Bahamas Out Islands – Family Islands Vacation Guide from Bahamas-Travel.infoThe Bahamas Out IslandsHow adventuresome do you want your visit to The Islands Of The Bahamas to be? If you’re looking for total escape from the crowds, something different from the everyday and a full menu of the unexpected, you might want to become “a collector” of the extraordinary Out Islands.
You can find every activity from just doing nothing at all to exploring some of the world’s most spectacular dive sites. From a quiet afternoon kicking back in your shaded hammock to experiencing the shrill song and electrifying excitement of a saltwater reel playing out what seems to be miles of line before the drag slows your determined, deep-sea competitor.
Just about everything you can find on the larger islands, you can also find on The Out Islands. You just won’t have as many witnesses.
Acklins / Crooked Island
Columbus is alleged to have come to the area looking for gold but the only “treasure” he found was the jasmine-like fragrance in the air. Acklins is rocky and steep. Crooked Island is mainly comprised of tidal flats and deep creeks. Population of the two is a very friendly 850+ and counting.
The Berry Islands
This group of 30 cays is second only to The Bimini Islands as a haven for sportfishing. Their seclusion, beautiful beaches and surrounding waters also make a popular retreat for yachtsmen. Only a few of the islands have a permanent population, which totals 634.
Cat Island
This is one of the most beautiful, fertile islands in The Islands Of The Bahamas and boasts the highest elevation of them all. Its 150 square miles are covered with rolling hills of dense green forests and uncounted miles of magnificent beaches. Still very much enmeshed in the past, evidence of Cat Island’s early cultures abounds. It has a population of 1,678.
The Inagua Islands
The terrain here is wild and desolate, with a desert-like climate. Great Inagua is famous for its extensive salt production. A large part of the land is a protected park – a sanctuary and breeding territory for over 80,000 West Indian flamingos – the national bird of The Islands Of The Bahamas. The population of Great Inagua is 924. Little Inagua is uninhabited.
Long Island
This paradise lives up to its name, with a length of 80 miles and an area of 230 square miles. It is alternately hilly and punctuated with numerous limestone caves and perfect white beaches laid out in the sun. Population: 3,404.
Mayaguana Island
Mayaguana Island, an Arawak Indian name, is the least developed and most isolated of the family islands. With unspoiled beaches and excellent scuba diving and fishing, Mayaguana Island offers a quiet and relaxing getaway for vacationers.
San Salvador Island
Christopher Columbus made this tiny, 63-square-mile area, originally called “Guanahani,” the most historically important island of The Bahamas. He made first landfall here in 1492. San Salvador Island still remains largely cloaked in its past amongst scattered Loyalists’ plantation ruins and Indian relics. The population is 465.
Search Our Directory for Out Island Listings
TOURISM OFFICES
The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism
P.O. Box N-3701
Nassau, Bahamas
Phone: 242-322-7500
Fax: 242-328-0945
E-mail: tourism@bahamas.com
In Florida, the tourist office can be reached at 305-931-1555.