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Sea Kayak or Speedboat trip in Exuma Islands, Bahamas
Last Trip March 2008
The Exumas are a 120 mile long chain of 365 islands in the Bahamas. The
islands are outstandingly beautiful, undeveloped and frequently
uninhabited. Due to the shallow depth and varied seabed surface the
Exumas are especially famous for spectacular multi coloured seas, and it
is consequently one of the prettiest spots in the world.
On the north side of the long thin island chain the water is generally
deep and rough, but on the south side it is shallow and protected
against the prevailing winds. Thus the soth side of the Islands are
perfect for speed boat and kayak adventures. Swimmers and hikers can
enjoy the contrast between the calm technicoloured waters of the Exuma
Sound to the south, and the rough navy blue ocean to the north. Deep
draught power boats and sailing boats can enjoy both the sound and the
ocean, but they are much more limited when navigating the former.
My first trip to the Exumas was in a Sea Kayak. I hired a boat from
Starfish in George Town and paddled,
over the next two weeks and all alone, to Normans Cay. I took two
weeks of food with me and sometimes speared fish along route. Each night
I camped on a beach and lit a fire. At Normans Cay I called the Baraterre
Bone Fish Lodge who came out on a fast boat, picked me up, and returned me to the
starting point. Others doing this journey continue to Highbourne Cay and
return on the Mail Boat. Taking a folding Kayak instead of
hiring from Starfish is also possible.
After kayaking through the mangroves of Shroud Cay I arrived
at the most spectacular tropical beach I have ever seen,
and vowed to one day return. A few years later, I
took my girlfriend Rita. This time I hired a speed
boat and several extra fuel tanks from a company on Staniel Cay (link
here), spent a couple of nights in the Staniel Cay Yach Club
cottages (link here), and the
rest of time exploring the islands and camping. Exploring the islands in
a small speedboat is much easier than in a sea kayak and still lots of
fun. You leave the boat anchored while you are camping or hiking (in
Palawan of the Philipines you would worry about it being stolen, but
this never happens in the Exumas).
How does it compared to other tropical beach holidays? On Staniel
Cay, the biggest Island in the central Exumas, there are two basic
restaurant / bars and three shops - not every tourist's cup of tea. Even
on Staniel the beaches are deserted, this is not a place to come in
search of social life! Almost all
the tourists are on boats, there are no hotels and only a handful of
cottages to rent. Because the population is so tiny and everyone knows
each other the Exumas are
completely free from crime, in complete contrast to Nassau for example. The Islands have coral reef but it is not of
world class quality. The terrain is fairly flat and the vegetation is
simple, eg no mountains and very few tall coconut palms. Insects in
winter are OK, there is no problem with poisonous snakes, bugs etc.
The two essential books
you must buy BEFORE you leave - The Explorer Charts and The Exuma Guide.
Please note there is hardly even an ATM on the Exuma Islands, take
everything you need with you.
I also took a Garmin Colorado 300 GPS with an electronic chart of the
Bahamas on my second trip.
Flight with Golden Wings from Nassau to Staniel Cay
View of the Exuma Cays from the place
Beach near Thunderball Bar/Restaurant on Staniel
Pig Beach near Staniel Cay. Don't pretend to feed the pig your GPS for a
photo - a second later it bit my hand!
Camping at Sandy Cay near Warderick Wells
Unpacking one of our 60L Watertight Barrels near the Sea Aquarium in the
Exuma Land and Sea Park.
Take a bigger tent that I did!
Rita Posing
Feeding the birds at Warderick Wells Park HQ
A leaf from the Poison Wood Tree - A rare nasty in the Exuamas - Don't
touch!
The best place to stay in Nassau for a night or two is Atlantis
If you do be sure to take a boat to Bay Street and see the flea market
and craft markets
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