Big Major Cay: A Visitor's Guide to Pig Beach

Can you visit Big Major Cay from Nassau?

Yes. If you are staying in Nassau you can reach Big Major Cay on an organised full-day boat trip to the Exumas.

The distance means these trips use fast powerboats. A typical day includes Big Major Cay, other Exuma cays, a sandbar, snorkelling, wildlife stops, beach time and lunch. On the three tours here, the wildlife stops are the same two: the endangered rock iguanas on Allen’s Cay and the nurse sharks at Compass Cay Marina.

Is Big Major Cay a day trip from Nassau?

Yes, but a long one. Expect a morning departure, close to two hours on the boat each way, several hours away from Nassau, several island stops, and a return in the late afternoon. All three tours are listed at about eight hours.

How do you get to Big Major Cay?

Almost everyone arrives by boat. There is no public ferry to the island. The usual options are:

• a full-day tour from Nassau
• a tour from elsewhere in the Exumas, such as Great Exuma or Staniel Cay
• a private boat charter

If you are flying into the Exumas rather than staying in Nassau, a tour from Staniel Cay or Great Exuma is a much shorter trip to the same beach.

What is Big Major Cay like?

Big Major Cay is not a developed attraction. There is no resort, town or shop on the island.

The appeal is the natural setting: clear water, pale sand, the pigs wandering the beach, and boats anchored offshore. The pig colony was estimated at fifty to sixty animals in 2019, and a few stray cats and goats live on the island too.

Why are there pigs on Big Major Cay?

There are several stories about how the pigs arrived, and none has been confirmed.

One common version is that sailors left pigs on the island meaning to come back and cook them, and never did. Others say the pigs swam ashore from a shipwreck, or that residents of nearby Staniel Cay put them there to raise for food.

Do the pigs really swim?

Yes. Many of the pigs wade and swim out when boats arrive.

They are used to visitors, and they swim towards boats because they have learned that the people on board tend to carry food.

Can you swim with the pigs?

In most cases, yes. You usually stand or wade in shallow water near the pigs rather than swim any distance beside them.

Always follow your guide’s instructions.

Are the pigs friendly?

They are used to people, but they are still animals, and they are wilder than the hand-raised colonies near Nassau.

Some are large and pushy, especially once food appears. Do not chase, corner or tease them, and let the guide show you how to feed them. Feeding in the water rather than scattering food on the sand matters here: in 2017 several of the island’s pigs died, and an autopsy pointed to sand they had swallowed. Is swimming with pigs safe? covers what happened.

How long do you spend at Pig Beach?

It varies by tour, and it is usually shorter than people expect.

Big Major Cay is one stop on a wider Exuma itinerary. Born Free’s island-hopping day publishes its timings: forty minutes at Pig Beach, against roughly four hours of boat time over the whole day. The other two tours do not publish a stop length.

If the pigs are your main priority, compare itineraries, or consider a Nassau-area tour: the Rose Island water taxi leaves you on the island for three hours for $67.

What else is included on Big Major Cay tours?

A typical Exuma day may include sandbars, snorkelling, Compass Cay, empty beaches and lunch. The three tours on this site that reach Big Major Cay compare like this:

Born Free is the best-reviewed of the three and the only one that puts pig food and landing fees in the ticket. Exuma Escapes is the cheapest way to Big Major Cay, $111 less than Born Free, on a much thinner review record. Aqua Shores’ Exuma powerboat tour has a single review, so there is very little to judge it on yet.

The order of stops can change with the weather; read each listing before comparing prices. Our Exuma page covers all four Exuma day trips, including the one that goes to a different island.

Big Major Cay vs Rose Island

Big Major Cay

• in the Exumas, about 89 miles from Nassau
• the original Pig Beach
• a much longer trip from Nassau
• a full day, about eight hours
• usually part of an island-hopping day
• $378 to $515 per person

Rose Island

• twenty to forty minutes from Nassau
• easy to reach
• half-day tours available
• its own swimming-pig colony, hand-raised and managed
• far more practical for most cruise passengers
• $67 to about $220 per person

Is Big Major Cay good for cruise passengers?

