Nassau: Discover Exuma Island Hopping and Swimming Pigs Tour

The main draw here is simple: in one long day, you see several of the Exuma Cays that would otherwise require a much more complicated trip. You’ll feed swimming pigs, stand near nurse sharks, snorkel above a famous plane wreck, and visit wildlife found nowhere else in the world.

I like the well-planned variety. You are rarely in one place for too long, and the day moves from wildlife to swimming to lunch to snorkeling without feeling like a single repetitive boat ride. I also like that the price includes lunch, drinks, snacks, snorkel gear, landing fees, and pig food, which makes the $489 cost easier to judge.

The trade-off is the amount of boat time. You spend roughly three hours traveling between stops, and the speedboat can make for a lively ride. Beach time is also brief, about 30 minutes, so this suits you best if you want to see many highlights rather than spend a quiet afternoon on one beach.

Key Points at a Glance

• Five Exuma stops in one day: The route covers Allen’s Cay, Compass Cay, Big Major’s Cay, a lunch stop, the plane wreck, and a final beach or sandbar.
• Rare Bahamian Rock Iguanas: At Allen’s Cay, you can see a species found only on three small islands in Exuma.
• Close-up nurse sharks: Compass Cay is known for nurse sharks gathering beneath the marina docks.
• The famous swimming pigs: At Big Major’s Cay, you can feed and swim with the pigs, with food supplied as part of the tour.
• A story-rich snorkel stop: The wreck near Norman’s Cay is linked to Pablo Escobar’s late-1970s cocaine operation.
• A full package for $489: Lunch, local beer, sodas, bottled water, snacks, gear, and landing fees are included.

Leaving Paradise Island for the Exuma Cays

The day begins at the Born Free Charters desk at Carnivale Bahamas on Paradise Island. You must make your own way to the check-in point, since transportation there is not included. The tour is shared and can carry up to 24 people, a group size large enough to feel social but still manageable on a powerboat.

The first ride lasts about an hour. That is a serious chunk of the day, but it is also what makes this outing possible from Nassau. You are not taking a short harbor cruise. You are heading southeast toward a chain of islands known for clear water, small beaches, and widely scattered wildlife stops.

The high-speed boat helps cover the distance, yet you should expect sun, wind, spray, and movement. Bring a towel and sunscreen, and keep anything you want dry in a secure bag. The boat ride is part of the adventure, but it is not a peaceful transfer.

Allen’s Cay and Its Rare Rock Iguanas

Your first stop is Allen’s Cay, where you spend about 25 minutes viewing the Bahamian Rock Iguanas. These large lizards are not a common sight across the islands. This species is found only on three small islands in Exuma, giving the stop a real sense of place beyond the usual beach scenery.

This is a short wildlife visit, not a long nature walk. You will have time to see the animals and take photographs before returning to the boat. The stop works well early in the day because it gets you looking at Exuma as a living place, not just a string of attractive beaches.

The schedule is tight, though. If you prefer slow wildlife watching, 25 minutes may feel brief. The reward is that you are not spending the whole morning on one activity.

Compass Cay and the Nurse Sharks

After another roughly 45-minute boat ride, you reach Compass Cay. Here, nurse sharks gather beneath the docks at Compass Cay Marina. The marine life viewing lasts about 35 minutes, giving you more time than the iguana stop to watch the sharks and take part in the water experience.

The appeal is the close range. Nurse sharks are not shy around the marina, and the tour is built around seeing them near their usual home. Still, this is a wild-animal encounter, not a private aquarium visit. Follow the crew’s directions and pay attention to what is happening around you.

The stop also shows why the tour’s structure works. You begin with land wildlife, then shift to marine life, then continue to one of the Bahamas’ most famous animal encounters. If you like variety, the pacing keeps the day lively.

Big Major’s Cay and the Swimming Pigs

The ride to Big Major’s Cay takes about 10 minutes. You then have approximately 40 minutes for swimming and wildlife viewing with the pigs.

This is the stop most people already know from photographs and television. The pigs became internationally famous through social media and programs such as The Bachelor, but the setting is still a small island in the Exuma Cays. You can feed the pigs and enter the water with them, with food provided as part of the tour.

Keep your expectations practical. Forty minutes goes quickly once you account for getting off the boat, seeing the animals, taking pictures, and returning to the boat. You may get memorable photographs, but this is not a long, quiet swim.

Use care when feeding the pigs and listen to the crew. Animals can move quickly when food is present. The experience is fun partly because it is unusual, yet it works best when you treat the pigs as animals rather than photo props.

Lunch at a Local Exuma Restaurant

After the pig stop, you take a short 10-minute ride to lunch. The meal lasts about an hour and includes a buffet lunch plus a cold drink. Local beer, sodas, and bottled water are also included in the tour package, along with light snacks during the day.

This break matters more than it may seem. A full day on a fast boat, with swimming and snorkeling, leaves you hungry and sun-warmed. Having a proper meal included means you do not need to plan a separate lunch or carry enough food for eight hours.

The information provided does not specify the restaurant menu, so do not book this expecting a particular dish. Think of it as a useful local meal and a chance to sit down between water activities. The hour also gives the day a needed pause before the final stops.

Snorkeling Above Pablo Escobar’s Plane Wreck

After lunch, the boat travels about 35 minutes to the plane wreck near Norman’s Cay. You get around 30 minutes to snorkel above the site.

The wreck is widely known as Pablo Escobar’s sunken plane. According to the story connected with the site, the aircraft crashed in the late 1970s while Norman’s Cay was being used as a base and refueling point for cocaine flights between Mexico and the United States. The plane was supposedly carrying cocaine when it went down.

