How Much It Costs to Swim With Pigs in Nassau and the Bahamas

$67 – $90 — getting there and back

At the bottom of the market you are buying transport and time, not a programme. The Rose Island water taxi at $67 is a thirty-minute crossing from the downtown waterfront, three hours on the island and a crossing back. No reef stop, no turtles, no lunch, no gear.

It is good value because the pig beach entry fee is inside the fare, and three hours is more time with the animals than tours at twice the price allocate.

$109 – $150 — the standard Nassau half day

This is where most of the catalogue sits, and the shape is consistent: a catamaran or powerboat, two to four cays, reef snorkelling with gear, a turtle stop, the pigs, and lunch. Rum punch is usually unlimited and included.

Pigs, Snorkel, Turtles and a Private Beach Club at $123 leaves from the Paradise Island ferry terminal, which removes the most common friction of a Nassau boat day. The 3 Islands tour at $125 carries 3,623 reviews, more than any other tour here. The 5½-hour catamaran at $145 is the longest of them and the best rated at volume.

Per hour on the water this tier is the best value in the catalogue.

$329 – $515 — a full day in the Exumas

The jump is distance. Big Major Cay is about 89 miles from Nassau, close to two hours each way, so an Exuma day trip takes about eight hours, out in the morning and back in the late afternoon. Exuma Escapes at $378 is the cheapest that actually reaches Pig Beach; Born Free at $489 is the best reviewed of them; Powerboat Adventures at $329 is cheaper than all of them but goes to its own private island at Ship Channel Cay rather than Big Major Cay.

What the money buys beyond the pigs: rock iguanas at Allen’s Cay, nurse sharks at Compass Cay, a sunken plane wreck, sandbar swims and lunch ashore.

$700 and up — a boat to yourselves

Private charters are not priced per person but per group, which changes the arithmetic entirely. The JNC three-hour charter at $700 works out around $117 a head at six people — roughly what the shared catamarans charge — with nobody else aboard. For two people it is the most expensive way to see a pig near Nassau, and only makes sense if a boat to yourselves matters a lot.

A private day to Big Major Cay costs far more. Nassau charter companies quote full-day private Exuma trips per boat, at roughly $3,300 to $7,000 on the booking pages we checked in October 2026, and none of them sells through GetYourGuide. Split between eight people, the lower end comes close to a seat on a shared Exuma tour. The other premium route is 3N’s Exuma Vacations’ fly-in swimming pigs tour, from $850 per person and rated 4.8 from 580 reviews on Viator. It flies you to Staniel Cay and does the island-hopping by small boat from there; Nassau to Exuma sets it against the boat day.

The add-ons that are not in the headline price

Read this part before you compare two listings.

The pig interaction itself. On the $145 catamaran, feeding the pigs, swimming beside them, holding a piglet and photographing them is listed under exclusions at $30 per person. On the private charter it is an add-on selected at checkout, with the operator recommending you pay in person. A third tour lists a swimming-pig feeding fee payable separately at the island. Meanwhile the $67 water taxi states the pig beach entry fee is included.

So a $145 tour can become $175, and a $67 tour stays $67. That reverses the ranking of two listings that looked $78 apart.

Getting to the dock. Almost every tour here excludes hotel pickup. Some leave from the Paradise Island ferry terminal, some from downtown Bay Street, some from a marina at Hurricane Hole. A taxi across Nassau is a real cost and a real risk against a departure time.

Towels. Not one of the 34 tours in this catalogue lists them under inclusions. Bring your own.

Alcohol. Included and unlimited on most catamarans in the $119–$150 band. Explicitly excluded on some powerboat tours at similar prices.

Gratuities. Excluded everywhere, as is normal.

What the tour price usually includes

Read the inclusions list before you compare two fares. Across the tours on this site, the price usually covers:

the boat there and back, with a captain and guide
life jackets
time with the pigs, though the feeding is sometimes extra
snorkel gear, on tours with a reef stop
drinks on board, often rum punch on the catamarans
lunch, on most half days from $109 and on every Exuma day
other island stops: a turtle cay near Nassau, or iguanas, nurse sharks and a sandbar in the Exumas

Born Free’s Exuma day also includes the landing fees and the food for the pigs. At the bottom of the market the $67 water taxi includes the boat and the Rose Island entry fee and nothing else.

Is swimming with pigs free?

Not in practice. There is no admission ticket for Pig Beach on Big Major Cay, an uninhabited cay, and some tours fold a landing fee into the fare. What you pay for is the boat that gets you there. Without your own suitable boat, that means a tour or a charter. Near Nassau the cheapest way in is the $67 Rose Island water taxi, and the cheapest boat to Big Major Cay is Exuma Escapes at $378.

Why Rose Island costs less than Big Major Cay

Rose Island is about thirty minutes from downtown Nassau by water taxi. Big Major Cay is close to two hours each way by fast powerboat, so the Exuma tours burn far more fuel, keep a crew out for eight hours and stop at several islands on the way. Most half days near Nassau with snorkelling and lunch cost $109 to $150; the Exuma day costs $378 to $515. Pig Beach versus Rose Island sets the two colonies side by side.

How much to budget for two people

Pick the trip first and the budget follows from it. Per couple, before tips and the taxi to the dock:

About $134: the Rose Island water taxi, pigs and beach only.
About $240 to $300: a half day with snorkelling, a turtle stop and lunch, plus $60 if your tour charges the $30 pig fee separately.
About $760 to $1,030: a full day to Big Major Cay in the Exumas.
$700 and up per boat: a private three-hour charter near Nassau, or $3,300 and up for a private Exuma day.

Is it worth it?

For the Nassau-area tours the answer is straightforward. A half day on the water with snorkelling, a turtle stop, lunch and an open bar is $119 to $150 in a destination where a beach club day pass alone can approach that. The pigs are a genuinely strange and enjoyable twenty minutes inside a good boat trip.

For the Exuma day trips it depends on how you count. Paying $378 to $515 for roughly forty minutes at Big Major Cay looks poor if you price it by pig. Priced as a full day across the Exuma Cays — iguanas, sharks, a wreck, sandbars, lunch, and some of the clearest water in the region — it is a fair rate for an eight-hour guided day with a fast boat and all fees included.

Paying Exuma money and ending up on a different island is poor value, so check which cay your tour lists before you book. The Pig Beach versus Rose Island guide explains the difference.

Every tour on this site cancels free up to 24 hours ahead, so you can hold a date while you decide. Our tour-by-tour picks narrow the shortlist.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to swim with pigs in Nassau?

From $67 per person for the Rose Island water taxi, and $109 to $150 for most half-day tours with snorkelling and lunch. Private charters near Nassau start at $700 per boat.

Is Pig Beach free?

There is no admission ticket for Big Major Cay. The cost is the boat: from $378 per person on a shared day tour from Nassau.

Why are Exuma pig tours so expensive?

Big Major Cay is about 89 miles from Nassau, close to two hours each way by fast powerboat, so the day runs to about eight hours with fuel, lunch and several island stops in the price.

Is Rose Island cheaper than Exuma?

Yes. Tours to Rose Island and the other cays near Nassau cost $67 to $220 per person, against $378 to $515 for a day trip to Big Major Cay.

How Much Does It Cost to Swim With Pigs in the Bahamas?