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Best Bahamas Yacht Charter Destinations

Planning a Bahamas yacht charter? With over 700 islands and cays, it can be tough to decide where to go. To make it easier, we give you the 5 best Bahamas destinations, all easily reachable from Nassau on a one-week charter.

The right destination depends on your yacht type and style of travel. Motor yachts can cover more ground, making it easy to visit multiple regions in a week. Catamarans, while slightly slower, are perfect for shallow waters, letting you anchor right off the beach.

Nassau

Nassau is more than just a starting point for a yacht charter—it’s a destination in itself. Located on New Providence Island, it’s the ideal hub for exploring the Bahamas, offering easy access to the Exumas, Eleuthera, the Abacos and the Berry Islands.

The city is home to world-class marinas like Atlantis Marina, Bay Street Marina, and Hurricane Hole, making it easy to provision your yacht and start your adventure.

Spend a morning snorkeling the vibrant reefs at Rose Island or diving with reef sharks at Stuart Cove’s. Afterward, hit one of Nassau’s famous beaches—Cable Beach for the scene or Love Beach for a quieter vibe.

The town itself offers plenty of island culture, from the bustling Straw Market to historic sites like the Queen’s Staircase. When the sun sets, the energy picks up. Whether you’re dining at a waterfront restaurant, sipping rum cocktails at a beach bar, or trying your luck at the Atlantis casino, Nassau knows how to keep the night going.

The Exumas

The Exumas are the number one yacht charter destination in the Bahamas, no question. It is The Bahamas you see on postcards but better in real life. Stretching 120 nautical miles from top to bottom, this chain of islands is packed with iconic stops all in perfect line for easy island hopping. If you are going on a Bahamas catamaran charter, we recommend you focus on the Exumas, there is more than enough to see.

Heading out from Nassau, start with a 35-nautical-mile cruise to Highbourne Cay. From there, it’s all about slow island-hopping south, with each cay offering something completely different. There’s Norman’s Cay, where you can snorkel around the wreck of Pablo Escobar’s old drug plane, Shroud Cay with its winding mangrove creeks perfect for paddleboarding, and Warderick Wells, home to the headquarters of the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park.

And of course, you can’t skip Thunderball Grotto, made famous by James Bond, or Big Major Spot, where the swimming pigs live up to the hype.

Eleuthera

Eleuthera is one of those places that feels like it’s been hiding in plain sight. Long, skinny, and stretched out over 100 miles, it’s nothing like the busy Exumas or the yacht-packed marinas of Nassau. This is where you go when you want pink-sand beaches, secluded anchorages, and a coastline that seems to stretch forever without a soul in sight.

Just a 30 nautical miles jump east from Nassau, it’s an easy cruise done in a few hours, but the vibe shift is instant. The water here is impossibly clear, the reefs are alive with tropical fish, and if you’re into diving or game fishing, you’ve hit the jackpot. The Glass Window Bridge—where the deep blue Atlantic meets the calm turquoise Caribbean—is a must-see, not just for the view but for the way it sums up Eleuthera: wild on one side, laid-back on the other.

The best way to experience Eleuthera? We recommend a 10-14-day motor yacht charter that loops from Nassau through the Exumas, then up to Eleuthera before heading back. It’s around 300 nautical miles all in, and at a cruising speed of 15 to 20 knots, you’ll have plenty of time to drop anchor, dive in, and explore. Spend a lazy afternoon on Harbour Island’s pink-sand beaches, snorkel the reefs off Current Cut, or just find a quiet bay, crack open a cold drink, and enjoy the fact that most people never make it this far.

Abaco Island

The Abaco Islands lie just 60 nautical miles north of Nassau, in the opposite direction of the Exumas, and stretch over 120 nautical miles. The main islands are Great Abaco and Little Abaco, but the archipelago also encompasses numerous smaller cays and islets, with endless places to anchor.

Chartering out of Nassau, you would choose between going to the Exumas or the Abacos. The Abacos offer a more laid-back, authentic Bahamian vibe compared to the Exumas. While the Exumas are famous for their remote, postcard-perfect cays and swimming pigs, the Abacos feel like a string of charming island villages connected by calm, yacht-friendly waters. You can easily hop from lively local bars in Hope Town to quiet anchorages near Elbow Cay without long, open-water passages. The sailing conditions are easier too—protected waters, short distances, and plenty of sheltered harbors make it perfect for families or relaxed cruising. Plus, the Abacos’ reefs and fishing spots are top-notch, offering some of the best underwater adventures in the Bahamas.

Berry Islands

The Berry Islands are one of the best yacht charter destinations in the Bahamas for a simple reason: they’re close, quiet, and packed with hidden gems. Just 35 nautical miles north of Nassau, they’re easy to reach, but once you’re there, it feels like you’ve left the world behind. This chain of over 30 cays, most uninhabited, offers a perfect mix of secluded beaches, incredible fishing, and crystal-clear anchorages without the crowds you’ll often find in the Exumas.

The vibe here is different from both the Exumas and the Abacos: The Berry Islands are quieter, wilder, and more off-the-grid. Places like Chub Cay, known as the “Billfish Capital of the Bahamas,” draw sport fishers, while Great Harbour Cay offers miles of empty beaches and a sleepy marina that feels like a step back in time.

If you’re on a motor yacht, you can absolutely combine the Berry Islands with the Abacos. It’s about a 90-nautical-mile run from Great Harbour Cay to the southern Abacos—a smooth cruise in good weather. Many charters start in Nassau, hit the Berries for a few days, then head north to the Abacos for a mix of laid-back island life and charming settlements like Hope Town and Green Turtle Cay.

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