170 Best Sights in Bahamas

With luxury shops, a glitzy casino, and seemingly unlimited choices for dining and drinks (40 restaurants, bars, and lounges), Atlantis is as much a tourist attraction as a resort hotel. At Dolphin Cay, you can interact with dolphins, sea lions, and stingrays. The 63-acre Aquaventure water park provides thrilling waterslides and high-intensity rapids as well as a lazy-river tube ride through the sprawling grounds. Celebrity sightings are frequent at both Nobu restaurant and Aura nightclub. The on-site comedy club, Jokers Wild, brings top comedians to the stage. Many of the resort's facilities, including the restaurants and casino, are open to nonguests, but the leisure and sports facilities are open only to resort guests and those who purchase a day pass. Atlantis has the world's largest man-made marine habitat, consisting of 11 lagoons. To see it, take the guided Discover Atlantis tour, which begins near the main lobby at an exhibition called The Dig. This wonderful series of walk-through aquariums, themed around the lost continent and its re-created ruins, brings you face-to-face with sharks, manta rays, and innumerable forms of exotic sea life.

This vibrant, 12-acre garden and certified wildlife habitat, with a trademark chapel and waterfalls, is filled with native Bahamian flora, butterflies, birds, and turtles. Interpretive signage identifies plant and animal species. First opened in 1973, the park was renovated and reopened in 2008; additions include a labyrinth modeled after the one at France's Chartres Cathedral, colorful shops and galleries with local arts and crafts, a playground, and a multideck indoor and outdoor café and bar. Explore on your own, or take a half-hour guided tour at 10 am (Monday–Saturday). 

At a narrow point of the island a few miles north of Gregory Town, a slender concrete bridge links two sea-battered bluffs that separate the island's Central and North Districts. Sailors going south in the waters between New Providence and Eleuthera supposedly named this area the Glass Window because they could see through the natural limestone arch to the Atlantic on the other side. Stop to watch the northeasterly deep-azure Atlantic swirl together under the bridge with the southwesterly turquoise Bight of Eleuthera, producing a brilliant aquamarine froth. Artist Winslow Homer found the site stunning and painted Glass Window in 1885. The original stone arch, created by Mother Nature, was destroyed by a combination of storms in the 1940s. Subsequent concrete bridges were destroyed by hurricanes in 1992 and 1999. Drive carefully because there is frequent maintenance work going on.

This is the beach most visitors come to The Exumas for, although don't be surprised if you're the only one here at noon on a Saturday. It's right on the Tropic of Cancer; a helpful line marking the spot on the steps leading down to the sand makes a great photo op. The beach is a white-sand crescent in a protected cove, where the water is usually as calm as a pond. A shady wooden cabana makes a comfortable place to admire the beach and water. Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3 were filmed on nearby Sandy Cay. Amenities: none. Best for: solitude; snorkeling; swimming; walking.

Abaco National Park was established in 1994 as a sanctuary for the endangered Bahama parrot. The mission has been a success as the population at the time was just 1,500, and today there are nearly 9,000 documented. Many other birds call the park home, including the pine warbler and the Bahama yellowthroat.

A 15-mile dirt track passes through the 20,500 protected acres, ending at the Hole in the Wall Lighthouse, a starkly beautiful and desolate location overlooking the ocean. The drive from the paved highway all the way to the lighthouse takes about 1½ hours and can only be done in a 4x4 vehicle. The lighthouse is technically not open to visitors, but people still do climb the rickety stairs to the top, where views of the island and the sea are mesmerizing.

From near-vertical slides that plunge through shark tanks to a quarter-mile-long lazy river ride, this 141-acre water park allows you to both unwind and get your adrenaline pumping. Spend the day going from ride to ride, or relax under an umbrella on the white sand of three unique beaches or by one of 14 swimming pools. Three pools are designed especially for the youngest of guests, including Poseidon's Playzone, a Maya-theme water playground. Day passes for non-resort guests are limited, so be sure to plan well ahead.

Whether you're up for an exhilarating rush down a near vertical waterslide or prefer to relax on a calm, lazy river loop, Baha Bay has something for everyone. The 15-acre water park includes a 20,000-square-foot wave pool with intermittent waves reaching up to 5 feet as well as a three-lane surf simulator. There's also a pool area dedicated to younger guests with shallow pools and kid-sized slides. 

Learn about The Bahamas' fascinating maritime history at this new museum that houses exhibits and valuable artifacts from one of the country's most famous wrecks: Nuestra Señora de las Maravillas, which sank on the Bahama Banks in 1656. The museum also features exhibits about the indigenous people of The Bahamas, the Lucayans, as well as the transatlantic slave trade. 

