Last updated: November 2026
The Bahamas are a short flight from the US, with more than 700 islands and cays, shallow turquoise banks and room to be alone. This guide takes the decisions in order: when to go, how to get to the boat, where to cruise, which yacht, what the week really costs, and how booking works. Each section links to the longer article on that topic. When you are ready to see boats, our Bahamas motor yacht charter page lists every crewed motor yacht we can offer, with rates.
1. When to go
The best months are March to May: warm water, settled weather and the sandbars at their best. December to April is the classic dry season; January can feel cooler, in the evenings and in the water. May and November are the quieter shoulder months. Christmas, New Year and Easter carry premium terms and book furthest ahead. Month by month: the best time for a Bahamas yacht charter.
Most Bahamas yachts charge one rate all year, with holiday weeks priced on top. Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, but most activity falls between mid-August and mid-October. We keep booking through it, because every booking in those months carries a hurricane addendum: if a named storm hits your dates, you move them or take a credit, and you do not lose the charter fee. Read hurricane season and yacht charters, and for March, spring break charters.
Broker insight
The Bahamas doesn't have a high season and low season like we have in the Med. The charter fee is the same all year round, except for Christmas, New Year's, Easter, and special days like the 4th of July.
Daniel Asmus
Owner, Charter Broker
2. Getting to the boat
There are three practical starts. Fly into Nassau and board there, the simple default. Take a small plane from Fort Lauderdale or Nassau into the Exumas and board at Staniel Cay, which saves a day of cruising at each end of the week. Or fly into Georgetown for a southern start. Small planes mean soft bags and strict weight limits. Details: getting to your Bahamas yacht.
Boarding in Florida sounds simple, but the Gulf Stream crossing and customs eat time and fuel. Miami to Bimini can work on the right yacht; Miami to the Exumas usually does not. Read Miami to Bahamas: is it worth it.
Broker insight
It's nothing to do with the APA or the money. It's the Gulf Stream, which can be brutal, and customs: you're leaving one country and entering another on a boat, and that means real delays. For a one-month charter, no problem.
John Boullin
Charter Broker
3. Where to cruise
The Exumas: a 120-mile chain of more than 350 islands and cays, and the first choice for most charters. Swimming pigs at Big Major Cay, nurse sharks at Compass Cay, Thunderball Grotto and the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park. The Abacos: north of Nassau, a string of island villages linked by calm water, often started from Marsh Harbour, more laid-back than the Exumas. Nassau is the main start, and Eleuthera fits into a longer week.
Compare them in the top 5 Bahamas charter destinations, the top 5 Exuma stops and the most secluded islands. Against the Virgin Islands: Bahamas vs BVI.
4. Which yacht
The Bahamas are motor yacht country. Distances are longer than in the Virgin Islands, and a motor yacht covers them in far less time than a catamaran. Crewed catamarans range from about 50 to 80 feet, but good ones are limited here, so we usually point catamaran groups to $80,000 per week and up, or to a motor yacht.
Most yachts take up to 12 guests overnight, and catamarans run out earlier: above 10 guests the choice is very small. Browse motor yachts, catamarans, power catamarans, superyachts and yachts for large groups, or the shortlists top 10 motor yachts and top 10 superyachts.
Broker insight
Budget catamarans are genuinely scarce in the Bahamas, several of the boats at that level have relocated to the BVI. If a catamaran under $60,000 is the priority, we will tell you honestly whether the BVI fits your trip better. From $80,000 up, the Bahamas catamaran fleet is excellent, and that is where we point most groups.
John Boullin
Charter Broker
5. What the week really costs
Most of our clients book motor yachts from $60,000 to $200,000 per week; smaller motor yachts start lower. A crewed catamaran starts at about $40,000 per week. That is the base fee for the yacht and crew. In the Bahamas the real total lands roughly 60% to 70% above it, because three things come on top:
- APA, the Advance Provisioning Allowance: 25% to 40% of the base fee, for fuel, food, drinks and dockage. What is not spent comes back to you.
- A flat 14% charter tax on the base fee, collected by the Bahamas Port Department since July 1, 2025. It replaced the old 10% VAT plus 4% port fee without changing the total, and it does not apply to the APA or the tip.
- Crew gratuity: 15% to 20% of the base fee, paid at the end of the week.
Worked example: a $100,000 per week motor yacht with 35% APA ($35,000), the 14% tax ($14,000) and a 15% to 20% tip ($15,000 to $20,000) comes to $164,000 to $169,000 for the week, with any unspent APA returned.
Read how much a Bahamas yacht charter costs (it has a calculator), the 14% charter tax explained and what the tax changed. By budget: motor yachts from $30,000 to $60,000 per week and from $60,000 to $100,000 per week.
Broker insight
To get any reduced rate now, the yacht has to be Bahamas flagged, Bahamian owned, and Bahamian operated. All 3 need to be in place. The old 10% plus 4% has essentially combined into a standard 14% tax, and almost none of the motor yachts we place clients on fit that bracket.
Louis Lamprell
Charter Broker
6. The route
Five nights is the minimum and one week is the sweet spot. The classic week is a round trip from Nassau through the Exuma Cays: about 158 nautical miles over seven nights, with short hops and easy anchoring. Two weeks lets you run the full Exumas chain; a fast yacht can add Eleuthera within a week.
Day by day: the 7-day Exumas round trip, the Exumas and Eleuthera and the Abacos. How long to go: is one week enough. In the water: snorkeling, water toys, water activities and fishing charters. Jet skis are easy to use here; see yachts with a jet ski.
7. How booking works
You send dates, group size and budget, and a broker sends a shortlist of yachts that fit. Ask for the full weekly total, not the base fee: some quotes leave the 14% out to look cheaper. The final payment, including the tax, is due about 6 weeks before you board. For June to November, sign the hurricane addendum with the contract and buy trip insurance when you book. Before you book, read the 7 things to get right and how to avoid a floating disaster.
Broker insight
We can proceed at all times, we just need the hurricane addendum or clause. It is one page, and it settles the money question before you board: what happens to your payment if a named storm interferes with your week. Sign it early and there is nothing to negotiate later, because the answer is already in writing while the sun is still out.
Daniel Asmus
Owner, Charter Broker
Quick answers
How much does a Bahamas yacht charter cost? Most motor yacht weeks run from $60,000 to $200,000 per week, and catamarans start at about $40,000 per week, plus 25% to 40% APA, the 14% tax and a 15% to 20% tip.
When is the best time? March to May. Mid-August to mid-October is the hurricane peak, and every booking from June to November carries a hurricane addendum.
Where should I start? Nassau, or Staniel Cay by small plane to start in the middle of the Exumas.
How many guests? Most yachts take up to 12 guests overnight; above 10, choose a motor yacht.
How long? Five nights minimum; one week is the sweet spot.
Tell us your dates and group size on our crewed motor yacht charters in the Bahamas page, and a broker sends you a shortlist that fits.
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