Nassau to Pig Island: How to visit the Bahamas Swimming Pigs

The Bahamas Swimming pigs are now the top rated thing to do in the Bahamas, and visitors can now go meet them on the Nassau to Pig Island Tours.

Day trips, tours and excursions to Pig Beach depart from Nassau daily. A number of private tour operators have Nassau to Pig Island tour options, including excursions by plane, boat or both!

What are the Bahamas Swimming Pigs?

The swimming pigs that live at Pig Beach on Pig Island, actually called Big Major Cay Island, is an uninhabited Island in the Bahamas Exuma Cays. The Exuma Cays are a collection of 365 islands that extend south of Nassau and culminate at Great Exuma Island (the largest island of the Exumas).

Big Major Cay is now the top destination for visitors in the Bahamas because of their famous swimming pigs. They began swimming here many years ago when nearby Staniel Cay was a small farming community. The pigs were left at pig beach and when the farmers arrived by boat to feed the pigs, the pigs associated their boat with food and began swimming out – greedy pigs!

Discover more about Where is Pig Island?

How to Get From Nassau to Exuma

There are public modes of transport to Exuma from Nassau, but none that go directly to Pig Island (Big Major Cay). A public ferry operates between Nassau and Georgetown Exuma. It takes about 14 hours one way. There are a number of scheduled airlines that operate from Nassau to airports in the Exumas, including – Staniel Cay, black Point and Georgetown Exuma.

Nassau to Pig Island by Plane

There is no airport or runway on pig Island, therefore it is not possible to fly directly from Nassau to Pig Island. However, the closest island to Big Major Cay is Staniel Cay which has the nearest airport – Staniel Cay Airport.

Therefore to go from Nassau to Pig Island, the easiest way is take a Day Trip by Plane. Bahamas Air Tours offers such a Nassau to Exuma Day trips by plane, where visitors are flown to the Exumas, land at Staniel Cay and are then take. On their day excursion to the local islands by tour boat.

It is also possible to land at Pig Beach in a sea plane. There are very few sea plane operators in Nassau and South Florida, but a flight from Nassau to Pig Island in a sea plane, landing at pig beach can be arranged as a private charter trip.

Nassau to Pig Island by Speed Boat

Speed boat tours from a Nassau to Pig Island is there other way to visit the Bahamas Swimming Pigs at Pig Beach. tour operators use the big engines go-fast speed boats that carry up to 30 persons, and at maximum speed it can take between 2 to 3 hours to reach Pig Beach.

Because of the long distance by sea and time it takes from Nassau to Pig Island, the speed boat tours generally spend a lot less time in the Exuma Cays compared to the tour by plane. so you won’t get an opportunity to visit the other Exuma Attractions like the sand bar, thunderball grotto and plane wreck.

Day Trips from Nassau to Exuma

Finding the perfect day trip can be a challenge, it all depends on what attractions you want to visit in Exuma and the needs of your budget. if you’re on a limited budget then a speed boat tour $350 may be attractive, otherwise if you’re looking for the premium experience and a tour that covers all the Exuma attractions, a Nassau to Pig Island excursion by plane would be better.

Nassau Bahamas Swim with Pigs Excursion

What ever you do decide, make sure you pick a Nassau to Pig Island tour. Don’t visit other islands in the Bahamas, despite what might be advertised, there is only one island with the original Swimming Pigs and that is Big Major Cay.

There are a number of islands that now claim to have swimming pigs, culprits include Eleuthera and Freeport, but these are no more than just Pigs on a Beach. The actual Swimming Pigs can only be visited in the Exumas.

Be sure to contact one of our Swimming with Pigs Experts via our contact form if you have any questions about the Exuma pigs tour you chose.

Contact us now for Tours!