If you’re planning a trip to the Exuma Islands in the Bahamas, you cannot miss out on visiting Great Exuma Island. I cannot wait to show you what to do on the Bahamas’ largest island in this blog post and the most memorable things to do during a Great Exuma Island vacation!

The Bahamas is one of the most beautiful destinations to visit if you’re looking for pristine white sand beaches, aqua blue waters, swaying palm trees, fun adventures, friendly locals and more. The Exumas are great if you’re looking to see remote islands, spot great biodiversity and participate in memorable adventures and activities. Great Exuma Island is an awesome base for exploring the 365 cays in Exuma, Bahamas.

During July 2021, I visited the Exuma, Bahamas with Ashley of World to Wander. We spent five days and four nights in the Bahamas. Our first and last night in the Bahamas were spent in George Town on Great Exuma Island and the two nights in between were spent on Staniel Cay. (Discover how to have the best vacation on Staniel Cay in Exuma, Bahamas.) Both Ashley and I had a memorable experience in the Exumas.

In this article, discover what to do on Great Exuma Island. I am also excited to share my experience staying at Exuma Beach Resort in George Town.

**Please note that this blog post uses affiliate links meaning that if you make a purchase via my affiliate link, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only promote and talk about products and services that I have used and like. During my time in George Town, Exuma Beach Resort hosted me for two nights.

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Getting to George Town on Great Exuma Island:

Traveling to George Town on Great Exuma Island is easy from mainland USA. I flew from Newark Airport to Exuma International Airport in George Town with a layover in Charlotte. You can find affordable flights through Skyscanner.

Once you arrive in George Town, the best way to get around the island is through taxi. (Please make sure you negotiate the price before you hop in a cab.) You can also rent a car on Great Exuma Island.

What to do on Great Exuma Island – Best Things to do in Exuma Travel Guide:

Discover all of what you must do on Great Exuma Island from George Town. Overall, there is something for everyone to enjoy on a Great Exuma Island trip from island tours to amazing bars and restaurants.

Stay at Exuma Beach Resort – Best Area to Stay in Exuma Bahamas:

During my first and last night in the Exumas, I stayed at Exuma Beach Resort in George Town. It is a colorful, authentic and family-run boutique hotel located less than 20 minutes from George Town Airport.

I loved how Exuma Beach Resort is situated right on the beach in Palm Bay and it includes a boat dock, pool, lounge seating as well as a bar and restaurant called Latitudes. In addition, this small boutique hotel also offers stunning views of the surrounding aqua blue waters, pristine Elizabeth Harbour as well as breathtaking islands from a distance. The hotel is also near a lot of other Great Exuma island resorts to visit for dinner, drinks and more.

Rooms at Exuma Beach Resort:

Our two nights at Exuma Beach Resort were spent in the hotel’s Three Sisters room. It is a beachfront room with a queen-sized bed and en-suite bathroom. Our room at Exuma Beach Resort also came with a beachside deck that overlooks the harbor.

All Exuma Beach Resort’s rooms also include air conditioning, cable television, WIFI, a refrigerator, desk and a closet. Each guest gets full concierge services as well!

In addition to the Three Sisters room that Ashley and I stayed in, the other rooms and suites that are available at Exuma Beach Resort are the Hooper’s Suite, which is an oceanfront bedroom that includes a living room with a queen-sized bed, pull out couch, newly renovated bathroom and a ocean-view deck.

Next, The Cottage is the most spacious suite at the resort and it is perfect for families. The Cottage includes a garden view bedroom with a queen-sized bed as well as a living room with a pull-out couch, full kitchen and more.

Similar rooms to what Ashley and I stayed in are Coco Plum and Bonefish Bay, which are also beachfront rooms. Bougainvillea and Crows Nest are garden view rooms with queen-sized beds as well as en-suite bathrooms and they are only steps away from Latitudes bar and restaurant. Hibiscus is another garden view room, with a queen-sized bed, that is located near the beach and pool deck. Lastly, Jolly Hall is a beachfront room that includes two queen-sized beds, making it perfect for a family or friend group.

