Three Days of Free Nature in the Bahamas
Your Bahamas Itinerary at a Glance
- Day 1 Day 1: Nassau mangroves
- Day 2 Day 2: Cross to Eleuthera
- Day 3 Day 3: Harbour Island on foot
Where to Stay in Bahamas
Small Hope Bay Lodge
If your dates allow a hop to Andros, this family owned cabin lodge has been running over 60 years and is built around diving, bonefishing and birding rather than a pool.
The Farm
A very small cottage hotel built around a working organic farm, off grid and solar, with over 200 garden beds.
What to Do in Bahamas
Bonefish Pond National Park
A 600 foot boardwalk out through the last remaining tidal mangrove on the shores of southern New Providence, and a nursery for marine species.
The Queen's Bath
Natural limestone tidal pools on the Atlantic shore, refilled by waves and warmed by the sun.
Pink Sands Beach and the Harbour Island public access paths
Three miles of pink sand walkable end to end, reached by around ten public access paths through the settlement.
Your Day by Day Bahamas Itinerary
Day 1: Nassau mangroves
The Bahamas is limestone: porous, flat and almost without surface fresh water, which is why nearly 90 per cent of its food is imported and why its national parks matter more than its beaches. Nassau's own mangrove park is the best free thing on New Providence, and its opening days decide the shape of your trip.
Bonefish Pond National Park
A 600 foot boardwalk out through the last remaining tidal mangrove on the shores of southern New Providence, and a nursery for marine species. No entry fee, but open Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays only, nine to four.
Small Hope Bay Lodge
If your dates allow a hop to Andros, this family owned cabin lodge has been running over 60 years and is built around diving, bonefishing and birding rather than a pool. Andros holds the largest freshwater reserves in the country.
Day 2: Cross to Eleuthera
Eleuthera is 110 miles long and rarely more than a mile wide, with the Atlantic on one side and the bank on the other. This is where the Bahamas grew pineapples, and where the country's only working organic farm hotel now sits.
The Queen's Bath
Natural limestone tidal pools on the Atlantic shore, refilled by waves and warmed by the sun. Go at low tide, and read the swell honestly, because it is dangerous at high water.
The Farm
A very small cottage hotel built around a working organic farm, off grid and solar, with over 200 garden beds.
Day 3: Harbour Island on foot
All Bahamian beaches are public to the high tide mark by law, and Harbour Island publishes where the public access paths are, which is unusually honest. You need no vehicle at all: the island is walkable end to end and runs on golf carts.
Pink Sands Beach and the Harbour Island public access paths
Three miles of pink sand walkable end to end, reached by around ten public access paths through the settlement. All Bahamian beaches are public to the high tide mark by law.
Pink Sands Beach and the Harbour Island public access paths
Walk the three miles again at the other end of the day. The sand takes its colour from crushed foraminifera shells washed in off the reef, and it reads completely differently in low light.
The Farm
Back across to Eleuthera for the night. Over 200 garden beds, a freshwater well, and a kitchen that serves seafood from nearby waters and vegetables from the garden, which on an island importing nearly 90 per cent of its food is genuinely rare.