Best Day Trips From Nassau: Rose Island, Exuma, Pearl Island & More

1. Rose Island

Rose Island is one of the easiest and most popular day trips from Nassau. Typical Rose Island trips include swimming pigs, snorkelling, beach time, drinks, lunch and the boat transfers.

The cheapest way over is the $67 Rose Island water taxi: thirty minutes each way from the downtown waterfront and three hours on the island, pig beach entry included, with no lunch or snorkel gear. For a fuller half day, the $123 pigs, snorkel and beach club trip adds a reef snorkel, a turtle stop and a light lunch in four hours. Our Rose Island guide covers getting there, what the tours include and how long to give it.

2. Exuma

Exuma is the biggest day trip on this list. From Nassau, tours run by fast boat through the Exuma Cays, about 89 miles south-east, and spend around eight hours on sandbars, snorkel stops, beaches, wildlife and a string of cays.

Not every Exuma tour reaches Big Major Cay, the original Pig Beach. Three of the four Exuma day trips on GetYourGuide go there; the $329 Exuma powerboat day trip goes to the operator’s own island at Ship Channel Cay instead, with its own resident pigs. If the beach from the photographs is the point, the $489 Exuma island-hopping tour is the best reviewed of the three, at 4.9/5 from 56 reviews, with Allen’s Cay iguanas and a plane-wreck snorkel on the way. Nassau to Exuma for the swimming pigs compares all four.

3. Pearl Island

Pearl Island suits travellers who want an organised island day close to Nassau. Trips there can include beach access, swimming, snorkelling, lunch and island facilities.

The Pearl Island beach days sold on their own are rated 3.4 to 4.1 out of 5, lower than the pig tours that stop there, so we point you to those instead. The $125 three-island tour spends an hour at Pearl Island and two at Rose Island inside four hours, and the $145 catamaran snorkels the reef off Pearl Island as part of its 5½-hour loop.

4. Swimming Pigs Day Trip

You can choose between the pig colonies near Nassau, on Rose, Pearl and Athol islands, and a full-day Exuma tour to Big Major Cay. Check exactly which island the tour visits before booking, because many titles say “Pig Beach” whichever colony they visit.

The shortest good option is the $119 Athol Island pig and snorkel trip: two and a half hours, a pickup at the cruise port and lunch at a beach club. Our guide to which Nassau pig beach tour is right for you sets every option side by side.

5. Nassau Snorkeling Day Trip

A snorkelling trip is a good choice if you want time on the water without giving up a full day. Our guide to Nassau snorkelling tours compares the reef, turtle and pig combinations. Many snorkel tours from Nassau fold in the pigs and a turtle stop. The four-hour pigs, snorkel and turtles trip costs $123, leaves from Paradise Island and includes all the gear. It serves water and fruit punch but no alcohol.

6. Private Boat Charter

A private charter gives you more control over the day. Depending on the operator, you can choose the beaches, the pig encounter, the snorkel spots, the islands, the departure time and how long you stay out.

The three-hour private pig boat costs $700 for the group, with snorkel gear, a turtle stop at Green Cay and drinks; the pig interaction is an add-on at checkout. It has only 17 reviews so far, at 4.8/5, so there is less to judge it on. The private Rose Island boat costs $775 per boat for four hours and has more reviews to go on, at 4.6/5 from 244 on Viator.

7. Catamaran Day Trip

Catamaran tours give you a slower, more relaxed day than a speedboat (Nassau boat tours compared sets the two side by side). The 5½-hour catamaran to Rose, Pearl and Athol costs $145 and includes the reef snorkel, the turtle flat, a hot lunch and drinks on board. The $30 pig interaction, which lets you feed the pigs and swim beside them, is extra. Read our breakdown of the catamaran tour before you book.

8. Paradise Island

Paradise Island is one of the easiest trips from Nassau. It is much closer than the other islands on this list and joined to Nassau by two bridges, so you can get there without booking a boat at all. Our guide to Cabbage Beach and the best Nassau beaches says which one suits you. Several pig and snorkel boats, including the $123 beach club trip, leave from its marinas.

Rose Island vs Exuma

Choose Rose Island if you want a shorter day, have children, are on a cruise, dislike long boat journeys or want pigs, a beach and snorkelling in one trip.

Choose Exuma if you want Big Major Cay, have a full day, want island hopping and enjoy long boat runs. Pig Beach versus Rose Island compares the two colonies in detail.

Rose Island vs Pearl Island

Rose Island is better for swimming pigs, more active tours and snorkelling. Pearl Island is better for relaxing and a more structured beach day. Rose Island vs Pearl Island compares the two on pigs, snorkelling, families and cruise days, with Pearl Island’s own prices.

Best Day Trip for Cruise Passengers

For most cruise visitors, Rose Island, Pearl Island, the nearby pig tours and the snorkelling trips are easier to manage than Exuma. Two of the Exuma operators do not take cruise passengers at all, because an eight-hour day runs too close to all-aboard. Our list of Nassau excursions for cruise ship passengers gives each one’s time away from the ship.

Best Day Trip for Families

Good family choices include Rose Island, Pearl Island, the short pig tours and the snorkelling trips. The boat rides are twenty to forty minutes, and the $67 water taxi has you back in Nassau after about four hours.

Best Day Trip for Adventure

Exuma. It takes the most travel, but it also gives you the widest range: pigs, iguanas, nurse sharks, sandbars and snorkel stops in a single day.

What Should You Bring?

Bring a swimsuit, towel, sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, a waterproof phone pouch, a dry bag, a change of clothes and seasickness medication if you need it. Some tours, the $489 Exuma day among them, do not supply towels.

FAQ

What is the best day trip from Nassau?

Rose Island is one of the easiest all-round options. Exuma is better if you want a full-day adventure.

Can you visit Exuma from Nassau in one day?

Yes, usually on a full-day speedboat tour of about eight hours.

Is Rose Island worth visiting?

Yes, particularly if you want an easy mix of beach, pigs and snorkelling.

Is Pearl Island worth visiting?

It can be a good choice for a relaxed, organised beach day.

Bottom Line

Choose Rose Island for the best balance of convenience, beaches, pigs and snorkelling.

Choose Exuma if you want the original Pig Beach and a full island-hopping day.

Choose Pearl Island if a simple, relaxing beach day is the priority. Check your exact date on the tour before you book, because prices and departures change with the season.