Having Fun at Exuma Beach Resort:

Like I mention above, Exuma Beach Resort has a great restaurant and bar, a pool as well as its own beach. I enjoyed floating away in the pool with a delicious piña colada in hand from the bar. What is great about staying at this resort is that you can easily swim up to the bar from the pool.

Latitudes at Exuma Beach Resort features a mix between Bahamian and continental cuisines and you can enjoy a variety of delicious tropical drinks as well as local beer. During our time at Latitudes, I savored the fish burger that was made with haddock and it came with delicious fries.

A lot of times Latitudes will host fun pool and beach parties and they also have live music as well on certain days. It sure is a fun spot and makes for one of the top things to do in Exuma at night!

Do an Exuma Island Boat Tour:

What you must also do during your time on Great Exuma Island is participate in a fun Exuma island boat tour around the different cays. In fact, this is one of the top things to do in Exuma! The best island tour to join from Great Exuma Island is Robert’s Island Adventures.

Even though Ashley and I participated in an Exuma Island boat tour with Embrace Resort during our time on Staniel Cay, we had to take Robert’s Island Adventures from Great Exuma Island to Staniel Cay and vice versa. At the end, I was so happy we got to experience and see more in Exuma from this tour, in addition to what we saw with Embrace. His tours specialize in private and group trips for couples, friend groups, families, bachelor/bachelorette parties and more. You can also customize your own boat tour through Robert’s Island Adventures.

We saw a lot of awesome spots on our tour that the Exuma Islands are known for and we were also given true Bahamian jungle juice (which is much different than the jungle juice you would drink at a college fraternity party) as well as Goombay Smash, which is a staple rum drink in the Bahamas. They were delicious and refreshing!

During our boat tour, we also passed the private islands owned by big time gamers, the CEO of Johnson & Johnson (who is building a 5-star resort on one of them) as well as the residences of Faith Hill and Tim McGraw.

Below is what we saw on Robert’s Island Adventures to and from Great Exuma Island:

The Iguanas at Leaf Cay:

During our tour, we got to see the famous Bahamian Rock Iguanas at Leaf Cay. Now, this island is smaller and different than Bitter Guana Cay near Staniel Cay. I liked how this island featured a lot of iguanas and we were given crackers to feed to them.

I loved how stunning this island was and coming face to face with these creatures was epic. Bahamian Rock Iguanas are endangered species and they can grow up to four feet length-wise!

Pig Beach at Big Major Cay:

A trip to the Exumas would not be complete without a visit to the popular Pig Beach at Big Major Cay. It is an uninhabited island that is home to over 20 pigs and it is such a happy place that makes for one of the best things to do in Exumas.

It is completely unknown how the pigs got to Big Major Cay in Exuma, Bahamas. They sure are not native to Big Major Cay though! Locals believe that the pigs were left by a group of sailors who planned to cook them or that they swam over from a shipwreck nearby.

On Robert’s tour, you will visit Pig Beach where you can say hi to these cuties, but it is best to wander around with caution because the pigs can be feisty. In general, Pig Beach is what you need to add to your must-do list when you plan to vacation in Great Exuma Island.

The Sharks at Compass Cay:

Another iconic thing to do in Exuma, that you can scratch off your bucket list, is swim with the sharks at Compass Cay. It is famous for its nurse sharks that are used to being around human beings.

The nurse sharks at Compass Cay can live up to 25 years old and they grow up to 10 feet long. If you plan to float at Compass Cay, make sure you put your hands in a fist and your toes up. The reason why you should do this is because if your fingers and toes are wiggling around in the water, the sharks can get them confused with shrimp and try to bite them.

Robert’s tour pays a visit to Compass Cay, so you will not miss out on this thrilling experience! It is by far, one of the most thrilling things to do in Exuma, Bahamas.

Enjoy the Bright Blue Waters of Black Point:

What you also must do during a boat tour from Great Exuma Island is enjoy the crystal blue waters at Black Point.

Located at Great Guana Cay, Black Point is the perfect spot in the Exuma Islands to go swimming, snorkeling and enjoy a nice meal at Emerald Sunset View Restaurant and Bar, which is where we enjoyed lunch on our tour. (You can also catch a great sunset at this spot.)

