Day Trips from the Exumas: Swimming Pigs, Thunderball Grotto, Norman’s Cay Plane Wreck and Stocking Island

Early on a Staniel Cay morning, the dock fills with the sound of outboard motors warming up and the smell of salt and diesel. Boats slip out over water that shifts from pale green to deep blue within a few hundred yards. The Exumas reward anyone who leaves the dock before breakfast has settled: pigs wade out to greet the boats, a cave hides behind a nearly invisible entrance, and long white beaches wait near George Town and on Little Exuma.

What are the best day trips from the Exumas?

The best day trips are the ones that put you on a boat or on a beach: the swimming pigs of Big Major Cay, Thunderball Grotto, the plane wreck at Norman’s Cay, the protected waters of the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, Stocking Island and the beaches of Little Exuma. Most of them sit around Staniel Cay in the cays, while a few are reached from George Town on Great Exuma.

• Big Major Cay, also called Pig Beach, for a sandy beach ruled by pigs that wade into the shallows to meet visitors.
• Thunderball Grotto, just west of Staniel Cay, for snorkeling among yellow-tail snappers, angelfish and Sergeant Majors inside an underwater cave system.
• Staniel Cay Marina, for the nurse sharks that gather at the dock and that visitors may swim with at their own risk.
• The Norman’s Cay plane wreck, a crashed cargo plane lying in shallow lagoon water in the northern Exumas.
• The Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, a no-take reserve where all fishing is prohibited, for some of the most carefully guarded water in the islands.
• Stocking Island, across Elizabeth Harbour from George Town, for white sand beaches reached by boat.
• Little Exuma, linked to Great Exuma by a small bridge, for Tropic of Cancer Beach and a grilled lobster lunch at Santanna’s.

Several of these combine well. The pigs, the grotto and the sharks all cluster around Staniel Cay, so a single boat day can touch all three. The plane wreck and the park lie farther up the chain and ask for a dedicated outing. Stocking Island and Little Exuma suit the days when you would rather stay near George Town, with a beach towel and a long lunch instead of a long boat ride.

A chain of more than 365 islands and cays is not a place you cover in one day. Pick one cluster, give it the whole day, and let the rest wait for another morning.

The best day trips from the Exumas

The swimming pigs of Big Major Cay

Big Major Cay, known simply as Pig Beach, is the island of the famous swimming pigs. About twenty pigs and piglets live here, and they trot down the sand to the water’s edge as soon as a boat noses in.

Visitors can swim with them in the shallows, which is the photograph everyone comes for. The cay is near Staniel Cay, and it also has three freshwater springs, a detail that helps explain how animals live on such a small, dry island.

There is no road to Big Major Cay. It is reached only by boat, whether your own, a chartered vessel or a booked boat tour.

Visitors staying in Nassau or in the Exumas can book a day trip that includes a boat tour through the Exuma Cays, so the pigs often arrive as one stop among several. That makes this a good choice for families and for anyone who wants a day on the water without planning the route.

A tip: watch the animals the way you would watch any farm animal that is used to being fed. Keep your hands and your snacks to yourself, give them room and enjoy the strangeness of a pig paddling toward a boat in clear turquoise water.

Thunderball Grotto and Staniel Cay

Thunderball Grotto lies just west of Staniel Cay, and it earns its name from a Bond film that used it as a backdrop. The entrance is small and almost hidden, which adds to the sense of slipping into a secret. Inside, visitors can snorkel, dive and wade through the underwater cave system, with light falling through openings in the rock onto yellow-tail snappers, angelfish, Sergeant Majors and brilliantly colored coral reefs.

Staniel Cay itself is a tiny community, with fewer than 118 full-time residents, so a day here has a different rhythm from a day in George Town. Staniel Cay Airport is an official Port of Entry with Customs and Immigration, and the marina is where boats gather. Visitors are allowed to swim with the nurse sharks at the marina at their own risk, and the sharks can bite if you put your hands near their mouths.

Pair the grotto with the pigs for a classic Staniel Cay day. Snorkelers will want to bring their own mask and take their time in the cave, while those who prefer to stay dry can still wade in and look.

