Discover 5 Hidden Gems in Magical Valley of Blue Holes!

Have you seen the Valley Of Blue Holes? Let us visit.

This featured image is called a ‘blue hole’ that is also known as a ‘sink hole’, an amazing marine phenomenon.

What is a Blue Hole?

In marine geography, it is known as a ‘cave’’. They occur wherever the sea bed is full of coral reefs, and limestone rocks.

We know that caves are usually formed out of limestone rocks.

Below is an example.

Blue Holes differ slightly from ‘cenotes’ that are sink holes literally.

This is a ‘cenote’.

They are formed when the earth’s surface collapses, exposing the void and the groundwater beneath. Mexico is full of ‘cenotes’.

What I call a valley of blue holes is a cluster of 180 such blue holes in a single place.

Everybody is aware of a large blue hole in Belize, the wonderful Central American country.

But, the valley of blue holes is rather unknown, or I would say, ‘not widely known’.

You can see them on the under-visited islands called Andros Island.

A total of three islands comprise the Andros Islands. They are:

North Andros
South Andros

I think they must have considered the Mangrove Cay as one of the islands. For administration’s sake, Andros is considered as a single island only.

All these islands are part of the Bahamas, an archipelago in North America. 700 islands of the Bahamas are surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean.

But, when you take into account the surrounding islets, and cays, the total comes to 3000 islands.

Sadly, only a meagre 30 islands are inhabited.

Location of Andors Island:

You can locate Andros, southwest of Nassau, written in bold. It is the capital of Bahamas.

I wonder why the ‘Big Wood Cay, located just above the Mangrove Cay is left out of Andros’s geography!

How to reach Andros Island?

Domestic flights from Nassau take you to North Andros town. Similarly, flights from Florida also connect us with the Bahamian island.

There is an international airport in North Andros’s Andros Town. It receives flights from numerous international cities that include:

London
Dallas, Texas,
New York City
Houston
Philadelphia
Orlando
Palm Beach, Florida
Fort Lauderdale
Miami

Traveling by ferry:

There are regular ferries to Andros from Nassau. The time taken in the Atlantic Ocean is 5 hours, and 30 minutes.

Flights from Nassau involve 15 to 25 minutes, depending on your destination.

Discover 5 Hidden Gems in Magical Valley of Blue Holes!

Let us now go to see the blue holes and other natural attractions on Andros.

Blue Holes on Andros

Roughly 180 blue holes are on Andros Island. The majority of them are located on South Andros.

Try to find a link to Barb’s nature Walk, and Blue Hole tour on South Andros. It is wise to join the tour and visit the world’s largest collection of sink holes in one place.

You can dive into a sink hole, snorkel, and even paddle a kayak. The marines creatures under these sea voids, and land holes ( I wonder why don’t we call a blue hole on land as ‘cenote’!) are pretty diverse, and captivating. Swimming with them will inspire you to match their speed.

If you dare, you can dive into a blue hole, swim through a cave and exit through another blue hole. Some of these sea caves are interconnected under the water.

More blue holes are found on land than in the sea.

Church’s Blue Hole, the largest of the 180 numbers on Andros.

You can see many of them that are scattered over the 160 km stretch of coastline.

Blue Holes National Park

Since these sink holes are a wonderful marine phenomenon, a natonal park was carved out of them on Andros Island. Nearly 40,000 acres of sea and land is covered in the area of the NP. I am sure all the 180 blue holes will be covered within the NP coverage.

Apart from hundreds of fishes species, one can also spot some rare birds such as the Cuban Emerald Hummingbird, and the beautiful Bahama Oriole.

Bonefishing

South Andros Island is called the bonefishing capital of the world because numerous schools of bonefish can be seen. It is a special species of fish that are bonier than fleshy.

American’s are fond of angling. They catch bonefish, hold it in their hands for a few seconds and release it back into the water. They live near the shores only.

Visiting the Mangrove Cay and others cays, and islets

Don’t miss the half day island hopping tour either from the North or from the South Andros.

Interact with the Seminole Indians

They are the natives of Andros. I read some of them live in Florida too. You have to check with your local guide on Andros whether it is possible to set up an encounter with them.

How to go to the South Andros from North Andros

It is possible but a bit expensive. Chartered boats are the only means of transportation.

What to eat on Andros

Apart from the several species of fish including the bonefish, try the special Bahamian conch in a street food stall.

Crabs of big size are also recommended.

Kamalame Cay

It is a private property that is converted to a full-fledged beach resort. There are cottages, and bungalows to stay. The guests have exclusive access to some beautiful blue holes.

Even a golf course is available for the guests to kill the tome.