Relax at a Sand Bar:

Another cool spot we stopped at on our boat tour to and from Great Exuma Island was at a random sand bar near the coast of Black Point. (Visiting a sand bar should be at the top of your bucket list of things to do in Exuma!)

Now, this is a different sand bar than the one Ashley and I visited with Embrace. (We went to Pipe Creek on that day.) During the day we visited the sand bar with Robert’s Island Adventures, the water was high tide, so you couldn’t see the flats itself. When Ashley and I did sit at the sand bar, the water came up to our chests and it was relaxing and therapeutic.

Overall, I loved this sand bar because there were less tourists than at Pipe Creek. It also allowed for more swimming and snorkeling. In general, the Exumas have some of the best diving adventures in the Bahamas.

Dive Down to David Copperfield’s Mermaid Piano:

One of the coolest spots in Exuma that we got to see on our tour to and from Great Exuma Island is David Copperfield’s Mermaid Piano, which is right off the coast of Rudder Cut Cay.

This full-sized sculpture of a mermaid and grand piano was dropped into the water by David Copperfield, who is an American musician from New Jersey (my home state). The mermaid is there to beckon divers to play her tune.

I will admit that it is easier to get to the piano when the water is low tide, but unfortunately, the day that we visited this spot, it was high tide and the current was pretty rough. In that case, we were unable to dive down to play the mermaid’s song. If you plan to come to this spot and dive down, make sure to bring flippers.

Eat at Fish Fry in George Town:

Back in George Town, just short of a 10-minute walk from Exuma Beach Resort, is Fish Fry that are a handful of colorful restaurants located on the water. The best spot to enjoy a traditional Bahamian fish fry is at Shirley’s. It is one of the best things to do in George Town, Bahamas!

One of the top things to savor when it comes to food in the Bahamas is conch, which is pronounced as “conk”. At Fish Fry, you can find a variety of different conch dishes from conch bits, fritters, salad, boils, chowders and more.)

In general, Shirley’s at Fish Fry is well worth a visit during a trip to George Town. You cannot go wrong with this spot if you’re trying to figure out what to do at Great Exuma Island.

Have Fun at Splash Bar and Grill:

Located right next to Exuma Beach Resort is Splash Bar and Grill, which is a fun bar and restaurant situated right on Palm Bay.

This colorful spot has an indoor and outdoor space and the bar even has swing chairs to enjoy. You can find delicious Bahamian meals, seafood dishes and traditional Western cuisines at Splash Bar and Grill.

During my time there, I savored the conch chowder with coconut shrimp as well as their Bahamian styled conch with veggies and everything was mouthwatering! Splash Bar and Grill also has great drinks and an awesome breakfast in the morning. On our last morning, I savored the Belgian waffles with bacon for breakfast and it did not disappoint!

Relax at the Beach on Palm Bay:

There was nothing more relaxing than sunbathing and swimming in the water at the beach on Palm Bay in George Town.

What is cool about swimming in the waters of Palm Bay are that it is a great place to spot sea turtles. In fact, it was my first time ever seeing a sea turtle. (I tried finding the sea turtles during my time in West Maui, but didn’t succeed.)

The water on Palm Bay, near Exuma Beach Resort, is beautiful and it is warm like a bathtub. I did not want to get out of it! In addition, we also made friends with two dogs on this beach, which made our experience even more special!

Another great beach area to enjoy on Great Exuma Island is Emerald Bay!

Check out these other awesome beach destinations around the world:

Vacation on Staniel Cay in Exuma, Bahamas

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Best Cruise for First Time Cruisers

I hope you all enjoyed discovering what to do on Great Exuma Island and reading about my experience staying at Exuma Beach Resort. If you have any questions about my time on Great Exuma Island, please email me at info@browneyedflowerchild.com.

Basic Facts of the Bahamas:

Currency: Bahamian Dollar (The United States Dollar is accepted everywhere!), Capital: Nassau, Time Zone: Eastern Standard Time

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