The plane wreck at Norman’s Cay

In the lagoon at Norman’s Cay, in the northern Exumas, a crashed cargo plane lies in shallow water. It is one of the most unusual sights in the islands: a fuselage resting on a sandy bottom, with sea life moving around it and the open lagoon stretching in every direction. Most people come for the snorkeling and the photographs, and the shallow depth makes the wreck easy to see from the surface.

If you do not have your own boat, the wreck can be reached by a tour from Staniel Cay or from Nassau. That makes it a day for people who want a destination with a story, and it fits well with travelers who have already done the pigs and want something less familiar. Allow the whole day, because the boat ride is part of the experience as you pass cay after cay.

Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park

The Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park was the first land and sea park in the world, and it covers 176 square miles of islands, reefs and open water. It is a no-take reserve, so all fishing is prohibited, and wardens and Royal Bahamas Defence Force officers stationed at Warderick Wells patrol it constantly. A day here is about looking: the color of the water, the empty beaches and the life that thrives where nothing is taken.

The park is a destination for people who like their scenery quiet. It suits boaters and nature lovers more than anyone looking for a beach bar, and it asks you to follow the rules of the reserve. The Bahamas National Trust manages it, and its office keeps limited hours.

Stocking Island from George Town

For a day that starts from George Town on Great Exuma, Stocking Island is the natural choice. It sits in Elizabeth Harbour and is easily reached by boat from the harbor, and it has some of the finest white sand beaches in the Bahamas. The harbor is also where the Exuma Sailing Club trains local children in small boats, so you may see young sailors out on the water as you cross.

This is a beach day more than a sightseeing day. Bring a book, a hat and a plan to do very little, then come back to George Town in the afternoon for a walk past the Government Building, a popular stop modeled on the Government House in Nassau. The town was founded in 1793, and its harbor front still has the unhurried feel of a place where boats matter more than cars.

Little Exuma: Tropic of Cancer Beach and Santanna’s

Little Exuma is joined to Great Exuma by a small bridge, so this is the one outing here that does not require a boat. Tropic of Cancer Beach, also known as Pelican Beach, is the longest beach on Little Exuma, and it makes a good place for a long walk along the shore. The island’s quiet southern end is where the road runs out.

At the southern end of Little Exuma you will find Santanna’s, a seaside stop named after Mrs. Rolle’s granddaughter. Mr. Rolle caught and grilled fresh lobster here, and that signature dish turned the place into a destination. Plan the beach in the morning and lunch at Santanna’s afterward, which makes for a complete day that mixes sand, a slow drive and the best local seafood.

Day trips in the Exumas compared

To choose, start from where you are sleeping. Staying on Staniel Cay puts the pigs, the grotto and the sharks within a short outing, and the plane wreck becomes a stretch for a second day. Staying near George Town points you toward Stocking Island and Little Exuma, which suit slower days with more sand than sightseeing.

Then think about what kind of day you want. Wildlife lovers will gravitate toward the pigs and the sharks, while snorkelers will want the grotto and the wreck. Anyone who wants a day without a boat has one clear answer in Little Exuma, which is reached across the bridge.

Pair trips that share a neighborhood rather than stretching across the chain. A day of pigs, grotto and lunch at the dock feels full, while a day that tries to add the wreck and the park as well tends to turn into a long ride with little time in the water.

Tour or on your own?

A tour makes sense whenever the destination is a cay, because the cays can be reached only by water. Big Major Cay is accessible only by boat, whether a private vessel, a chartered vessel or a booked boat tour, and the same logic applies to Thunderball Grotto, Norman’s Cay and the park. A guided boat day removes the navigation and often strings several stops together through the cays.

For the plane wreck in particular, a tour from Staniel Cay or Nassau is the route for anyone without a boat. Visitors can also explore the chain by chartering their own boat or hiring a local guide, which lets you shape the day around the stops that interest you most. A local guide brings the knowledge of the channels and the cays that no visitor has on a first trip.

On land, the picture changes. Great Exuma and Little Exuma are joined by a small bridge, so Tropic of Cancer Beach and Santanna’s are a land journey from George Town, and you set the pace yourself. Great Exuma is a long island, so a day on its roads is a real outing, with the airport near Moss Town to the northwest of George Town and the lobster at Santanna’s at the far southern end of Little Exuma.