It can be, but check the timings carefully.

An eight-hour Exuma day does not fit every cruise schedule, and Born Free will not take cruise passengers at all. If you are considering one of the others, check:

• your ship’s arrival time and all-aboard time
• where the tour departs, and how long the transfer from the port to that marina takes
• the tour’s scheduled return time
• what happens to your booking if the weather cancels the trip

If the margin is tight, a Nassau-area pig tour is the safer choice. The cruise-port page lists which tours take cruise guests.

Is the Nassau to Big Major Cay boat ride rough?

It can be. The crossing is open water, and conditions change from day to day.

If you get seasick, take something before you leave. Exuma Escapes lists people prone to seasickness as unsuitable for its tour, and the Exuma operators also exclude people with back problems.

Is Big Major Cay suitable for children?

It depends on the child. The pigs themselves are great fun for families, but the journey from Nassau is long, and the operators do not take babies: three of the four Exuma operators on this site set the limit at under two, one at under one.

For younger children, a swimming-pig tour near Nassau is easier.

Best time to visit Big Major Cay

The day depends heavily on the weather and the sea. A calm, clear day means a smoother crossing, better swimming, clearer water and easier landings.

December to April is the dry season; hurricane season runs from June to November. The month-by-month guide has the detail, and whatever the month, book early in your stay so you have another chance if the weather cancels the boat.

What should you bring?

Useful things to pack:

• swimsuit
• towel (not included on any of these tours)
• sunscreen
• hat
• sunglasses
• waterproof phone case
• dry bag
• light change of clothes
• water
• motion-sickness tablets if you need them

Can you visit Big Major Cay without a tour?

Yes, if you have a suitable boat or charter one privately. Operators on Staniel Cay and Great Exuma run private trips out to it.

Most visitors, though, join an organised trip.

Is Big Major Cay crowded?

It can be. Pig Beach is one of the most popular stops in the Exumas, and several boats can arrive at the same time.

Is Big Major Cay worth visiting?

For travellers who specifically want the original swimming pigs, yes.

The stronger reason to go, though, is Pig Beach together with the Exumas themselves: the iguanas, the nurse sharks, the sandbars and the water on the way. If only the pigs matter to you, a Nassau-area tour gives you more time with them for a fraction of the price.

How to choose a Big Major Cay tour

• Confirm Big Major Cay is named in the itinerary. One of the four Exuma day trips from Nassau goes to Ship Channel Cay instead.
• Check the total length and the time at Pig Beach. Forty minutes is typical.
• Compare the stops. Whether the plane wreck is snorkelled or only seen from the boat is a real difference.
• Check what is included: lunch, drinks, pig food and landing fees.
• Check who is excluded: cruise passengers, young children, non-swimmers.
• Read the cancellation terms. Every tour on this site cancels free up to 24 hours ahead.

Our tour-by-tour picks include the best Big Major Cay option alongside the Nassau-area tours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Big Major Cay?

Big Major Cay is in the Exuma Cays in the Bahamas, about 89 miles southeast of Nassau, next to Staniel Cay.

Is Big Major Cay the same as Pig Beach?

Yes. Pig Beach, Pig Island and Exuma Pig Beach are all names for Big Major Cay.

Can you visit Big Major Cay from Nassau?

Yes, on a full-day speedboat trip. Three tours on this site reach it from Nassau, from $378 per person.

Do pigs actually swim at Big Major Cay?

Yes, many of them wade and swim out, especially when boats arrive.

Is Big Major Cay near Nassau?

No. It is about 89 miles away, close to two hours each way by fast boat, so tours from Nassau take a full day.

Bottom line

Big Major Cay is the original Pig Beach, and the place to choose if you want the classic swimming-pig experience.

From Nassau it takes a full day. It suits travellers who want to see the Exumas, not just spend an hour with the pigs. For where it sits among the other colonies, see where Pig Beach is and swimming pigs in the Bahamas.