Tours & Excursions

Island
Hopper
GUIDES

A Guide to the Bahamas Best Spots for Freshwater Blue Holes

On Andros Island, the ground occasionally opens into a perfect circle of turquoise — a freshwater blue hole, drinking direct from the island’s limestone aquifer. The Bahamas has the highest concentration of blue holes on the planet, and the best place to see them without a dive certification is Blue Holes National Park, which ranks as the country’s #3 national park. This guide covers the park’s most accessible freshwater blue holes, the surrounding hikes and paddles, and what you need to know before you go — whether you’re a first-time visitor or a returning island-hopper. Blue Holes National Park

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A Guide to Booking a Multi Day Sailing Charter for Beginners

If you’ve ever watched a sailboat glide into a turquoise anchorage and thought, “I could do that,” you’re not alone. Roughly 1,500 sailors trust SEARADAR to book their charters each year — and many of them started with zero experience. This guide walks through the exact steps of booking a multi-day sailing charter for beginners, covering what to look for, how to plan, and what to expect once you cast off. It’s written for families, couples, or solo travellers who want to trade the hotel room for a floating basecamp without the stress of figuring it all out from

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A Guide to Renting Kayaks for a Self Guided Mangrove Tour

Paddling through a mangrove tunnel feels less like a workout and more like slipping into a hidden world—light filters through the canopy, herons stalk the shallows, and the only sound is your paddle dipping into the water. For a self-guided mangrove tour in the Bahamas, you can rent a kayak for around $69 for five hours or $110 for a full day, with boat fees typically running $25 per person. This guide walks through where to rent, what gear you need, how to navigate the mangroves on your own, and what to watch out for—whether you’re a first-time paddler

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Exploring the Abandoned Naval Facility Ruins on Andros

From the air, the western shore of Andros looks like a military installation frozen in time—which makes sense, since the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC) has been operating here since the late 1950s. The U.S. Navy chose this spot for one reason: just offshore, the ocean floor drops into the “Tongue of the Ocean,” a deep-water canyon that reaches depths of up to 6,000 feet (1,800 meters). That geological quirk made Andros the perfect place to build an underwater testing range for submarines and sonar systems—and over the decades, a collection of piers, hangars, and support buildings

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How to Try Traditional Bahamian Basket Weaving Firsthand

On any given morning at the Nassau Straw Market, you’ll find Bahamian women hunched over bundles of sun-dried palmetto straw, their fingers moving in patterns that haven’t changed in generations. The market itself has been a fixture on Bay Street since the 1940s, when local women began selling handmade straw goods to supplement household income. What started as a practical way to support families has grown into one of the Bahamas’ most enduring cultural traditions — and one you can still take part in firsthand. This article walks you through the best way to experience traditional Bahamian basket weaving,

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A Guide to Booking a Guided Cave Kayaking Tour

You’ve seen the photos — kayakers paddling through a limestone cave entrance into a dark chamber filled with stalactites. That’s Lucayan National Park on Grand Bahama Island, and getting there with a guide is simpler than you might think. The Lucayan National Park is the second most visited national park in The Bahamas, with an underwater cave system stretching over six miles and two caves open for visitors. Established in 1977, the park covers over 40 acres and encompasses all six ecosystems of Grand Bahama Island. Guided cave kayaking tours give you access to the caves and the surrounding

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Exploring the Bahamas Best Spots for Underwater Photography

You drop below the surface and the world goes blue. In the Bahamas, that blue is often more than 100 feet of visibility, and below it waits the third-largest barrier reef on the planet, a scatter of shipwrecks turned artificial reefs, and blue holes that drop hundreds of feet into the earth. For anyone carrying a camera, this is one of the most accessible underwater photography destinations in the Caribbean — not just for the clarity of the water, but for the variety of subjects within reach of a shore dive or a short boat ride. This article covers

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Chasing the Bahamas Best Tarpon Fishing Spots

The first time I watched a tarpon rocket out of the shallows off Andros Island, I understood why anglers cross oceans for these fish. That silver body, easily over 100 pounds, twisted against the sky before crashing back into the mangroves. The Bahamas, with its 661 cays surrounded by shallow flats, is one of the best places in the Atlantic to chase them. This article covers the top spots for tarpon fishing in the Bahamas, what makes each one worth your time, and how to match a destination to your skill level and travel style. Tarpon in the Bahamas

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How to Spend an Afternoon Learning Bahamian Knot Tying

I learned to tie my first knot — a simple figure-eight — on a shaded dock at Highbourne Cay, with the water so clear I could see sea fans swaying twenty feet down. The instructor was Windy Chien, a San Francisco-based artist who spent a full year learning a new knot every single day — a project she called The Year of Knots. That afternoon in the Exumas changed how I think about rope, craft, and the slow pleasure of hands-on learning. This article covers how to spend an afternoon learning Bahamian knot tying yourself — whether you join

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A Guide to Booking a Sunset Sail on a Traditional Sloop

On a clear evening in the Exumas, the low-angle sun turns the shallows into a sheet of gold and electric blue while a traditional sloop cuts through the flat water. Bahamas sunset cruises run year-round, but the departure time slides dramatically — from as early as 4pm in January to as late as 6pm in August. This guide covers exactly how to book a sunset sail on a traditional sloop, what to expect, and which islands deliver the best experience for couples, small groups, and families. Sunset timing in the Bahamas varies by season: November–January sees sunset around 5:45–6:15pm,

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