The Exumas are the classic Bahamas cruising ground – a 120-mile chain of over 350 cays running south from Nassau, with the shallow, sheltered water that makes catamarans and motor yachts equally at home. This guide covers where to go, when to go, and how a crewed Exumas charter actually runs.
We recommend the Exumas for the experiences you can’t get elsewhere in the Bahamas: swim with nurse sharks at Compass Cay, hike Boo Boo Hill at Warderick Wells, and anchor off Big Major Cay to meet the famous swimming pigs.
Why Charter the Exumas
- Shallow, protected water. Sandbanks break the ocean swell, so the cruising ground stays calm even when the Atlantic side doesn’t – ideal for catamarans and shallow-draft motor yachts.
- The swimming pigs. Big Major Cay (Pig Beach) is the single most-requested stop in the Bahamas – best visited by tender mid-morning, ahead of the day-tripper boats.
- National park anchorages. The Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park (Warderick Wells and north) keeps large stretches of the chain undeveloped – moorings, not marinas.
- Real snorkeling and diving. Thunderball Grotto, nurse sharks at Compass Cay, and reef sites throughout – though dive-shop infrastructure is limited compared to Nassau, so we set expectations up front.
- Quieter than Nassau or the Abacos. Fewer marinas and beach clubs, more off-grid anchorages – the trade-off that makes the Exumas feel remote.
Broker insight
Fly straight into Staniel Cay and work north from there back toward Nassau – Compass Cay, then Warderick Wells for the Boo Boo Hill hike, Shroud Cay for the old sunken seaplane wreck, Highbourne Cay for the iguanas, then loop back through Rose Island.
William Mc Nally
Charter Broker, Associate CYBA Member
Getting to Your Exumas Yacht Charter
Most Exumas charters start one of two ways:
Nassau (NAS) – the standard embarkation point, with direct flights from most major US and international airports, then a short transfer to the yacht. Best if your charter runs the full length of the chain, north to south.
Staniel Cay or Norman’s Cay direct – for a shorter charter (4-5 days) focused on the Northern and Central Exumas, flying straight into the cays saves a full cruising day each way versus starting from Nassau. Scheduled seat and private charter flight options run from both Nassau and South Florida.
Georgetown, Great Exuma (GGT) – the alternative if your itinerary focuses on the Southern Exumas, with its own international airport and better provisioning for longer charters.
Your broker will match the embarkation point to your itinerary – starting in the wrong place is the most common way to lose a cruising day.
Where You’ll Go: The Exuma Cays
A week in the Exumas moves through a handful of named cays, each with its own reason to stop. Beyond the marina cays below, your itinerary will likely also take in Big Major Cay (the swimming pigs), Thunderball Grotto (the underwater cave made famous in the James Bond film), Warderick Wells (the Land & Sea Park headquarters and the Boo Boo Hill hike), Shroud Cay (mangrove creeks and a sunken seaplane wreck), and Highbourne Cay (iguana feeding).
Staniel Cay
Staniel Cay is the Exumas’ unofficial capital, and usually where we recommend clients spend the most time. The Staniel Cay Yacht Club is the social hub of the whole chain, Big Major Cay and its famous swimming pigs are a five-minute tender ride away, and Thunderball Grotto, the James Bond cave, is right next door for snorkeling. Our take: go to the grotto early, before the day-tour boats arrive, and you’ll likely have it to yourself. It’s the one stop in the Exumas we’d never skip.
Compass Cay
Compass Cay’s private marina is famous for one thing: the resident nurse sharks that gather right at the dock, docile enough to wade among safely. It’s one of the most reliable wildlife encounters in the Bahamas, no dive gear required. We love it for families and first-time snorkelers who want an easy, guided wildlife moment rather than open-water diving. Don’t miss the early morning window, before the marina fills up with day-trip traffic.
Warderick Wells
Warderick Wells is the headquarters of the Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park, and the most protected stretch of the chain: moorings instead of marinas, and reef that’s stayed healthier for it. The Boo Boo Hill hike is the highlight, a short climb rewarded with driftwood signs left by decades of visiting yachts and one of the best views in the Exumas. We recommend it as the contrast stop after busier Staniel Cay, when guests want quiet and a proper walk ashore.
Norman’s Cay
Norman’s Cay carries one of the best stories in the Bahamas: once the private base of drug smuggler Carlos Lehder in the 1980s, its wrecked plane still sits in the shallows just off the beach, now a popular and slightly surreal snorkel stop. Beyond the wreck, it’s a calm, quieter northern anchorage with a laid-back beach bar. Don’t miss snorkeling the plane around midday, when the light through the shallow water is best for photos.
Sampson Cay
Sampson Cay is the quiet, practical stop in the Central Exumas: a smaller marina useful for fuel, provisioning, or simply a calmer night away from the busier northern cays. There’s no single big attraction here, and that’s the point: it’s a good place to slow the pace for a night, not sightsee. We often build it into longer itineraries as a reset point midweek, somewhere guests can slow down before the next run of highlights.
Shroud Cay
Shroud Cay is one of our favorite half-day detours in the whole chain. A network of tidal mangrove creeks cuts through the island, paddleboard- or kayak-friendly, and rideable on the outgoing tide out to a hidden ocean-side beach most charters never find. There’s also a sunken seaplane wreck near the northern tip for snorkelers. Don’t miss riding the creek out to the beach at low tide, it’s one of the more memorable mornings we send clients on.
Highbourne Cay
Highbourne Cay is a well-run private marina with a genuinely good on-island restaurant, and a reliable spot for iguana feeding just offshore. It’s less about a single big-ticket activity and more about comfort: easy provisioning, a nice meal ashore, and a calm night. We like using it as the first or last stop of a charter, easing guests in or out before or after Nassau.
A Classic 7-Day Exumas Itinerary
Day 1: Nassau → Rose Island (5 NM) – paddleboards, reefs, sunset cocktails
Day 2: Rose Island → Allan’s Cay → Highbourne Cay (40 NM) – iguanas, high-end dining
Day 3: Highbourne Cay → Shroud Cay (20 NM) – mangrove canals, hidden beach, sunken seaplane
Day 4: Shroud Cay → Staniel Cay (15 NM) – swimming pigs, Thunderball Grotto
Day 5: Staniel Cay → Compass Cay (10 NM) – nurse sharks, calm marina stop
Day 6: Compass Cay → Warderick Wells (15 NM) – Boo Boo Hill hike, reef snorkeling
Day 7: Warderick Wells → Norman’s Cay → Nassau (60 NM) – plane wreck, final cruise home
Exumas or the Abacos?
Clients often ask whether to combine the two. In practice, we don’t recommend it: the Exumas sit roughly 110 nautical miles from the Abacos, and support along that stretch is limited if a yacht needs mechanical help underway. Sailing the Abacos from Nassau is the more practical pairing if you want both.
As a rule of thumb: choose the Exumas for remote anchorages, swimming pigs, and the classic postcard Bahamas. Choose the Abacos for calmer, more sheltered cruising with more marinas and easier provisioning – better suited to a first Bahamas charter or a group that wants more shoreside comfort. If serious fishing is more the priority than sightseeing, it’s also worth pairing the Exumas with a few days in the Berry Islands, a short hop from Nassau. Guests who want a genuinely exceptional beach alongside the Exumas often add a few days in Eleuthera too, about two and a half hours from Nassau.
