Ecotourism on Grand Bahama

Ecotourism on Grand Bahama

To expand tourism beyond the island's early gambling and shopping attractions, Freeport-Lucaya is now marketed as Grand Bahama Island. It makes sense, for beyond the 6-mi strip that comprises the island's metropolis lies another 90 mi of unadulterated wilderness. The balance of the island is given to natural and uncrowded beaches, old-island settlements, and untamed "bush," as locals call the wilds.

The emphasis on the island's natural attributes began below the water line with UNEXSO diving and the Dolphin Experience. UNEXSO's preoccupation with extreme diving led to the exploration of the island's unique cave system and the opening of Lucayan National Park, a portal to the underground labyrinth accessible to the public. One of the caves holds a cemetery of the island's aboriginals, the Lucayans. The park also gives intrepid visitors a taste of the beauty and seclusion of out-of-town beaches. When it opened, the park marked the end of civilization. Rutted dirt roads led to rarely visited time-stilled settlements without electricity and telephones, and long stretches of pine and palmetto forest edged in white sand. In the mid-1990s, as paved roads and telephone wires reached the remote East End, tours began to transport visitors to this other world.

Today, kayaking, biking, snorkeling, boating, jeeping, and cultural safaris provide ways for visitors to take in Grand Bahama Island's most precious treasures. East End Adventures, one of the best, bumps along off-road to the island's past, visiting the ruins of Old Freetown, the first settlement, and its pristine beach. Along the way, safari participants peer into a blue hole, learn about bush medicine, and hear old-island tales. At McLean's Town, they jump into a boat for a conch-cracking demonstration at remote Sweeting's Cay, followed by a home-cooked Bahamian lunch and a visit to an uninhabited island beach. Kayak Nature Tours, another top-notch operation, follows backwater trails to Lucayan National Park and other off-the-beaten-path destinations. Knowledgeable native guides give lessons on island ecology en route.

Right in downtown Freeport, the Bahamas National Trust Rand Nature Centre was one of the precursors to ecotourism on Grand Bahama Island. It still provides an oasis for rare birds as well as residents and visitors. On the island's other extreme, close to West End, Paradise Cove takes you below the waves. Here you can rent snorkeling equipment or kayak to experience the island's best swim-to reef -- Deadman's Reef. Its duck pond teems with opportunities for the binoculars crowd.

Ecotourism promises to be a fixture on Grand Bahama Island, attracting a new brand of island vacationer, one more adventurous and ready to experience the less-touted and richer offerings of Grand Bahama's great outback. For more information, contact the Ecotourism Association of Grand Bahama (242/373-2485).