Nassau Boat Tours: Pig Beach, Rose Island, Snorkeling & Island Hopping

Swimming Pigs Boat Tour

A Nassau pig tour may visit Rose Island, another nearby pig-beach location such as Athol Island, or Big Major Cay in the Exumas. The near ones are half days; Big Major Cay, the original Pig Beach, takes a full day.

The $119 pigs and snorkel trip is the shortest that still includes lunch: two and a half hours on a catamaran to the pigs on Athol Island, a reef snorkel with gear, and a beach stop with kayaks and paddleboards, with pickup at the cruise port. It is rated 4.5/5 from 517 reviews. Which Nassau pig beach tour is right for you compares every pig tour on price and which pigs you meet.

Rose Island Boat Tour

Rose Island is one of the easiest all-round boat trips from Nassau. Tours may combine swimming pigs, snorkelling, beach time, drinks and lunch.

The Rose Island water taxi costs $67 with the pig-beach entry fee, crosses in thirty minutes from Señor Frog’s on the downtown waterfront and gives you three hours on the island, at 4.4/5 from 662 reviews. Food, drinks and snorkel gear are not included. Departures are at 9:30am and 11:30am. Our guide to Rose Island from Nassau covers the beach clubs and the other ways over.

Nassau Snorkeling Boat Tour

If you mainly want to be in the water, a snorkelling tour is the one to look at. Most snorkel boats from Nassau also stop for the pigs or a beach club.

The $123 pigs, snorkel and turtles trip snorkels a reef with all the gear, stops 20 minutes at Green Cay and spends two hours at a Rose Island beach club with the pigs and a light lunch, in four hours from the Paradise Island ferry terminal. GetYourGuide has no reef-only boat; on Viator, the Bahamas snorkel adventure costs $144 for five hours with port pickup and gear but no food, rated 4.4/5 from 297 reviews. Nassau snorkelling tours compares the reefs and the gear on each boat.

Turtle Boat Tour

Turtle stops usually come with snorkelling, and nearly all of them stop at the Green Cay turtle sanctuary on the way to the pigs. The $150 pigs and turtles snorkel gives the turtles an hour in the water, with snorkel gear, drinks and snacks; it has 51 reviews so far, at 4.6/5. Sightings are never guaranteed. Our guide to swimming with turtles in Nassau shows which tours put you in the water at Green Cay and which watch from the boat.

Catamaran Tour

A catamaran is the slower, more relaxed way to see the islands. Trips may include snorkelling, swimming, beach stops, drinks and cruising.

The 5½-hour catamaran to Rose, Pearl and Athol costs $145, with a reef snorkel, a turtle flat, a hot lunch cooked on board, unlimited rum punch and Cuba Libre, a covered deck and washrooms. It is rated 4.8/5 from 1,080 reviews. Feeding and swimming with the pigs is a $30 add-on, so a full day with the pigs costs $175. Read our breakdown of the catamaran tour before you book.

Private Boat Tour

Private boat tours give you more flexibility. They suit families, groups, special occasions and anyone who wants to set the itinerary.

The three-hour private pig boat costs $700 for up to seven people from Elizabeth on Bay downtown, with an hour at the pig beach, an hour at Green Cay, snorkel gear and drinks; the pig interaction is an add-on at checkout. It has only 17 reviews so far, at 4.8/5. The private Rose Island boat on Viator costs $775 per boat for four hours and has more reviews to go on, at 4.6/5 from 244.

Exuma Boat Tour From Nassau

This is the biggest boat excursion you can take from Nassau within a day, at around eight hours. Typical stops may include Big Major Cay, Pig Beach, sandbars, snorkelling, wildlife and other Exuma cays.

Not every Exuma tour reaches Big Major Cay. The $489 Exuma island-hopping tour does, with the Allen’s Cay iguanas and a plane-wreck snorkel on the way, and is rated 4.9/5 from 56 reviews. The $329 Exuma powerboat day trip is cheaper and has 172 reviews at 4.7/5, but it spends the day on the operator’s island at Ship Channel Cay, with its own resident pigs, rock iguanas and a shark feed, an hour each way on a 60-foot jet boat. Nassau to Exuma for the swimming pigs compares all four Exuma tours.

Pearl Island Boat Trip

Pearl Island is a good option for travellers who want a structured beach day rather than a long adventure. The Pearl Island beach days sold on their own are rated lower than the pig tours that stop there, so we point you to those. The $125 three-island tour spends an hour snorkelling at Pearl Island and two hours on Rose Island in four hours, and the $145 catamaran snorkels the reef off Pearl Island as part of its 5½-hour loop. Rose Island vs Pearl Island sets the two islands side by side.

Speedboat vs Catamaran

A smaller fast boat is usually better for covering distance, which is why every Exuma tour uses one. If you want to drive, the self-drive speedboat to the pigs puts you at the wheel of a two-seater with a snorkel stop and the pigs on Athol Island, for $120, rated 4.5/5 from 121 reviews.

A catamaran is usually better for slower cruising, snorkelling and a social atmosphere. It has room to move around and, on the 5½-hour tour, a bar and a galley on board. If you get seasick, the catamaran is the steadier of the two.

Shared Tour vs Private Charter

Shared tours are best for a lower price, solo travellers and couples: a seat on a half-day pig and snorkel boat costs $119 to $150.

Private charters are best for groups, families and flexible itineraries. The $700 private boat works out at $100 a head for a party of seven before the pig add-on, less than a shared seat, while a couple pays $350 each.

FAQ

What are the best boat tours in Nassau?

Popular options include Rose Island, swimming pigs, snorkelling, turtles, catamaran trips, private charters and Exuma. For a first visit, the $125 four-hour three-island tour covers the pigs, a snorkel, the turtle stop and lunch in one boat.

Can you take a boat from Nassau to Pig Beach?

Yes. Full-day tours of around eight hours can reach Big Major Cay in Exuma, such as the $489 island-hopping tour. The $329 powerboat day goes to a different island with its own pigs.

Are there short boat tours from Nassau?

Yes. Snorkelling, Rose Island and nearby pig tours can be much shorter: the pigs and snorkel catamaran takes two and a half hours, and the Rose Island water taxi about four.

Bottom Line

Choose Rose Island for the best balance of convenience and activities, from $67 on the water taxi.

Choose a snorkelling or turtle tour if marine life is the priority.

Choose a catamaran for a relaxed day, a private boat for flexibility and Exuma for the original Pig Beach. Check your date on the listing before you plan the rest of the day, because schedules can change.