Great Exuma (George Town)
The southern gateway to the Exuma islands. Elizabeth Harbour is ringed by clear water, and the Stocking Island beaches, Little Exuma, and boat-based island hopping suit self-drive trips.
Great Exuma is the largest island in the Exuma chain of the Bahamas. Its capital, George Town, lies on the southeast coast. With barely a thousand residents, it is the transport and supply hub of the southern islands. The town faces Elizabeth Harbour, a wide natural harbor enclosed by sandbars, including Stocking Island. Its waters shift through layers of blue and green. In winter, the harbor fills with sailboats from North America, making it one of the Bahamas' best-known sailing wintering spots. Every April, it hosts the National Family Island Regatta.
Highlights by area:
① George Town: the town center on Lake Victoria, the straw market, the white St. Andrew's Church. Half a day is enough.
② Stocking Island: a 10–15 minute water taxi ride away, with Hamburger Beach, Monument Hill, a long beach on the ocean side, and the Chat 'n' Chill, a famous beach bar on Volleyball Beach.
③ Drive south across the Ferry Bridge to Little Exuma: Tropic of Cancer Beach, the salt pond marker in Williams Town, the Rolle Town cemetery, and Moriah Harbour Cay National Park.
④ Head north along the road toward Jolly Hall, Coco Plum Beach, and other beaches.
The swimming pigs and Thunderball Grotto in the northern islands are in the Staniel Cay area and must be arranged separately.
Seasons: Dec–Apr is dry and mild, with calm seas, making it the best time for boating. May–Nov is hot and humid. June–November is hurricane season, with the highest risk in August–October, so check forecasts before you travel.
Transport: Exuma International Airport (GGT) is about 15 km northwest of George Town, with flights connecting to Nassau, Miami, and other destinations. Bus service is limited. Rent a car and drive on the left. To reach Stocking Island and the outer sandbars, take a water taxi or join a boat tour. Plan to stay 3–5 days. Prices are high, so bring both cash and credit cards.
Top sights
- Stocking Island – A long, narrow sandbar island across from George Town, with calm bays on the inner side and a long beach and lighthouse hill on the outer s…
- Chat 'N' Chill (Volleyball Beach) – A famous beach bar on Volleyball Beach on Stocking Island, where visitors can feed stingrays in the shallows. The Sunday pig roast is Georg…
- Tropic of Cancer Beach – A pink-white sand beach on the eastern shore of Little Exuma, crossed by the Tropic of Cancer. Its water is as clear as a swimming pool, an…
- Hamburger Beach – A calm, curved beach on the inner side of Stocking Island, with clear shallow water that is convenient for snorkelling and a popular stop a…
- Monument Beach & Monument Hill – A small hill on Stocking Island topped with a navigation-beacon monument. From the summit you can look over the layered blue-green waters o…
- Elizabeth Harbour – A broad natural harbour between Stocking Island and Great Exuma, crowded with sailboats. Snorkelling, diving and reef trips all depart from…
- Little Exuma – An island linked to Great Exuma by a short causeway bridge, with deserted beaches, fishing villages and salt-pan ruins along the way, ideal…
- Williams Town Salt Beacon – A tall white column on the southern side of Little Exuma that guided salt-carrying ships in the 18th and 19th centuries, with salt-pan rema…
- George Town & Lake Victoria – The capital of Exuma district, with pastel colonial buildings around Lake Victoria, a saltwater lagoon. Docks, the market and the church ar…
- George Town Straw Market – An open-air craft market under a tree in the centre of town, where local women sell palm-straw hats, baskets and shell jewellery.
- St. Andrew's Anglican Church – A white church on a hill beside Lake Victoria, with blue doors and windows that stand out against the harbour. It is George Town’s most pho…
- Jolly Hall Beach – A half-moon bay of white sand a few kilometres northwest of George Town, with calm, shallow water and few visitors. A good spot for a self-…
- Coco Plum Beach – A long sandy beach on the north side of Great Exuma. At low tide, broad sandbars and shallows emerge, starfish are often seen, and the wate…
- Moriah Harbour Cay National Park – A marine protected area at the southern end of Elizabeth Harbour, where dunes, mangroves and shallows provide habitat for seabirds, sea tur…
- Rolle Town Tombs – Stone tombs left by Loyalist settlers in the late 18th century, on a hillside overlooking the bay. They are among the oldest remains on Exu…
- Three Sisters Beach – A quiet beach on the north shore of Great Exuma, where three rock outcrops rising from the sea form its landmark. Ideal for sunrise and pho…
Where to eat
- Chat 'N' Chill Beach Bar – A legendary beach bar on Stocking Island, known for fresh conch salad and Sunday whole roast pig, and a must-stop on a…
- Tropic Breeze Beach Bar & Grill – A seaside spot in Williams Town on Little Exuma, known for its many lobster dishes and long ranked first for George Tow…
- Shirley's at the Fish Fry – The oldest small restaurant at the Fish Fry north of George Town, popular with locals, with well-regarded coconut group…
- Santanna's Beach Bar & Grill – A long-established seafood spot by the sea on Little Exuma, famous for its fried lobster; it was once a filming locatio…