7-Day Exumas & Eleuthera Yacht Charter Itinerary

We recommend heading out from Nassau as soon as guests are settled. The 35-nautical-mile run to Highbourne Cay gives the crew time to get the boat sorted while you get your first look at the Exuma Bank's clarity, and once moored you can ease in with nurse sharks that gather near the marina or a proper dinner at Xuma Restaurant.

For divers, the Austin Smith wreck just offshore is worth the detour. Originally a Bahamian Defence Force cutter named for a marine killed in a skirmish with Cuban forces, it accidentally sank while under tow in 1995 and now sits upright in about 60 feet of water, an exceptional reef dive with sponges, sea fans, and large schools of jacks and snapper.

Norman's Cay is quiet today, but it still carries the echoes of its history as a hub for Carlos Lehder's cocaine smuggling operation in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The sunken plane from that era is the main draw, shallow enough to snorkel and sitting just off the beach.

We would use the rest of the day for a slow tender cruise through the nearby sandbars and creeks around Wax Cay Cut, where the light-tackle fishing is good and you will likely have the water to yourselves.

Warderick Wells sits inside the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, where fishing and shell collecting are not allowed. This stop is about the untouched nature rather than provisioning or nightlife.

We would hike Boo Boo Hill for the panoramic views and the driftwood left by other cruisers, then snorkel off Emerald Rock, where big schools of fish, healthy coral, and the occasional reef shark are the norm rather than the exception.

A must-do for first-time visitors and still worthwhile the second time. Stop at Big Major Spot to see the swimming pigs, then head to Thunderball Grotto, featured in two James Bond films.

We would time the grotto for slack tide. The current can run strong, but get it right and the interior lights up through the holes in the ceiling, with visibility that makes it one of the best snorkeling experiences in the region.

This is the day that separates this itinerary from the standard Exumas loop: a long but rewarding open-water crossing to South Eleuthera. We would suggest an early start and letting the crew handle the passage while guests relax, since it is longer than anything earlier in the week.

South Eleuthera has minimal development, good drop-offs for trolling or deep drops, and calm spots behind the cays for an overnight anchorage. If anyone on board fishes, this is the leg to do it: wahoo, tuna, mahi, and even billfish depending on the season.

Run north along Eleuthera's coast with the Atlantic on one side and glassy inlets on the other. The Glass Window Bridge is worth the stop: a natural limestone arch where the deep blue Atlantic meets the calm turquoise of the Exuma Sound on the other side of a single narrow road, one of the most dramatic visual contrasts anywhere in the Bahamas.

There is also excellent flats fishing along this stretch, worth building in if it is on the group's list.

A smooth run back sets you up at Rose Island for a final swim or beach walk. It sits just off Nassau but feels far removed from it, and it is a good spot for paddleboards, snorkeling, or an easy last night on board with dinner on deck.

The final sail back into Nassau is the longest single return of the week, at around 6 hours, so we would plan the morning around it rather than trying to fit in one more stop. Once docked, there is time to explore a little before heading to the airport.