That history gives the snorkel stop an unusual edge. You are not simply looking at a random underwater object. You are seeing a physical remnant tied to a notorious period in Norman’s Cay’s past.

Thirty minutes is enough for a focused snorkel, but it is not a full reef session. Bring your own mask if you prefer a particular fit, though snorkel gear is included. The crew supplies the equipment, which saves you from renting it separately in Nassau.

The exact water conditions and visibility can affect how much of the wreck you see. The captain also controls the order of the stops, so the plane visit may not happen at this point in the day.

A Final Beach or Sandbar Stop

The last stop is a beautiful beach or sandbar in Exuma. You have about 30 minutes for swimming, sunbathing, and photographs before the long ride back.

This is the one part of the day that may feel too short if you dream of a quiet island afternoon. The final beach location can vary, and the schedule is left to the captain. That flexibility helps the crew respond to the day’s conditions, but it means you cannot count on one specific sandbar.

A sandbar would give you the classic Exuma photographs: shallow water, pale sand, and open views. A beach offers a more traditional place to sit and swim. Either way, this stop is best treated as a final taste of the islands, not as the main purpose of the tour.

One useful point from the tour feedback is that the beach portion could be stronger with a more isolated sandbar. If beach time is your top priority, you may find the half-hour stop too limited. If you mainly want a broad sample of Exuma, it fills the role well.

The Long Ride Back to Nassau

After the final swim, the return boat ride takes about 70 minutes. That is the longest single ride of the day, and it comes after a busy schedule of swimming, snorkeling, wildlife viewing, and sun exposure.

Plan your energy accordingly. Eat lunch, drink water, and use sunscreen again before boarding for the return. The included bottled water and snacks help, but you should still bring the basic items listed for the day, especially a towel and sunscreen.

The full outing lasts eight hours. The schedule adds up to a genuine full-day commitment, not a quick Nassau excursion. For many people, that is the value: you get access to distant Exuma locations without arranging several separate transfers.

Is $489 a Fair Price?

At $489 per person, this is not a budget boat trip. The price makes more sense when you consider how much is bundled into one day: high-speed transportation from Paradise Island, five separate Exuma-area stops, lunch, local beer, sodas, bottled water, snacks, snorkel gear, landing fees, and food for the pigs.

You are also paying for access to places that are spread far apart. Reaching Allen’s Cay, Compass Cay, Big Major’s Cay, Norman’s Cay, and a final beach independently would be difficult and time-consuming. The boat, crew, and fixed route remove much of that planning work.

The value is strongest if you want a packed sightseeing day. You see rare iguanas, nurse sharks, pigs, a historic wreck, and an Exuma beach in one outing. The value is weaker if you want a slow, private charter or a long stay at one beach.

The tour has a 4.9 rating from 29 reviews, and the strongest praise focuses on the planning and variety. One recent booking described the activities as well planned because the boat did not stay in one place too long. Another simply called it an experience worth repeating. That matches the tour’s design: it gives you a lot in a limited time.

Who Should Book This Exuma Trip?

I would recommend it to active adults and older children who want a full day of famous Exuma sights without arranging their own boat charter. It is especially suitable if the swimming pigs are high on your list but you also want more than one animal encounter.

It also suits photographers. You get several distinct settings: iguanas on Allen’s Cay, sharks at Compass Cay, pigs on Big Major’s Cay, a plane wreck near Norman’s Cay, and a beach or sandbar to finish.

You should think twice if you dislike fast boats, long rides, or compact schedules. The trip is not suitable for children under 2, pregnant women, people with back or heart problems, people with mobility impairments, wheelchair users, or people who use electric wheelchairs. Baby strollers and carriages are not allowed.

Cruise ship guests are also listed as unsuitable for this activity. You should not book it if you need transportation to the starting point, since that transfer is not included.

The tour is conducted in English. The captain may change the order of the stops, so stay flexible and do not build another fixed activity too close to the return time.

Should You Book It?

Book this tour if your ideal Exuma day means seeing as much as possible: rare iguanas, nurse sharks, swimming pigs, a legendary plane wreck, lunch, and a beach stop. The crew’s planned pacing is its greatest strength, and the included food, drinks, gear, and fees help justify the high price.

Skip it if your main goal is a long stretch of quiet beach time or a private, unhurried boat day. For everyone else, this is a strong one-day introduction to the Exuma Cays, provided you are comfortable with the boat time and a busy schedule.

Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before departure, and you can reserve now while paying later. That gives you some flexibility, but the practical decision is about pace: choose this for variety, not stillness.

FAQ

Where does the tour start?

The meeting point is the Born Free Charters desk at Carnivale Bahamas on Paradise Island. Transportation to the check-in location is not included.

How long does the tour last?

The tour lasts eight hours, including the boat rides and stops in the Exuma Cays.

How many people can join the boat?

This is a shared tour with up to 24 people.

Is lunch included?

Yes. A buffet lunch at a local restaurant is included, along with a cold drink.

Are drinks included?

Yes. Local beer, sodas, and bottled water are included. Light snacks are also provided.

Is snorkeling equipment provided?

Yes. Snorkel gear is included, as are landing fees and food for the pigs.

Can I swim with the pigs?

Yes. At Big Major’s Cay, you can feed and swim with the famous pigs. Pig food is included.

Is the tour suitable for cruise ship guests?

No. Cruise ship guests are listed as not suitable for this activity.

What should I bring?

Bring a towel and sunscreen. The tour is conducted in English, and the captain may change the order of the stops.