Bahamas Exuma Cay Crossing

The ground

Shape of the days

A shape, not a script. Order and pacing move with weather, permits, and how the first days actually go.

1. Day 1

   Nassau or Great Exuma: opening

   Day 1 sits inside the 1–2 arc titled Nassau or Great Exuma. Boarding the crewed boat, provisioning, and the first run to the southern cays. This opening slice sets the logistics and the first read of the ground before the denser days. Field days stay inside the ground already described for Bahamas. The Exuma chain is 365 cays running about 190 km, most of them uninhabited, and the water is the whole point, shallow banks over white aragonite sand that read a colour photographs struggle to hold. The Land and Sea Park is a no-take zone, no fishing, no shelling, no conch, no lobster, anywhere within its boundary. Moorings must be booked and fees are paid to the Bahamas National Trust. Private crewed boat, captain and cook, which is the only sensible way to do the chain. Expect a full field day measured in hours on foot, on the water, or in transit between sectors already named above. Private guiding means we can shorten or reorder, not that the underlying constraints disappear. The Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, established in 1958, was the first marine protected area of its kind anywhere and has been a no-take reserve since 1986. That is why the grouper and conch populations inside it are what they are, and why it functions as a nursery for the wider bank. Geography stays inside Exuma Cays and the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, Bahamas. Season logic we plan against: November through May, outside peak hurricane season. April and May often give the calmest water with the fewest boats. For kit on these days: Soft-sided bags only for a crewed boat,.

2. Day 2

   Nassau or Great Exuma: continuation

   Day 2 sits inside the 1–2 arc titled Nassau or Great Exuma. Boarding the crewed boat, provisioning, and the first run to the southern cays. This closing slice of the block consolidates what the earlier days opened, without inventing a new sector. Field days stay inside the ground already described for Bahamas. The Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, established in 1958, was the first marine protected area of its kind anywhere and has been a no-take reserve since 1986. Feeding wildlife is a real issue in this chain. We visit the provisioned sites without adding to the feeding, and we say plainly which encounters are wild and which are not. Private crewed boat, captain and cook, which is the only sensible way to do the chain. Expect a full field day measured in hours on foot, on the water, or in transit between sectors already named above. Private guiding means we can shorten or reorder, not that the underlying constraints disappear. That is why the grouper and conch populations inside it are what they are, and why it functions as a nursery for the wider bank. Geography stays inside Exuma Cays and the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, Bahamas. Season logic we plan against: November through May, outside peak hurricane season. April and May often give the calmest water with the fewest boats. For kit on these days: Soft-sided bags only for a crewed boat, since hard cases have nowhere to live.

3. Days 3–4

   Land and Sea Park: opening

   Days 3–4 continue the Land and Sea Park block. Warderick Wells and the park's mooring field, Boo Boo Hill, the blue holes, and reef drifts inside the no-take zone. This opening slice sets the logistics and the first read of the ground before the denser days. Field days stay inside the ground already described for Bahamas. The set pieces are honest but worth understanding. The Land and Sea Park is a no-take zone, no fishing, no shelling, no conch, no lobster, anywhere within its boundary. Moorings must be booked and fees are paid to the Bahamas National Trust. Private crewed boat, captain and cook, which is the only sensible way to do the chain. Expect a full field day measured in hours on foot, on the water, or in transit between sectors already named above. Private guiding means we can shorten or reorder, not that the underlying constraints disappear. The Exuma chain is 365 cays running about 190 km, most of them uninhabited, and the water is the whole point, shallow banks over white aragonite sand that read a colour photographs struggle to hold. The sandbars appear and disappear with the tide. Geography stays inside Exuma Cays and the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, Bahamas. Season logic we plan against: November through May, outside peak hurricane season. April and May often give the calmest water with the fewest boats. For kit on these days: Soft-sided bags only for a crewed boat, since hard cases have nowhere to live.

4. Day 5

   Land and Sea Park: continuation

   Day 5 sits inside the 3–5 arc titled Land and Sea Park. Warderick Wells and the park's mooring field, Boo Boo Hill, the blue holes, and reef drifts inside the no-take zone. This closing slice of the block consolidates what the earlier days opened, without inventing a new sector. Field days stay inside the ground already described for Bahamas. The Exuma chain is 365 cays running about 190 km, most of them uninhabited, and the water is the whole point, shallow banks over white aragonite sand that read a colour photographs struggle to hold. Feeding wildlife is a real issue in this chain. We visit the provisioned sites without adding to the feeding, and we say plainly which encounters are wild and which are not. Private crewed boat, captain and cook, which is the only sensible way to do the chain. Expect a full field day measured in hours on foot, on the water, or in transit between sectors already named above. Private guiding means we can shorten or reorder, not that the underlying constraints disappear. The sandbars appear and disappear with the tide. Geography stays inside Exuma Cays and the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, Bahamas. Season logic we plan against: November through May, outside peak hurricane season. April and May often give the calmest water with the fewest boats. For kit on these days: Soft-sided bags only for a crewed boat, since hard cases have nowhere to live.

