Exuma is a district of the Bahamas, consisting of over 360 islands (or cays). The largest of the cays, and the only one with any significant population, is Great Exuma, which is 37 mi (60 km) in length.
Islands
Many of the islands in the Exumas are privately owned. Only inhabited islands open to the public (or at least paying guests) are listed here.
Cities
Get in
The Exuma island chain is 130 mi (209 km) long. The northernmost islands are under an hour away from Nassau by speedboat and many tour operators offer day trips. George Town on Great Exuma has the only airport in the islands, which receives flights from Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and Nassau. Visiting any of the other islands more or less requires your own boat.
Get around
The only option is to join a tour or charter (or bring) your own boat.
See
Itineraries
Do
Boating
Snorkeling
Diving
Fishing
Drink
Stay safe
The crossing from Nassau to the northern end of the Exumas is only 40 miles, but it's across open water and can get choppy if it's windy. Bring along a warm, ideally waterproof coat, and try to get a seat near the middle of the boat to minimize both bumpiness and sea spray.
There are nurse sharks in the waters around the islands. They don't usually bother humans, but it's best to ask for local advice on where to swim — shallow water is usually fine.
:For the musician Exuma, see Exuma (musician).
Exuma is a district of the Bahamas, consisting of over 360 islands (or cays). The largest of the cays is Great Exuma, which is 37 mi (60 km) in length. The largest city in the district is George Town (permanent population 1,000), founded 1793 and located on Great Exuma. The Tropic of Cancer runs through the city. The entire island chain is 130 mi (209 km) long and 27 sq. mi (72 km²) in area.
Exuma was settled in or around 1783 by American loyalists fleeing the Revolutionary War. The expatriates brought a cotton plantation economy to the islands. George Town was named in honor of George III, to whom the settlers maintained their sovereignty.
Lord John Rolle, a major Loyalist settler of the Exumas, is a major figure in the islands' heritage. Upon his death in 1835, he bestowed all of his significant Exuma land holdings to his slaves. As a result, a number of towns on Great Exuma have been named after him (such as Rolleville and Rolletown).
The islands are a popular spot for yachting, sailing, diving, and coral reef and cave exploring. Much of the unnamed beaches and coves of the island, including extensive offshore reef areas, are part of the protected Exuma National Land and Sea Park of the Bahamas National Trust. Some of the islands on which there are permanent residents and resorts include Staniel Cay (home of the Staniel Cay Yacht Club, a fixture in the Exumas), Fowl Cay, Musha Cay and Iguana Cay. Thunderball Grotto, located just a few hundred yards off Staniel Cay, is one location where the James Bond film Thunderball was filmed.
One of the more beautiful Islands is Shroud Cay which has nothing on it other than beautiful beaches and landscape. This Cay is especially enjoyable for those who enjoy boating or jet skiing through the streams that run throughout the island. Be careful however as the streams are only deep enough during high tide.
The Exumas are the historic home of the Lucayan Indians, who were wholly enslaved in the 1500s, leaving the islands uninhabited until the 1700s. In the intervening period, the Exumas provided many hideouts and stashes for pirates.
Residents
In light of the relatively low cost of purchasing islands and the relatively low Bahamanian tax regime for non-locals, a number of celebrities own islands in the Exuma. These include:
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