Getting Oriented

The Abacos, 200 mi east of Palm Beach, Florida, are the northernmost chain of cays in the Bahamas. Covering 120 mi, this miniarchipelago offers both historic settlements and uninhabited islands. Great Abaco is the main island, the chain's largest and its most populated. Here you'll find rugged stretches of white limestone bluffs, miles of kelp-strewn beaches devoid of footprints, landlocked lakes, pine forests where wild horses and boar roam, and the Bahamas' third-largest community: the thriving commercial center of Marsh Harbour. Up north on Little Abaco, a smaller cay connected by bridge, tourism is less prominent and locals live as they have for the last hundred years. Running parallel 5 mi off the west coast of these islands are the Abaco Cays, including Green Turtle, Great Guana, Man-O-War, and Elbow, all of which offer full services for boaters and just the right sprinkling of small resorts and enchanting settlements. The majority of the other 146 cays are uninhabited.