5. Day 6

   Northern cays: opening

   Day 6 sits inside the 6–7 arc titled Northern cays. Compass Cay, Thunderball Grotto on the slack tide, and the sandbars at low water. Empty-cay beach nights. This opening slice sets the logistics and the first read of the ground before the denser days. This is the denser stretch. The Land and Sea Park is a no-take zone, no fishing, no shelling, no conch, no lobster, anywhere within its boundary. Moorings must be booked and fees are paid to the Bahamas National Trust. Fitness for the block: Easy. Swimming and snorkelling, dinghy transfers, and beach landings. Conditions: Water 24–29 °C. Winter cold fronts bring wind and can flatten a day's plan between December and February; summer is calm but hot. Expect a full field day measured in hours on foot, on the water, or in transit between sectors already named above. Private guiding means we can shorten or reorder, not that the underlying constraints disappear. The set pieces are honest but worth understanding. Nurse sharks at Compass Cay and the swimming pigs at Big Major are habituated, provisioned animals, a genuine experience, not a wild one. The park's reefs, blue holes, and Thunderball Grotto are the wild half. Geography stays inside Exuma Cays and the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, Bahamas. Season logic we plan against: November through May, outside peak hurricane season. April and May often give the calmest water with the fewest boats. For kit on these days: Soft-sided bags only for a crewed boat, since hard cases have nowhere to live.

6. Day 7

   Northern cays: continuation

   Day 7 sits inside the 6–7 arc titled Northern cays. Compass Cay, Thunderball Grotto on the slack tide, and the sandbars at low water. Empty-cay beach nights. This closing slice of the block consolidates what the earlier days opened, without inventing a new sector. This is the denser stretch. Feeding wildlife is a real issue in this chain. We visit the provisioned sites without adding to the feeding, and we say plainly which encounters are wild and which are not. Fitness for the block: Easy. Swimming and snorkelling, dinghy transfers, and beach landings. Conditions: Water 24–29 °C. Winter cold fronts bring wind and can flatten a day's plan between December and February; summer is calm but hot. Expect a full field day measured in hours on foot, on the water, or in transit between sectors already named above. Private guiding means we can shorten or reorder, not that the underlying constraints disappear. Nurse sharks at Compass Cay and the swimming pigs at Big Major are habituated, provisioned animals, a genuine experience, not a wild one. The park's reefs, blue holes, and Thunderball Grotto are the wild half. Geography stays inside Exuma Cays and the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, Bahamas. Season logic we plan against: November through May, outside peak hurricane season. April and May often give the calmest water with the fewest boats. For kit on these days: Soft-sided bags only for a crewed boat, since hard cases have nowhere to live.

7. Day 8

   Exit

   Day 8 sits inside the 8 arc titled Exit. Return to Nassau or Georgetown. The day order inside this block can shift when weather or access forces a rewrite. Exit logistics follow the same transfer pattern already built into the programme. Feeding wildlife is a real issue in this chain. We visit the provisioned sites without adding to the feeding, and we say plainly which encounters are wild and which are not. International connections should leave buffer after the last field day; late-evening flights only when the ground day is genuinely short. The last day is deliberately lighter where the catalogue allows it, so extraction does not collide with a hard physical ask. The Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, established in 1958, was the first marine protected area of its kind anywhere and has been a no-take reserve since 1986. That is why the grouper and conch populations inside it are what they are, and why it functions as a nursery for the wider bank. Geography stays inside Exuma Cays and the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, Bahamas. Season logic we plan against: November through May, outside peak hurricane season. April and May often give the calmest water with the fewest boats. Packing still matters here: Soft-sided bags only for a crewed boat, since hard cases have nowhere to live.

Access and permits

The constraints that actually decide whether a date is possible.

• The Land and Sea Park is a no-take zone, no fishing, no shelling, no conch, no lobster, anywhere within its boundary. Moorings must be booked and fees are paid to the Bahamas National Trust.
• Feeding wildlife is a real issue in this chain. We visit the provisioned sites without adding to the feeding, and we say plainly which encounters are wild and which are not.

What the price reflects

$8,500–13,500 for eight days reflects a private crewed vessel for the week rather than day-charters from a resort. The number is boat-driven: hull, crew, fuel, and provisioning across a chain with almost no infrastructure. What moves a quote inside that picture is party size, season, and the lodge or camp class actually available for your dates. Private crewed boat, captain and cook, which is the only sensible way to do the chain. Party sizes set by the vessel, typically four to eight. On the included side, the band already assumes items such as: Crewed vessel with captain and cook, all fuel; Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park mooring and permit fees; All meals aboard, snorkel equipment, kayaks and paddleboards. Still outside the band unless we write them in: Seaplane or charter flights unless listed; Scuba diving, which needs a dedicated dive vessel; International flights. Nothing is confirmed until it is confirmed in writing.

Party size

Per-person cost usually falls as the private team is shared across more guests, up to the format limit implied by the guiding and lodge picture. Private crewed boat, captain and cook, which is the only sensible way to do the chain.

Season and dates

Window on the card: Nov–May. Planning note: November through May, outside peak hurricane season. April and May often give the calmest water with the fewest boats. Peak dates inside that window tighten lodge and permit availability, which is what usually pushes a quote toward the top of a published band.

Lodge or camp class

Where you sleep (lodge, tented camp, or station) is one of the largest levers once guiding is fixed. We price the class we can actually hold for your dates.

Internal transport

Transfers and regional legs follow the trip design. Watch for: Seaplane or charter flights unless listed. Charter or peak-season domestic seats, where they apply, sit outside a simple road transfer.

Permits and access

Access cost tracks what the ground already requires. Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park mooring and permit fees We do not invent fee figures beyond what the catalogue already states.

Outside the band

Not assumed unless written in: Seaplane or charter flights unless listed; Scuba diving, which needs a dedicated dive vessel; International flights.

Bands are per person sharing and move with party size, season, and lodge choice. Nothing is confirmed until it is confirmed in writing. How we price.

Where this is

Exuma Cays and the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, Bahamas.

Elevation: Sea level; highest ground under 40 m. Season as published: Nov–May. Difficulty as assessed: Easy.