The horseshoe-shape Ben Bay Beach is mostly accessed via boats, but it is one of the top beaches for swimming in Eleuthera. The turquoise waters are clear and almost always calm, with rosy pink sand along its shores. The beach is somewhat hard to find, so don't expect to ever encounter crowds of people here. Take advantage of the seclusion and nap under the palm trees, or go snorkeling along the rocky areas of the cove. Amenities: none. Best for: solitude; snorkeling; swimming.

The 3-mile beach in front of Club Med has bright white sand as fine as talcum powder and water that is such a bright neon shade of turquoise, it appears to be glowing. There are activities such as waterskiing, snorkeling, sailing, kayaking, and paddleboarding in front of Club Med, but the beach is long enough that you'll be able to find an isolated spot. To join in all the fun activities and partying, buy a day pass at the front desk. Amenities: food and drink; showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: partiers; snorkeling; swimming; windsurfing.

This stunning white-sand beach in Great Exuma is known for its great shelling and sand dollars during low tide. The beach is dotted with palm trees that provide shaded areas perfect for picnics and relaxing on the sand. During low tide, the sandbars formed allow for a peaceful beach stroll. Watching the kitesurfers who sometimes frequent the beach is another way to pass the time. Amenities: parking (free). Best for: swimming; solitude.

Visit this first of its kind, revolutionary land-based coral farm to learn about this important marine animal and how Coral Vita is working to save endangered coral reefs using microfragmenting technology. They have 30 tanks and expect to grow more than 10,000 pieces of 20 different coral species each year. Kids of all ages will enjoy hands-on learning with the touch tank. Tours last one hour and are available on Monday and Thursday at 10 am.

Known as the second deepest blue hole in the world, with a depth of 663 feet, Dean's Blue Hole is the most amazing sight on the island and one of the most popular photo sites in the land. "Blue hole" is a term for a water-filled sinkhole with an entrance below the water level. Free divers from around the world gather here annually to take the plunge. In 2016 William Trubridge broke the world record for free immersion diving: to 407 feet without fins. Dean's Blue Hole is surrounded by a pretty cliff and a superb beach. The shallows at the edge of the hole are perfect for snorkeling and swimming, and the more adventurous visitors can jump into the water from the cliffs above. To find the blue hole, watch for the well-marked sign on your left (going east on Queen's Highway).

Upon arrival in Hope Town Harbour, you'll first see a much-photographed Bahamas landmark, an 89-foot-tall, candy-striped lighthouse first manned in 1863. The lighthouse's construction was delayed for several years by acts of vandalism; then-residents feared it would end their profitable wrecking practice. Today the lighthouse is the last hand-turned, kerosene-fueled beacon in operation anywhere in the world. Monday through Saturday, from 9 to 5, you can climb up the spiral staircase to the top for a superb view of the sea and the nearby cays. There are 101 steps in all, and there is no graceful way for an adult to crawl through the small door onto the viewing platform that goes all the way around the top. The lighthouse keepers and their families live in the small cottages at its base, so keep noise to a minimum as one of them is resting up for his night shift. There's no road between the lighthouse and the town proper. You can use your own boat to cross the harbor or take a ferry to the dock and explore the lighthouse; the ferry does not run very frequently, so expect to spend at least an hour here before the next one comes along, to either head back to Marsh Harbour or continue on to Hope Town.

Created by The Bahamas in 1958 and now overseen by the Bahamas National Trust, the 176-square-mile Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park was the first of its kind in the world—an enormous open aquarium with pristine reefs, an abundance of marine life, and sandy cays.

The park appeals to divers, who appreciate the vast underworld of limestone, reefs, drop-offs, blue holes, caves, and a multitude of exotic marine life, including one of The Bahamas' most impressive stands of rare pillar coral. Since the park is protected and its waters have essentially never been fished, you can see what the ocean looked like before humanity. For landlubbers there are hiking trails and birding sites; stop in the main office for maps. More than 200 bird species have been spotted here. At Shroud Cay, jump into the strong current that creates a natural whirlpool whipping you around a rocky outcropping to a powdery beach. On top of the hill overlooking the beach is Camp Driftwood, made famous by a hermit who dug steps to the top, leaving behind pieces of driftwood.