Stocking Island sits in between. It is easily reached by boat from Elizabeth Harbour, so it works as a simple crossing from George Town rather than a full expedition. Boaters bound for the northern cays may stop at Highbourne Cay, a marina that cruising guides describe as an excellent favorite of seasoned yachtsmen, and where yachtsmen are urged to call in advance because it is so popular.

Before choosing a tour, look at which stops it names. A tour that promises the pigs, the grotto and a stop at the marina gives you a classic Staniel Cay day, while one that heads for the plane wreck or the park is a different kind of outing. Match the stops to what you came to see and the rest will follow.

Good to know before you go

The U.S. State Department rates the Bahamas Level 2, “Exercise increased caution”, and says most crime occurs in Nassau on New Providence and in Freeport on Grand Bahama.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and the cays are open water, so the weather matters more here than on a road trip. Wildlife encounters carry their own habits: nurse sharks at Staniel Cay Marina are swum with at your own risk, and the pigs of Big Major Cay are best admired without feeding. The park is a no-take reserve, so leave the fishing gear behind and take only photographs.

Sources

• Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), The Exumas (https://www.bahamas.com/islands/the-exumas), checked October 10, 2026
• Wikipedia, Exuma (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exuma), checked October 10, 2026
• Wikivoyage, Exuma travel guide (https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Exuma), checked October 10, 2026
• Wikipedia, George Town, Exuma (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Town,_Bahamas), checked October 10, 2026
• Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), Exuma Sailing Club (https://www.bahamas.com/experiences/exuma-sailing-club), checked October 10, 2026
• Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), Protecting The Exumas (https://www.bahamas.com/experiences/protecting-the-exumas), checked October 10, 2026
• Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), Santannas Exuma (https://www.bahamas.com/experiences/santannas-exuma), checked October 10, 2026
• Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), Official Home Swimming Pigs (https://www.bahamas.com/experiences/official-home-swimming-pigs), checked October 10, 2026
• Wikipedia, Big Major Cay (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Major_Cay), checked October 10, 2026
• Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), Exuma Cays Land And Sea Park (https://www.bahamas.com/natural-wonders/exuma-cays-land-and-sea-park), checked October 10, 2026
• Bahamas National Trust, Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park (https://bnt.bs/explore/exuma/exuma-cays-land-sea-park/), checked October 10, 2026
• Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), Thunderball Grotto (https://www.bahamas.com/natural-wonders/thunderball-grotto), checked October 10, 2026
• Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), Highbourne Cay (https://www.bahamas.com/natural-wonders/highbourne-cay), checked October 10, 2026
• Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), Stocking Island (https://www.bahamas.com/natural-wonders/stocking-island), checked October 10, 2026
• Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), Tropic Of Cancer Beach (https://www.bahamas.com/natural-wonders/tropic-of-cancer-beach), checked October 10, 2026
• Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), travel blog, reasons to visit the Exumas (https://www.bahamas.com/blog/top-5-reasons-to-visit-the-exumas), checked October 10, 2026
• Wikipedia, Staniel Cay (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staniel_Cay), checked October 10, 2026
• U.S. Department of State, The Bahamas Travel Advisory, Level 2 (https://travel.state.gov/), checked October 10, 2026
• NOAA National Hurricane Center, Climatology (https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/), checked October 10, 2026

To plan your stay

• Best Time to Visit the Exumas: Weather, Sea Temperatures, Hurricane Season and Festivals
• Where to Stay in the Exumas: George Town, Little Exuma, Staniel Cay and How to Choose
• The Exumas from Miami: Flights, Connections, Boats and Making a Day of It
• Know Before You Go to the Exumas: Entry Rules, Money, Getting Around and Sun

Nearby places

• Eleuthera Travel Guide: Pink Sand Beaches, Glass Window Bridge, Surfing and Getting Around
• Paradise Island Travel Guide: Atlantis, Cabbage Beach, Versailles Gardens and When to Go
• Andros Travel Guide: Blue Holes, Barrier Reef, Angling and Getting Around