Bahamas Things to do

Beaches and water sports
The perfect white and pink beaches contrast with the shimmering turquoise or emerald sea. Cable Beach on the largest island, New Providence, offers all kinds of water sports - anything from jet skiing to kite boarding – while the Out Islands enable visitors to find their own tropical paradise.

Snorkelling and diving
With coral reefs teeming with fish and sunken wrecks, the Bahamas attract many snorkellers and divers. PADI courses are available and experienced divers can head for Andros where the barrier reef drops spectacularly down to the Tongue of the Ocean with caves, canyons, blue holes, and a chance to swim amongst dolphins and sharks.

Fishing
There are plenty of boats, equipment and guides for hire. Bone fishing is extremely competitive as the bonefish have to be stalked and fight very hard for their size.  Anyone with a taste for deep-sea fishing, and edible fish, might expect to land marlin, sailfish, tuna, or mackerel in waters that offer some of the best sport in the world.

Other activities
Not all activities involve the sea. The Bahamas boasts a number of championship-grade golf courses and excellent facilities for tennis and squash. There are stables offering horse rides through the forests as well as walking trails and miles of beaches to roam.

Shopping
This is great place for duty-free luxury goods such as jewellery, perfume, watches, cameras, china and alcohol (the Bacardi distillery is here). Look out for the straw markets; the most famous is on Nassau’s Bay Street. Here you’ll find anything from straw baskets and hats to the most beautiful artwork.

Sightseeing
Parliament Square in Nassau features elegant pastel buildings including the Houses of Parliament themselves. Fort Charlotte, built in 1788, is free to visit and has a moat, dungeon and splendid views from the battlements. For a spectacular sea view, there’s the Hermitage at the summit of Mount Alvernia.

Nightlife
Clubs in Nassau and Paradise Island come alive to music which varies from local rake ‘n’ scrape to reggae, soca, hip hop and R & B. This area also attracts the rich and famous, as well as those hoping to become rich in the world-class casinos. For a more intimate evening, beachfront bars abound.

The Junkanoo Festival
This celebration of local music, art and culture takes place each December. Nassau’s Junkanoo Parade is a masked carnival with prizes for the best floats on December 26 that the revellers somehow find the energy to repeat on New Year’s Day.

National parks
Lucayan National park, east of Freeport, is 40 acres of forest, limestone caverns (including the world’s largest underwater cave system), nature trails and a superb beach. Abaco National Park is 32 square miles of forest and mangrove swamp with nature trails along which visitors could see egrets, hummingbirds, wild boars and the rare Bahamian parrot.

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