Fortune Beach lies between two canal channels, and in the middle sits the Viva Wyndham Fortuna all-inclusive resort, where visitors can purchase day passes to use water-sports equipment and resort facilities. Steps from the resort, the secluded beach offers exceptional strolling, off-shore snorkeling, and swimming. The western end backs the Margarita Villa Sand Bar and the private homes along Spanish Main Drive, known as "Millionaire Row." The eastern end is home to Banana Bay Restaurant, where at low tide a shallow lagoon forms alongside a drawn-out sandbar, allowing you to walk yards out to sea with cold drink in hand. Amenities: food and drink; parking, near east end only (no fee). Best for: solitude; snorkeling; sunrise; swimming; walking.

Located just off the Grand Bahama Highway, 26 miles outside town, this secluded beach, extending for yards into the sea when the tide is low, is accessible via a lovely 10-minute walk through Lucayan National Park. The turquoise water is exceptionally clear, calm, and shallow. Occasional cruise-ship tours visit for a couple of hours around midday, but there is enough space that you will never feel crowded. The beach is almost nonexistent when the tide is high, and shade is sparse, but when the tide rolls out, it's one of the most spectacular beaches around, so time your visit accordingly. Amenities: none. Best for: solitude; swimming; walking.

Go behind the scenes at this boutique chocolate factory where you can make your own sweet souvenirs. The tour lasts about an hour, and after watching master chocolatiers in action and learning the history of chocolate production around the world, guests enter the chocolate classroom, where they get to design their own creations, including a signature Graycliff chocolate bar. There is also a chocolate and spirits pairing.

At the top of 206-foot Mt. Alvernia, the highest point in The Bahamas, The Hermitage is the final resting place of Father Jerome, who lived quite an astonishing life. Born John Hawes, he was an architect who traveled the world and eventually settled in The Bahamas. An Anglican who converted to Roman Catholicism, he built many structures, including this hermitage on Mt. Alvernia; St. Peter & St. Paul's Church in Clarence Town, Long Island; and the St. Augustine Monastery in Nassau. He retired to Cat Island to live out his last dozen years as a hermit, and his final, supreme act of religious dedication was to carve the steps up to the top of Mt. Alvernia. Along the way, he also carved the stations of the cross. At the summit, he built an abbey with a small chapel, a conical bell tower, and living quarters comprising three closet-size rooms. He died in 1956 at the age of 80 and was supposedly buried with his arms outstretched, in a pose resembling that of the crucified Christ.

The pilgrimage to The Hermitage begins next to the commissioner's office at New Bight at a dirt path that leads to the foot of Mt. Alvernia. Don't miss the slightly laborious climb to the top. The Hermitage provides a perfect place to pause for quiet contemplation, with glorious views of the ocean on both sides of the island. A caretaker clears the weeds around the tomb—islanders regard it as a shrine—and lights a candle in Father Jerome's memory.

Nothing quite prepares you for your first glimpse of the West Indian flamingos that nest in Inagua National Park: brilliant crimson-pink, up to 5 feet tall, with black-tipped wings. A dozen flamingos suddenly fly across a pond, intermixed with fantastic pink roseate spoonbills.

It's a moving sight, and because of the island's remote location, few people get to see it. By 1952, Inagua's flamingos had dwindled to about 5,000. The gorgeous birds were hunted for their meat, especially the tongue, and for their feathers. The government established the 183,740-acre wildlife sanctuary and national park in 1963, and today more than 60,000 flamingos nest on the island, the world's largest breeding colony of West Indian flamingos. The birds thrive in the many salt ponds (owned by the Morton Salt Company) that supply their favorite meal—brine shrimp. Bird-watchers also flock here to spy gull-billed terns, egrets, herons, burrowing owls, pintail ducks, sandpipers, and snowy plovers—more than 130 species in all. The Inaguan lyretail is one of the world's most recently announced species. Wild boar and feral donkeys left here after a brief French occupation in 1749 are harder to see.

To make reservations, you must contact The Bahamas National Trust's office ( 242/393–1317) or Warden Henry Nixon ( 242/395–0856). All visits to the park are by special arrangement.

Sculptor Pete Johnston and his sons (direct descendants of Randolph and Margot Johnston, who founded Little Harbour) and acolytes cast magnificent lifelike bronze figures using the age-old lost-wax method at the only bronze foundry in The Bahamas. You can purchase the art in the gallery. 

You can walk hundreds of feet along this dock above the shallow aquamarine sea, and it is well worth a visit to the quaint village of Cherokee Sound, especially when you hear the story behind it. The Cherokee Sound community had always boasted about having the longest dock in the country. When Hurricane Dorian washed all 770 feet of it away, leaving little but a few pilings, the community got busy raising money and rebuilding using logs cut from local pine forests. The new bridge is even longer than the original by more than 30 feet and has a series of platforms with benches that make it an even nicer spot to take in the views.

