Beautiful and Gorgeous Bahamas Islands

Which Bahamas Islands are touristy?

Which islands of the Bahamas are favorites of Americans?

Know about the best of Bahamas Islands that you can go, enjoy a breezy weekend, eat the world’s very rare fish, and return to Florida.

Overview of Bahamas Islands

The Bahamas is an archipelago called Bahamas archipelago Lucayan Archipelago. The chain of islands consists of 700 islands, islets, and Cays.

There is a mention of the Cays (that are just coral reefs but are quite large) in Bahamas archipelago numbering over 2400.

Of course, not all the 700+ islands are inhabited. I think about just 5% of the Bahamas archipelago is inhabited.

Considered to be a very expensive place to visit in the world, Bahamas islands offer numerous high-end hotels and beach resorts.

The Bahamas are known to have many spots that are ideal for scuba diving and snorkeling.

The Bahamas islands comprise a whopping 60,000 sq. Km approximately.

 

Tourist attractions in the Bahamas Islands that you should miss are:

• Lucayan National
• Treasure Cay beach

Adventure action in the Bahamas Islands:

• Banana boat rides
• Paragliding
• Jet-skiing
• Island hopping
• Scuba diving
• Snorkeling
• Angling

Location of Bahamas Islands

The Bahamas is part of the West Indies. If you see the Central America atlas, you will find the Bahamas occupy the northernmost part of the Caribbean Islands.

Do you know the proximity of the Bahamas to the United States? It is just 80 km from the southernmost tip of Florida. In spite of that, the Bahamas have never been a part of the mighty United States!

Miami is the nearest big American city to the Bahamas.

Attractive Cuba is located south of the Bahamas.

How to reach the Bahamas?

Nassau is the capital city of the Bahamas and located in New Providence Island. It is served well by all the major airlines from all the big cities of the world, including the very off New Delhi.

From Miami in Florida, the distance of 290 km is covered in just 30 minutes by flights.

If you prefer to cross the Gulf of Mexico to reach the Bahamas, you can do so, and the time required is only two hours to cross the 80+ km from Florida. Your ferry will dock at the shores of the nearest Bimini Islands of the Bahamas. Though the Bimini Islands is the landing site from the Florida Keys for seafarers, it is not the hub of the tourists to the Bahamas.

Bimini itself is an archipelago comprising  three islands namely:

• North Bimini Island
• East Bimini Island
• South Bimini Island

From Nassau, you can visit the small islands of the Bahamas archipelago by sea passage.

In how many days you can see all of the Bahamas?

If you are an expert scuba diver, you will feel a weekend is not enough because of so many sites such as Thunderball Grotto, Andras Barrier Reef, and because of exotic marine life. Nevertheless, a weekend is still sufficient for the majority of the tourists.

The major beautiful islands of Bahamas where you can spend a weekend:

• Grand Bahamas
• Paradise Island
• New Providence Island
• Bimini Islands
• Acklins & Crooked Island
• Abaco Islands
• The Berry Islands
• Cat Island
• Eleuthera & Harbor Island
• Andros Island
• San Salvador
• Long Island
• Exuma Islands

There are 13 beautiful islands in the Bahamas that attract passionate island voyagers.

New Providence, Bahamas Islands

Since it has more population when compared to the other islands of the Bahamas, it occupies the top position in the list of major Bahamas Islands that the tourists visit frequently.

None other than the legendary Christopher Columbus discovered this Bahamas Island.

Americans are fond of visiting this island because of gambling dens that offered in the big hotels here.

New Providence Island is the gateway for Rose Island that is known for its beautiful beaches and snorkeling.

Another small islet nearby is the Blue Lagoon Island.

Some more things to do in the New Providence Island, Bahamas:

• Visit the Ardastra Zoo
• Waterloo Estuary
• Shopping in the Marice Bond
• A trip to the Nassau Museum
• Cable Beach (image attached)

It measures 35 km in length and 12 km in width.

Paradise Island, Bahamas

Paradise Island in the Bahamas located only 5 km from New Providence Island. You can walk across the sea on a bridge to reach the Paradise Island from Nassau.

Important tourist landmarks in Paradise Island are:

• • Cabbage beach
  • Paradise Beach
  • Royal Towers

• Atlantis Resort is known for gambling slot machines.
• A water theme park called Aquaventure
• Wonderful aquarium

Grand Bahamas Island,

Grand Bahama located at the northern tip of the Bahamas archipelago, close to the coast of Florida Keys.

Places to see in the Grand Bahamas:

• Lucayan National Park

• Taino beach

Wildlife of the Grand Bahamas.

• Bahamas Swallow

• Bahama Woodstar hummingbird

• Buffy Flower Bat
• Swamps of Mangrove
• Reefy beaches such as Xanadu

Harbor Island, Bahamas

Harbor Island is a relatively uncrowded island where the beaches are pristine. The shallow waters would welcome you to take a plunge.

The Abaco Islands Archipelago, Bahamas

Interestingly, this is an archipelago comprising more of cays than islands islets.

Do you know what a ‘cay’ is?

A cay is nothing but a land area floating on the water. Here is an example of a Cay.

I am sure you have heard of other cays in the world that include the famous ‘Florida Keys.’ Cay is alternatively known as ‘key. Beneath the cay is the coral reef.

