minutes to Big Major Cay. Its Nassau day trip is listed at $850 per person with pickup and lunch, and stops at Pig Beach, Compass Cay and Thunderball Grotto. A shark stop appears on the itinerary, so ask how the operator manages the animals. See bahamasairtours.com .
By speedboat: Powerboat Adventures takes about an hour to its own Ship Channel Cay in the northern Exumas. The listed price is $299 for adults plus 10 percent tax and $190 for children plus tax, and the pigs on this trip live at Ship Channel Cay. See powerboatadventures.com . Speedboats to Big Major Cay itself take two to three hours each way, and operators advise against them in pregnancy or with back or heart conditions.

A group of Big Major Cay pigs died in 2017, and visitor feeding was restricted afterwards. Watch from a distance and follow the guide’s instructions.

Other options

Clifton Heritage National Park, at the south-west tip of New Providence, is a taxi or hire car drive and is a solemn site honouring enslaved people. Harbour Island and Eleuthera need a scheduled ferry from Potter’s Cay Dock or a flight, and work better as an overnight than a day trip.

For a side-by-side look at listed excursions, browse Nassau day trip listings .