Swimming With Turtles in Nassau: Best Turtle & Snorkel Tours

Swimming Pigs + Turtles Tour

If you already want to see Nassau’s swimming pigs, a combination tour is the easy way to add turtles. Instead of booking two separate boat trips, look for an itinerary that combines pigs, turtles, snorkelling and beach time.

The $123 pigs, snorkel and turtles trip runs four hours from the Paradise Island ferry terminal: a reef snorkel, 20 minutes at the Green Cay turtle sanctuary and two hours at a private beach club on Rose Island with the pigs, lunch and water. It is rated 4.5/5 from 1,534 reviews. The $125 three-island tour follows a similar four-hour plan with an hour of snorkelling at Pearl Island, 20 minutes looking for green turtles at Green Cay and lunch on Rose Island, and it has the most reviews of any pig tour from Nassau, 3,623 at 4.3/5.

The catamaran in the opening pick is the combination where the turtle stop is a snorkel. Feeding and swimming with the pigs on that boat is the $30 add-on, so a pigs-and-turtles day on it costs $175 a head.

Turtle + Reef Snorkeling Tour

Another option is a broader snorkelling excursion that includes both reef and wildlife stops. The Rose Island pigs and turtles snorkelling tour spends 35 minutes at Green Cay, the longest turtle stop among the combination tours, then 50 minutes swimming and snorkelling the reef off Rose Island and a stop at the Gilligan’s Island beach. It costs $150 with soft drinks and water, runs from the Paradise Island ferry terminal on a 35-foot boat with a restroom, and takes no more than 14 people. Lunch is not included. It is rated 4.6/5 from 115 reviews.

Our guide to Nassau snorkelling tours covers the reef-first trips, including one with no pig stop at all.

Private Turtle Boat Tour

A private tour can suit you if you are travelling with family, friends or a larger group. The main advantage is flexibility: you set the pace at Green Cay and stay longer if the turtles are feeding.

The private Rose Island boat costs $775 per boat for four hours with snorkel gear and drinks, and is rated 4.6/5 from 244 reviews on Viator. On GetYourGuide, 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 and an hour at Green Cay. 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. With seven on board, the $700 boat works out at $100 each before the pig add-on, less than any of the shared pigs-and-turtles trips.

Are Turtle Sightings Guaranteed?

No. Turtles are wild, so a sighting is never certain unless the operator says otherwise, and none of the listings on this page promises one. The catamaran’s listing says plainly that turtles are wild and sightings are not promised, and every operator can change the itinerary for weather or sea state.

In the water, keep your distance. The turtle snorkel operator asks guests not to touch the turtles and to watch them from a distance; give them room to surface and do not chase one that swims off.

Best Turtle Tour for Cruise Passengers

Cruise passengers should favour excursions with clear departure and return times and a trip length that leaves a margin before all-aboard.

• The private pig boat leaves from Elizabeth on Bay, walkable from the cruise berths, and is back in three hours.
• The four-hour pigs, snorkel and turtles trip leaves from the Paradise Island ferry terminal, so allow for a taxi over the bridge each way.
• The Rose Island turtles snorkel offers pickup at the cruise port on request.

Our cruise excursions guide sets these against the city tours and beach days.

Turtle Tour or Exuma?

Choose a Nassau-area turtle excursion if turtles and snorkelling are the priority. It is a half day, from $123, and you are back in town for the afternoon.

Choose Exuma if the original Pig Beach matters more and you want a much broader island-hopping experience. Exuma days from Nassau take around eight hours, and the $489 Exuma island-hopping tour, rated 4.9/5 from 56 reviews, reaches Big Major Cay. Nassau to Exuma for the swimming pigs compares the four Exuma tours.

What Should You Bring?

Bring swimwear, a towel, sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat, a waterproof phone case and a dry bag. Towels are left out on most of these tours, including the catamaran, the three-island tour and the $123 beach-club trip, and the beach-club trip leaves out sunscreen too, so pack your own.

FAQ

Can you swim with turtles in Nassau?

Yes. Several half-day tours stop at the Green Cay turtle sanctuary, and on some of them, such as the 5½-hour catamaran and the $150 turtle snorkel, you get in the water. Sightings are not guaranteed.

Can you swim with turtles and pigs on the same tour?

Yes. Most turtle tours from Nassau also visit the swimming pigs, from $123 for the four-hour trip with a reef snorkel, the Green Cay stop and a Rose Island beach club.

Is turtle snorkeling good for cruise passengers?

It can be, when the excursion length fits comfortably within the port stay. The three-hour private boat leaves from Elizabeth on Bay near the cruise berths, and the four-hour shared tours leave from Paradise Island.

Bottom Line

For the most focused experience, choose a turtle snorkelling tour, with an hour in the water at the turtle stop.

For a broader Nassau day on the water, look for a pigs + turtles + snorkelling combination. Check whether the turtle stop is a swim or a look from the boat before you book, because listings differ.