The Abaco Islands located about 290 km east of Florida Keys.

Barrier reefs form a cay and our subject; the Abaco Islands are comprising several cays and a few other small islets. The Abaco Islands located in the Northern part of the Bahamas Islands. The popular tourist attraction in the United States –the Florida Keys- is located on the west coast of the Abaco Islands.

Popular sightseeing attractions and adventure activities of the Abaco Islands are:

• The Lighthouse is standing tall and visible from all parts of the islands and also off the beaches to the seamen.

• Pelican Cays are popular among scuba divers.
• Land and Sea Park located in the Pelican Cays. This is a must-visit marine life attraction of the Bahamas.

When you take time to visit the Pelican Cays to witness the colorful underwater creatures, you will be taken to 3 other ‘Cays’ nearby by the sea safari organizers in the Bahamas. Bahamas marine life is very colorful and diverse. The marine life of Green Turtle Cay, which you will be visiting, makes an interesting study for the researchers.

• Snorkeling to see the corals that may look nothing but seaweeds, but they are precious commercially. Also, the marine life of the Bahamas would be thrilling to watch. You can spot Eagle Rays, Sharks, and sea turtles.
• Underwater sea caves

 

I am awestruck by the bravery of the woman who fearlessly dived into the ‘ocean caves.’ Did you notice there were not much of a deep-sea diver’s gears on her back?

• Walker’s Cay National Park
• Plenty of beaches where the tourists hang around.
• A visit to the Grand Cay, Green Turtle Cay, and Spanish Cay
• Spotting the elusive but recognizable (by its striking colors) Cuban Parrot

Bimini, Bahamas Islands

Bimini Islands are where the ferries from the Florida Keys would dock. From Bimini Islands, one can hop around all the other beautiful islands, islets, and cays of the Bahamas on a ferry.

A tourist can even fly into the Bimini Islands from Miami, Florida.

A relaxed afternoon of angling can be engaging. If you are a bit more adventurous, you can strap a scuba diving equipment on your back and explore the deep seas of the Atlantic.

When you foray deep into the waters off the Bimini’s coast; you can easily spot the following marine life of the Bahamas:

• Sharks
• Smalltooth Sawfish

Then, there is the strikingly beautiful green and brown lizard called “Ameiva.”

Since the Ameivas are swift movers on the land, they are also named “Jungle Runners.”

• Another scary-looking lizard of the Bahamas is the ‘Bahamian Iguana.’

Birds of the Bahamas.

Most of the Bahamian birds are in the Bimini Islands. Generally, all the islands, islets, and cays of the Bahamas attract a large number of migratory birds, some of which are:

• Bahama Woodstar-a hummingbird

• West Indian Flamingo
• Blue Heron

• Bahamas Duck

Andros, Bahamas Islands

The first thing that made me sit upright when I did my research in the Andros Islands archipelago is its size- a mindboggling 6000 sq.km! That is almost to the size of all of the Bahamas’ 700+ islands and cays.

Another unique geographical feature of the Andros Islands is the number of swamplands and mangroves that attract a big range of avifauna and reptiles.

The three main islands of Andros Islands are:

• North Andros
• South Andros
• Mangrove Cay.

All three islands are inter-connected by the estuaries and swamps.

The Andros Islands attract a large number of tourists and even from the permanent residents of other islands of the Bahamas because of diverse wildlife, especially the exotic migratory birds.

To serve the influx of tourists from various states of the United States, there are numerous dive resorts and beachfront hotels and cottages in Andros Islands.

Let us stop over briefly at the attractions of the Andros Islands in the Bahamas.

• Blue Holes-ocean caves. Divers love them. I remember reading more than 40 such sea-caves are in Andros Islands alone!
• Barrier reefs
• Creeks
• Scuba diving spots
• Bonefishing sights

Bonefish’s anatomy is full of small bones and hence the name. Since it is difficult to eat the bonefish because of its bones, the anglers amuse themselves by catching the bonefish only to release them quickly again in the water.

The avifauna of the Andros Islands of Bahamas.

The topography of this vast Bahamas Island is such that it is precisely ideal for the survival of several species of wildlife, including birds, reptiles, insects, marine life, and corals.

• Bahamas Oriole
• Kirtland’s warbler
• Loggerhead kingbird,
• Cuban Pewee
• Piping Plover
• Lizard
• Bahamas YellowThroat
• Whistling Duck
• Bahamas mockingbird
• Quails
• Bahamas Pintail

Exuma Islands of Bahamas

Here is an interesting fact about the Exuma Islands, which are nothing but ‘cays’ numbering to 365. Some of the cays of Exuma interconnected by road.

The reason for this Bahama island’s touristy is the engaging Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park that is too beautiful to bypass.

The marine life, including corals, would make you open your mouth agape.

Additionally, the mysterious ‘blue holes’ are wonderful to explore by snorkeling and swimming.

San Salvador of Bahamas

Generally avoided by the tourists for the island’s crime activities, San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador, is the last island of the Bahamas. It is equipped with pristine beaches, that the Columbus fell in love at first sight when he discovered the island in 1492.

These nine islands of the Bahamas would make your vacation exciting and memorable.