Exuma

Exuma, The Bahamas

Sunrise over the shallow turquoise flats of Great Exuma with a small boat moored near a sandbar.

Exuma's 365-plus islands and cays offer white sand, clear water and boat-only corners, far from the crowds of a big resort.

The place

Exuma is a district of The Bahamas, a chain of more than 365 islands and cays stretching about 209 km from north to south. Great Exuma, the largest island, is joined by a short bridge to Little Exuma, and most visitors who fly in land there. The district had about 6,900 people in 2010, and only about a fifth of them lived in George Town, the capital, with the rest spread across smaller settlements.

Much of the landscape is low, with pale sand, shallow turquoise water and mangrove channels. Great Exuma is about 60 km long. George Town sits on the island as a harbour town, where government offices and shops serve residents and visitors alike. Near the town, the Tropic of Cancer runs across Pelican Beach on Little Exuma, which is why the beach is also called Tropic of Cancer Beach. Its white sand is known well beyond the islands.

The population more than doubled in a single decade as resorts were built and direct flights from Toronto arrived. Away from the resort areas, though, the islands feel quiet, with long stretches of sand that may have nobody else on them. Outside George Town and Black Point, restaurants are scarce, so the eateries at marinas and yacht clubs often become the default.

Its story

Exuma was settled by American colonial loyalists who fled the upheaval of the Revolutionary War and brought cotton plantations to the islands. Their loyalty to the Crown is still present in the name of the capital, George Town, which honours King George III. The plantation economy depended on enslaved labour, and that history shaped how villages and land ownership developed across the islands.

Baron Rolle, a loyalist settler, is a central figure in the islands' heritage. When he died, he left his substantial Exuma landholdings to the people he had enslaved. Towns on Great Exuma, including Rolleville and Rolletown, still carry his name, and the land story is part of how many island communities understand their own origins.

A few smaller cays remain partly or wholly privately owned. They are still counted as part of the Exuma and Bahamas cays chain and are known by their numbers rather than by names. The best-known examples are two adjoining cays that are losing their shorelines to erosion.

Today the islands are known for yachting, sailing, diving, and exploring coral reefs and caves. Many of the unnamed beaches, coves and offshore reefs are protected within Exuma National Land and Sea Park or Moriah Harbour Cay National Park, both run by the Bahamas National Trust. Permanent residents and resorts are spread across Great Exuma, Little Exuma, Stocking Island, Staniel Cay, Fowl Cay, Musha Cay and Iguana Cay, with Staniel Cay's yacht club a long-standing fixture.

What to see

Culture

Exuma's social year is built around festivals and homecoming events. The annual Bahamian Music and Heritage Festival, regattas, Junkanoo and the homecoming gatherings in smaller settlements bring islanders and visitors together. Junkanoo is a street parade of costumed groups, and the crowds that gather for it can fill the roadside well before the groups arrive. Depending on the event, the focus may be food, sailing, arts or music, so the mood is often closer to a community gathering than a tourist show. Homecomings are when the smaller settlements are busiest, with music and food. Fishing matters both to tourism and to the local food supply, so guides and locals treat the water as a working resource as well as a playground. Visitors who fish should remember that local fishers are feeding their own households. Ask before photographing people at a festival or in a settlement, and keep engines and music low in quiet anchorages.

What to wear

Exuma has no single everyday traditional dress. Its most visible textile tradition is Junkanoo costume, built from crepe paper, cardboard and fabric, and worn by groups who parade through the streets during festivals. Costumes are bright, layered and often elaborate, and making them is a long community project that many families take part in. Day to day, islanders dress much as people do in any Caribbean town: T-shirts, shorts, sundresses and sandals, with more formal clothes for church and official occasions.

For a visitor, dress for heat and sun first. Loose cotton or linen, a hat, sunscreen and a light long-sleeved layer for evenings on the water will serve you well. Swimwear is fine on beaches and boats, but cover up in George Town and in the settlements. Pack a warm, ideally waterproof coat for the crossing from Nassau, because the open water can be choppy. Sturdy sandals with grip suit the rocky shores, and reef shoes help when you wade.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. The drier, cooler months from December to April suit beach days and sailing best. Summer is hot and humid, with a higher chance of storms.

How long. 3–5

Getting there. Great Exuma is home to the sole airport across the island chain, roughly 16 km north of George Town, with flights arriving from Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Nassau. The northern islands are under an hour by speedboat from Nassau, but the open crossing can be choppy. Other cays are reached by charter or your own boat.

Budget. high

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

Sources