Considered the crown jewel of the four national parks on Grand Bahama, Lucayan National Park is the only place to find all six Bahamian ecosystems in a single, 40-acre expanse of land: pine forest, blackland coppice (ferns, bromeliads, orchids), rocky coppice (hardwoods), mangrove swamp, whiteland coppice (rich plant life, poisonwood), and beach/shoreline. Because it is 25 miles east of Lucaya, booking a tour or renting a car is necessary in order to experience all the park has to offer. Explore two caves, hike along the nature trails, bird-watch across the raised boardwalks through the mangroves, or stroll along spectacular Gold Rock Beach during low tide as the shoreline sets out its "welcome mat"—sand ripples created by tidal pools as the water recedes.

Hundreds of millions of dollars have been pumped into expanding and overhauling the cruise port, and it shows. The space that cruise passengers encounter after they tumble off their ships is now a destination in and of itself, complete with exciting local restaurants, a gallery and wine bar, a gelato shop, a Junkanoo museum, an amphitheater with live entertainment, and myriad shops and shacks selling unique Bahamian-made goods. Up to a half-dozen gigantic cruise ships, including the largest in the world, call on Nassau Cruise Port at any one time, and megayachts too large to pull up to any of the island's marinas have a special pier all to themselves. While access to the ship piers is restricted, the new port has been designed to allow open access to all the retail and dining areas.

A small inland saltwater lake a mile southeast of Rock Sound is connected by tunnels to the sea. Steps have been cut into the coral on the shore so visitors can climb down to the lake's edge. Bring a piece of bread or some fries and watch the fish emerge for their hors d'oeuvres, swimming their way in from the sea. A local diver estimates the hole is about 75 feet deep. He reports that there are a couple of cars at the bottom, too. Local children learn to swim here.

A 20-minute drive from Freeport, this beach's spectacular swim-to reef (called Deadman's Reef) is its best asset. Close to shore, you'll also find the longest man-made reef (composed of a long line of concrete reef balls) in The Bahamas, with spectacular marine life that includes various rays, sea turtles, and barracudas. Paradise Cove is a small native-owned resort with many different adventure packages, which all include return transportation from Freeport and Lucaya. The beach is short but wide, with scrubby vegetation and swaying palm trees. Snorkel equipment and kayaks are available to rent, and refreshments flow at The Red Bar. Beaches are public access up to the high-water mark in The Bahamas, so you can go and explore, but if you want to use any amenities, you must pay a small fee at the bar. Amenities: food and drink; parking (no fee); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: snorkeling.

This is the fairest pink beach of them all: three miles of pale pink sand behind some of the most expensive and posh inns in The Bahamas. Its sand is of such a fine consistency that it's almost as soft as talcum powder, and the gentle slope of the shore makes small waves break hundreds of yards offshore; you have to walk out quite a distance to get past your waist. This is the place to see the rich and famous in designer resort wear or to ride a horse bareback across the sand and into the sea. Amenities: food and drink; toilets; showers. Best for: partiers; sunrise; swimming; walking.

The building, where slave auctions were held in the 1700s, is named for an enslaved man who led a plantation rebellion on Exuma in 1830. The structure and historic artifacts inside were destroyed by fire in December 2011 but have been painstakingly re-created, and new exhibits have been acquired and produced. The exhibit Struggle for Freedom in The Bahamas: From Slavery to Independence is located on the ground floor, and a separate exhibit that changes from time to time and has its own admission charge is upstairs. A knowledgeable, enthusiastic young staff is on hand to answer questions.

Located at Rainbow Cay to the south of Hatchet Bay, this small, pristine beach with miles of powdery, baby-pink sand is one of the most visited in the area. The water is calm and clear, with an abundance of marine life that make the beach a great snorkeling or fishing spot. Relax under the deck or one of the many thatch umbrellas with picnic tables along the beach, or take advantage of the kayaks that are available for use. Amenities: water sports; parking. Best for: snorkeling; swimming.

This natural sinkhole located at the northern tip of Eleuthera is a popular spot for divers in the know. The water is an unbelievably bright turquoise but clear enough that you can see straight to the bottom. Though the hole doesn't look deep, it's about 30 feet. Note that because this is a natural attraction, Sapphire Blue Hole is surrounded by rocks, so be sure to wear comfortable shoes. There's no ladder to climb out of the water (only a rope), so this isn't recommended for young children or those who aren't physically fit.