Just recently, it has been all over the news about Hurricane Dorian affecting the Bahamas. To most people, this news makes it seem as though the Bahamas is not a great place to visit. Did you know the Bahamas is composed of over 700 islands, 30 of which are inhabited? The Bahamas is a 5,382 sq mi archipelago. The hurricane affected two islands, Grand Bahama Island and The Abacos. That means there are a great many islands still entirely available for a visit.
And much of the Bahama’s economy is dependent on tourism dollars, so not only are they open to tourists, your visit will help the people there.
The Bahamas are located conveniently to the United States, just off the Florida coast. Flights and boats are leaving daily to many of the islands. There are so many choices of places to visit, that anyone can find an island for their perfect vacation. Read on to find the perfect island in the Bahamas for your next vacation.
Islands in the Bahamas to Visit after Hurricane Dorian
The Exumas
Visit Exuma to see the famous swimming pigs! This activity is high on my bucket list!
The Berry Islands
Enjoy the solitude on the Berry Islands’ pristine white sand beaches or enjoy some of the best big-game fishing in the world.
New Providence Island (Nassau) and Paradise Island
There is a multitude of activities to choose from on the busiest of the unaffected islands, from swimming with dolphins to taking a Bahamian cooking class. You can quickly fly into the International Airport in Nassau.
Andros
Andros is the largest of the Bahamian Islands. Due to an abundance of limestone, there are many caves, water holes, and blue holes to explore. This island also has the third-largest reef system in the world.
Eleuthera and Harbor Island
Relax on the pink sand beaches of Eleuthera. SCUBA dive one of the Bahama’s famous blue holes with Briland’s Blue Hole on Harbor Island.
Cat Island
Watch the sunset from the highest point in the Bahamas; an old monastery called The Hermitage. Cat Island is another of the Bahamian Islands on which you can be one with the water, nature, and culture of the place.
San Salvador
Dive a deep wall on this unspoiled island with modern conveniences– even an airport!
Long Island
Known as the prettiest of Bahama’s Islands, there is also a lot of culture and history to explore on this island that has the 8th most massive underwater cavern in the world.
Acklins and Crooked Island
Visit these two islands to enjoy peace and nature, among shallow inlets and mangrove forests. Plana Cay, right off Crooked Island’s coast, is an iguana and hutias refuge.
Mayaguana
Get away from life and other tourists by visiting Mayaguana, the Bahamas least visited island. How cool would it be to be somewhere no one else you know has been? You can explore this little island, take part in its famous fishing, or relax on the beach getting to know a few of the 400 locals.
Great Inagua
Visit the largest flamingo population in North America in Inagua National Park, just a 90-minute flight from Nassau and accessible from Florida.
Staniel Cay
Snorkel at Thunderball Grotto, a hollowed-out cave used in the shooting of a James Bond Film where you may be able to spy an octopus swimming by.
Bimini
Take a ferry or fly to the closest Bahamian Island from Florida, Bimini. In Bimini, you can visit the Fountain of Youth, snorkel a shipwreck, and even swim among hammerhead sharks.
It has been a while since I have been to the Bahamas when I visited Nassau. This post has inspired me to explore some of the smaller islands. Where will you go for your next trip to the Bahamas?
To learn more about the Bahamas, visit The Islands of the Bahamas and the Out Islands of the Bahamas. You can also check out this Bahamas Vacation Planning Guide.
If you would like to support the Bahamas hurricane relief by donating, consider any of these organizations: The American Red Cross, The Salvation Army Project Hope, Team Rubicon, World Central Kitchen, Mercy Corps, YachtAid Global or Samaritan’s Purse
Wow, I had no idea that the Bahamas is made up of so many islands! I’d love to lounge on the pink beach and even visit the Flamingo population too. This part of the world really sounds like heaven on earth, just like I always thought it was.
I love how you have profiled each of the islands. What a great resource for those many tourists who travel to the sought after areas to know there are other hidden gems. Especially the island of Mayaguana, how cool would it be to almost have the island to yourself it sounds like?
I want to go to the Exumas too for the pigs. Also a bucket list item for me. Past that I think Bimini sounds cool too. I knew there were many more islands in the Bahamas than the usual ones you hear about and the “touristy” ones but I had no idea there were 700!
My husband and I were just speaking last night about the importance of (ethically) visiting places that rely on tourism dollars after natural disasters, and using our vacation spending to help communities recover. Thank you for this reminder, as well. And I seriously had no idea there were so many Bahamian islands!!
I love how you have written this post as a reminder to get out to the Bahamas and visit one of the 700 islands. The colour of the water in the Bahamas and the soft white sand has always held much appeal for me. I like knowing about the underwater caverns, the iguana refuge and all the flamingoes… hmm .. which island would I start at?
There is a saying in the travel industry – follow the disaster. I bet there are a lot of great deals down there and the people really do need the tourism too. It’s a win – win.
We’ve never been to the Bahamas since it’s quite expensive to fly there from Luxembourg. But we’d love to spend a holiday in one of the islands someday (after hitting all the other destinations on our already-too-long-bucket-list! haha). Long Island seems to be very beautiful, so we can imagine that it must be awesome to spend a few relaxing days there. And you’re right: places hit by natural disasters definitely need travelers and tourists’ money to help them build up again!
I have been to a couple of the islands in the Bahamas but 700 wow, that’s alot I need to explore more of them. Bimini sounds like a lot of fun snorkeling a ship wreck is something I would love to do.
This post makes me dream about summer! Would love to escape the cold on one of these islands, there’s so much to see.
I’ve never been to the Bahamas and didn’t realize there were so many islands. This post is a good reminder to help a country’s ecomony grow and explore new places.